Brian Scudamore: Stories from Franchisees & Founders
In this episode, Erik Van Horn is joined by Brian Scudamore on a favorite episode from the Franchise Secrets Podcast.
Brian is a franchising legend. He is the founder and CEO of O2E Brands,[the parent company of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, and Shack Shine. He is a regular contributor to Forbes, writing about small business ownership, franchising, and building corporate culture. His first book, WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success, was published in 2018.
After realizing that he learned more from working than he did from studying, he dropped out of college to attack his junk removal business full-time. That business became 1-800-GOT-JUNK, a top-flight low cost to entry franchise that has swept both the US and Canada and annually grosses over a half billion dollars in revenue. He then branched out with his business partners to open two more rapidly growing franchise companies: Wow One Day Painting and Shack Shine, both of which are on pace to dominate their respective markets and gross over a half billion in revenue themselves.
In 2004, Scudamore was inducted into the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and served as a board member for the Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization (YEO). Three years later, the International Franchise Association named Brian Scudamore ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’. He became a CEO Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Inductee with the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization in 2012. Other accolades include Fortune Small Business’ Best Bosses Award, The Globe and Mail‘s Top 40 under 40, three ‘Best Company To Work For’ awards, and an Entrepreneur of the Year award for Business to Consumer services in British Columbia.
Brian talks about his process of hiring the right people and how it made a tremendous difference in his company. He also emphasizes the importance of cultivating a healthy relationship with the franchise partners and how he was able to turn a small business into a well-oiled machine. Tune in to learn more about Brian’s one-of-a-kind franchise story!
What we talk about:
- Brian Scudamore’s business and franchise journey
- “I realized that you’ve got to build a business through people finding the right people and treating them right.” – Brian Scudamore
- Brian’s process of hiring the right people – The beer and barbeque test
- Hiring somebody who’s smarter and better
- Helping the top-performing franchisees
- Helping franchisees help each other
- Different recipes for different franchises
- Talking about 1-800-GOTJUNK, OW 1Day Painting, and Shack Shine
- Things Brian does to help the franchise partners
- The power in building a national brand
- “Grow where you’re planted, pick one niche that you want to chase, and do it really, really well.” – Brian Scudamore
- Lessons learned from the franchisees along the way
- Cultivating the relationship with the franchisees through a franchise advisory council
- Treating people like friends
- Franchisors admitting on mistakes made
- Finding gratitude in challenging times
- The impact of changing lives
Fun Fact: Scudamore decided that if he was going to professionalize a fragmented industry, the company needed a name that was catchy and easy to remember. He settled on ‘1-800-GOT-JUNK?’, but the number was already owned by the Idaho Transportation Department. Scudamore persisted and they eventually released it to him at no cost. Since 1998, the organization has experienced considerable growth. It currently services over 150 locations in three countries.
What we mention:
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- EO – Entrepreneurs’ Organization
- O2E Brands
- 1-800-GOTJUNK
- WOW 1Day Painting
- Shack Shine
- WTF (Willing To Fail), book by Brian Scudamore and Roy H. Willams
- https://talkwitherik.com
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