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How to Start a Junk Hauling Business: From $0 to $300 Million and Beyond (Greatest Hits)

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Jan 29, 2026

Guest

Brian Scudamore

Brian Scudamore, founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK and O2E Brands, built a multi-brand home services empire from a single truck. He talks about starting with $1,000, guerrilla marketing and PR wins, franchising growth, pricing strategy, hiring for attitude, and scaling into painting, moving, and detailing.

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ANECDOTE

Humble Start With A Pickup Truck

Brian Scudamore started with $1,000, bought a beat-up pickup, and launched the Rubbish Boys to pay for college.
He used flyers and door-to-door hustle to get the first customers and envisioned a bigger brand from day one.

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ANECDOTE

Front-Page PR Sparked Rapid Growth

After a girlfriend suggested pitching his story, Brian landed front-page coverage in the Vancouver paper and got 100 jobs in 24 hours.
That moment taught him the power of storytelling and free press for rapid growth.

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ADVICE

Don't Compete By Being Cheapest

Charge a premium for home services rather than being the cheapest to sustain quality staff and healthy margins.
Invest in people and service because customers will pay more for trust and professionalism.

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How a $1,000 Pickup Launched Rubbish Boys

02:12 • 1min

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Early Marketing: Door-to-Door and Free Press

03:15 • 2min

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Power of Storytelling and Modern PR

05:12 • 1min

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Oprah Moment and Scaling with PR

06:34 • 1min

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Decluttering Trend and Market Demand

07:35 • 1min

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Pricing Strategy: Don't Be the Cheapest

08:43 • 3min

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Iterate Quickly and Focus on Execution

11:17 • 5min

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Sustainable Disposal and Recycling Practices

16:13 • 2min

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Dropping Out: When Business Outweighs School

17:51 • 3min

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Firing Everyone to Rebuild Culture

20:24 • 5min

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Hiring: Beer and Barbecue Test

24:58 • 4min

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Franchising Beginnings and Student Model

29:25 • 3min

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Rapid Franchise Growth After National Press

32:24 • 4min

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Vetting Franchisees and Exit Risks

36:12 • 2min

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Expanding to Painting, Moving, and Detailing

38:28 • 3min

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Vision, Storytelling, and What's Next

41:08 • 3min

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Painted Picture: Crafting a Clear Vision

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

WTF? (Willing to Fail)

Brian Scudamore

#375

• Mentioned in 76 episodes

Tools of Titans

The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers

Tools of Titans is a comprehensive guide to achieving peak performance and personal transformation. The book is divided into three main sections: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise. It features insights and strategies from over 200 interviews with successful individuals such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ariana Huffington, and many others. Ferriss highlights common patterns among these high achievers, including daily meditation, disciplined routines, and the ability to turn weaknesses into strengths. The book is designed to be a resource for continuous learning and improvement, providing actionable advice and tools for readers to enhance their health, wealth, and wisdom.

Are you willing to fail?

Let that be your new mantra. It's the only way to get up the courage to get started.

That's the rule Brian Scudamore -- the founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK -- lives by.

What started with a $1000 investment (Brian's life's savings at the time) has turned into a home services empire that does $1 million in sales on any given day.

Brian's come a long way since that beat-up pickup truck going door-to-door that first summer.

His portfolio now includes house painting, moving services, and home detailing--all under the umbrella of Ordinary 2 Exceptional Brands. He’s formulated some unique and effective ways to build teams of passionate employees that share his goals and has leveraged the franchise model to grow his businesses and revenue from $0 to $444 million and beyond.

Tune in to hear how Brian started the junk hauling business as a soon-to-be college student, his thoughts on marketing and hiring, and how you can apply nearly 30 years of his own successes and failures to your business.

Full Show Notes: How to Start a Junk Hauling Business: From $0 to $300 Million and Beyond

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About The Side Hustle Show

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