# 1-800-GOT-JUNK?: Brian Scudamore

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2017-04-17
- Length: 40m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore

## Summary

Brian Scudamore, founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, explains how he started the junk hauling business in 1989 with a $700 Ford F100 truck and a painted phone number, eventually scaling it into a franchise model generating over $200 million in annual revenue. He details the pivot from a single-operator service to a franchised empire, including the strategic acquisition of the 1-800-GOT-JUNK? phone number from the Idaho Department of Transportation and the critical leadership transition from his co-founder Cameron Harold to COO Eric Church. Scudamore discusses the company's expansion into major metros across North America and Australia, emphasizing the importance of franchisee support and brand consistency over pure profit maximization.

## Chapters

- [0:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=24) Introduction: Brian Scudamore and 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
- [2:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=138) Early Entrepreneurship: Car Washes and the $700 Truck
- [6:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=403) The Light Bulb Moment: Seeing the Junk Truck at McDonald's
- [10:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=600) Early Operations: Pricing, Marketing, and Firing the Team
- [18:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=1131) Scaling Strategy: The First Franchise in Toronto
- [22:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=1353) Branding and Expansion: Acquiring the 1-800 Number
- [25:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=1528) Media Growth: The Fortune Magazine Article and 53 Franchise Deals
- [28:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=1703) Leadership Crisis: The Failure of the Second President
- [32:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=1948) Recovery and Stabilization with Eric Church
- [34:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-04-17-1-800-got-junk-brian-scudamore#t=2084) Conclusion: Advice to Young Brian and Weird Junk

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- 1-800-GOT-JUNK? (company)
- Ford F100 (product)
- Idaho Department of Transportation (company)
- Fortune magazine (other)
- Starbucks (company)

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