Daniel Tom was 31 when he started Bay Area Sanitation in 2023 with one truck and 100 portable toilets.
asserted
he → start → truck
Two years later, his business had grown to nearly 2,000 toilets and a fleet of 12 vacuum pumper trucks serving events and work sites across the San Francisco Bay Area.
asserted
business → grow → Area
The company brought in $3.1 million in 2024 and $4.3 million in 2025, according to documents reviewed by CNBC.
uncertain
company → bring → CNBC
Tom’s business rents portable toilets and also handles their maintenance.
asserted
business → rent → maintenance
This includes weekly cleaning, restocking supplies and removing waste from the units.
asserted
This → include → units
Each portable toilet can hold up to 60 gallons of waste, which is emptied using the company’s vacuum pumper trucks.
asserted
which → hold → trucks
The business became profitable within its first year.
asserted
business → become → year
Tom says most of the company’s income now comes from long-term rentals, where customers pay recurring charges for the toilets and their weekly cleaning.
asserted
customers → say → toilets
Standard portable toilets start at $160 a month for long-term rentals, while short-term rentals for events generally cost between $239 and $399 per event.
asserted
rentals → start → event
The work may not sound attractive to everyone, and Tom says he often gets disgusted reactions when he tells people what he does.
uncertain
he → sound → what
But he says those reactions usually change when he explains how the business operates and how much revenue it generates.
asserted
it → say → revenue
“When I tell people that I own a porta-potty business, I get a lot of disgusted looks,” Tom says as quoted by CNBC.
asserted
Tom → tell → CNBC
“But once I explain to them the business model and the revenue, most of the time they get interested,” he adds.
asserted
he → explain → time
From part-time job to business owner
Tom’s connection with the portable-toilet industry began while he was studying at San Jose State University.
asserted
he → begin → University
During his junior year, he was studying to become a physical education teacher when he took a part-time customer service job at a portable-toilet rental company.
asserted
he → study → company
The job changed his plans.
asserted
job → change → plans
“I liked it so much that I decided to abandon teaching and dive in full-time after graduation,” Tom says.
asserted
Tom → like → graduation
He then worked for seven years as a sales manager at Hanson & Fitch before deciding to start his own company.
asserted
He → work → company
When Bay Area Sanitation began in 2023, Tom started with just one truck and 100 toilets.
asserted
Tom → begin → truck
The company later expanded as the number of toilets available for rent increased.
asserted
number → expand → rent
By 2025, it was managing nearly 2,000 units and had 12 trucks operating across the Bay Area.
asserted
it → manage → Area
The company serves different types of customers.
asserted
company → serve → customers
Its portable toilets are used at short-term outdoor events such as concerts, as well as at construction sites and public parks where toilets may be required for longer periods.
uncertain
toilets → use → periods
Focus on long-term rentals
Tom says he prefers long-term rentals because they provide recurring income.
asserted
they → focus → income
Customers who rent the toilets for longer periods also pay for regular cleaning services.
asserted
who → rent → services
"I like to focus on long-term rentals because it equals guaranteed recurring revenue for my business,” he says.
asserted
he → like → business
Tom says the business has a net profit margin of around 22%.
asserted
business → say → %
Its 19 employees account for about 30% of revenue in labour costs.
asserted
employees → account → costs
Other expenses include fuel for the vacuum and delivery trucks, along with supplies such as toilet paper and paper towels.
asserted
expenses → include → paper
Starting such a business also requires significant upfront spending.
asserted
Starting → start → spending
Tom estimates that a rentable portable toilet can cost around $800, while a vacuum truck can cost about $160,000.
asserted
truck → estimate → 160,000
He did not disclose how much he personally spent to launch Bay Area Sanitation, but said the average person might need roughly $250,000 to get started.
uncertain
person → disclose → 250,000
Tom sees an unusual contrast in running a sanitation business in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is home to major technology companies such as Google, Apple and Nvidia.
asserted
which → see → Google
As artificial intelligence changes many types of work, Tom believes his business is based on a service that still requires people and physical work.
asserted
that → change → people
“We’ve managed to build what I think is a low-tech, AI-proof business,” he says.
asserted
he → manage → ?
He says he also takes pride in providing a service that people need.
asserted
people → say → that
“The truth is, I take pride in what I do.
asserted
I → take → what
I love coming to work every day and I provide a service that everybody needs.
asserted
everybody → come → that
Everybody goes, right?
asserted
Everybody → go → ?
The business requires regular hands-on work.
asserted
business → require → work
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
