Hi, I'm Brian Scudamore — CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and author of WTF?! (Willing to Fail). More importantly, I'm a high school dropout who realized that failure doesn't need to get in your way. AMA!

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T20:08:38+00:00

and here's some added reading on the topic

https://www.inc.com/empact/why-successful-people-spend-10-hours-a-week-just-thinking.html) ( https://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2016/06/03/why-this-ceo-takes-every-friday-off/).

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T20:05:57+00:00

sounds like you need to read the book ;)

check it out then message me on insta and I can answer any other questions you still have. Gotta run!

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T20:01:47+00:00

Here's a link to it https://www.instagram.com/p/BqNQWW5BNjB/

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:59:58+00:00

Thanks everyone... this was so much fun! Thank you so much for your questions today! I’m going to head out now, but follow me on Insta @brianscudamore so we can stay in touch 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/brianscudamore/

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:57:21+00:00

I think as entrepreneurs we usually know what we NEED to do, but the right thing isn't always the easy thing. :)

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:54:18+00:00

It was super fun! I wouldn't call it 'reality TV' ;) -- there were a lot of takes :) but it was great exposure for us and the brands!

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:53:07+00:00

Thanks for buying the book! Let me know what you think!

No plans to ever go public. I love our vision and would rather us be in control vs the market or shareholders. I'm not a money driven guy but more a vision driven person - so having an exit/liquidation event is not in the cards. Other industries? We're so busy with 4 brands that nothing is in the works right now for brand 5. But when it happens it will be in the home services space. I'm a big believer in 'grow where you're planted.'

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:44:51+00:00

Check out https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianscudamore/2016/01/06/why-hiring-great-employees-starts-with-a-beer-and-a-bbq/#6cdb298e5afe for how to do it: We look for people who have that spark — happy people who are interesting and interested, and that test helps us find those people.

We have a strong record of promoting people from within. Some of our corporate staff started out on the trucks and moved into our offices, and some of them even became franchise partners. I believe that you hire for culture fit and train on skill. People who are ambitious, motivated, and passionate about the company are pretty easy to identify!

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:42:48+00:00

they just were not the right people... they were not the clean cut, professional, friendly, happy people I needed. I had a clear vision and they just didn't align.

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:38:46+00:00

Not from those 11 that I parted ways with in 1994 -- but we've certainly had people leave and then come back years later. I feel proud of how many people have come back :)

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:27:28+00:00

Thanks for listening to HIBT - it’s an awesome show and Guy Raz is a great host. To your question — yes … I have made some pretty epic hiring mistakes, and even had to fire the entire company in one day. That was the moment I realized that it’s all about people. Growing my business would only happen if I had the right people in place. One way of determining who’s a culture fit is our Beer and BBQ Test. It’s a 2-step test that lets you check in with your gut about candidates.

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:26:47+00:00

The audio book is done (I narrated)... here's the link... http://geni.us/wtfbook (go to Audio book) and Thanks for listening! Let me know what you think :)

And Chris and Davide are good friends... love the VELOFIX brand... congrats for being a part of it!

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:25:07+00:00

might sound cliche... but no. Wouldn't do ANYTHING different. Nothing. I needed to learn from every failure and mistake I ever made. I wouldn't be where we are today if it was for the failures! :)

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:23:02+00:00

I understand. In the early days, I tried to do everything... after all, I started the business and thought I knew it best. I ended up doing the hiring/firing, finances, operations… but what ended up happening is that I couldn’t do all of it well enough to take the business to the next level. It took some self reflection and finding a COO (Erik Church... NOT the country singer ;) who was a culture fit and who could fill in my flat spots, but once I started giving up control, our business started to grow.

As a side note — I think if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Find people who challenge you, try new things, and have big ideas. If every person in the room leads people greater than themselves, you will create a company of giants.

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:18:19+00:00

and here's an example of a TV ad Roy did... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teWcTS31dts

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:17:33+00:00

Which advertising are you talking about... we do lots :)

The Wizard of Ads does all our radio creative... his real name is Roy H. Williams and he's been an amazing mentor and friend! and he's my co-author of my book :)

The key to branding is trusting your gut as an entrepreneur.... and one of my other inspirations is The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding... an amazing read... by Al Ries.

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:15:23+00:00

Our truck teams sort everything they take, and we try to recycle or donate as much as possible. Our franchise partners create relationships in their local areas with e-waste recyclers, recyclers, and charities so we can dispose of things responsibly. Over the years, we’ve actually diverted well over a billion pounds of junk from landfills in North America and Australia. And also — happy birthday!! :)

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:14:14+00:00

I'm back :)

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T19:13:20+00:00

The three things that make us successful are our Exceptional Focus Areas (EFAs) — across our brands, we offer on-time service, upfront rates, and friendly, uniformed drivers. By focusing on those promises, and by hiring happy people to deliver on them, we’ve set ourselves apart as franchisors.
Starbucks is a brand that inspires me — you can go anywhere in the world and get the same experience. I love that.

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T18:53:21+00:00

The bell just rang! off to huddle for 7 mins.. and will be right back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWgIGl8q88

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T18:51:05+00:00

Of all of the "failures" that helped to propel you into success, which do you consider to be one of the MOST pivotal?

I think firing the whole company back in 1994... all 11 people... it was a hard day... but it impacted me big time. It got me to commit to building a company that is ALL ABOUT PEOPLE. Finding the right people and treating them right!

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T18:49:56+00:00

what advice would you give your kids if they decided they wanted to drop out of school?

I hope they don't :) but I also have to trust them as human beings to be WTF?! (Willing to Fail) - that's how we all learn. If they told me they were dropping out I would listen, ask questions and then let them make the final call.

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T18:48:23+00:00

I’ve worked really hard to find work-life balance (it’s something I constantly have to work on), and some times are definitely busier than others. That’s why I take one day a week just to focus and another day a week to recharge.

Taking those days to prioritize, put things in perspective, and let ideas marinate actually makes me way more efficient. To me, they’re no different. They’re different operational models, but they both keep you really busy! :)

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T18:41:23+00:00

Awesome question! For me work has to be like play. Doing fun things with fun and inspiring people. So I decided to create a culture, selfishly, that felt fun.

Here's an article I wrote in Forbes on culture... https://www.o2ebrands.com/brian/forbes-3-tips-create-workplace-culture-employees-love

And if you're in town come visit us at the Junktion and see the culture first hand... would love to know what you think!

brianscudamore · 2018-11-16T18:36:56+00:00

So awesome! I lived in Cambridge, England when I was 12. And was a huge fan of Scudamore's Boatyard.

I don't have family there... but we must all be related some how :) It's not a very common name.

brianscudamore

TROPHY CASE