Hardware Podcasts

1-800-GOT-JUNK?: Brian Scudamore (2018)

How I Built This · 5 Mar 2018 · 40m

What this episode covers

Brian Scudamore, founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, explains how he built a billion-dollar franchise empire starting with a $700 pickup truck and a $80 price point. He details the pivotal decision to fire his entire early team to enforce a customer-centric culture, the struggle to secure the '1-800-GOT-JUNK?' phone number from the Idaho Department of Transportation, and the near-bankruptcy caused by hiring a misaligned executive from Starbucks. Scudamore also discusses the strategic shift to hiring an operational leader, Eric Church, to balance his visionary style with rigorous execution.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up and established companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Rubbish Boys, Bloomerent, U.S. Bank, Fortune, YEO, Subway, Starbucks, McDonald's, FedEx
Products
Bundles
Also
Eric Church, Cameron Herald, David Snyderman, John Riedel, Denit Zamir, Adam Lashinski, Michael, Ray Crock, Guy Roz

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Moore's Lobby · 37m

    Ep. 26 | Microchip's Steve Sanghi on How to Bring a Company from Debt to Billions

    Steve Sanghi, Executive Chairman and former CEO of Microchip Technology, recounts how he took over the company in 1990 when it was on the verge of bankruptcy, transforming it into a $43 billion enterprise. He details the strategic pivot to field-programmable microcontrollers using EPROM technology, which allowed for zero lead times and eliminated the scrap costs associated with ROM-based parts. Sanghi emphasizes Microchip's 'different-by-design' culture, including a strict policy of promoting from within and heavy investment in employee training, which contributed to 121 consecutive profitable quarters.

    Starting a product companyMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 50m

    #123 Jeff Church's Lessons on Entrepreneurship, from Suja Juice $140 Million/year Success to Shutting down Rowdy Energy

    Jeff Church, CEO of Suja Juice and Rowdy Energy, discusses his journey from building Suja into a $140 million/year brand to shutting down Rowdy Energy. He details the strategic pivot to High Pressure Processing (HPP) and the critical importance of gross margin, noting that early focus on cost of goods sold (COGS) could have halved Suja's capital raise. Church explains that Rowdy failed due to entering an overcrowded energy drink market with insufficient velocity and high slotting fees, leading to a painful closure despite significant investment.

    Validation & product-market fitPricing, margins & unit economics
    8 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 51m

    #79 First Hire Series: Behind the scenes on hiring with Sweet Nothings

    Jake Kneller, CEO and co-founder of Sweet Nothings, and Lucy King, VP of Marketing, discuss the company's hiring trajectory from a two-person garage operation to a 13-person scaling team. They detail the strategic decisions behind their first hires, including Gavin Myers for retail expertise and Lucy for marketing, emphasizing the importance of hiring for a 'no job too small' attitude over pedigree. The episode covers their remote culture, goal-setting frameworks, and the reality of managing early-stage growth with products like Spoonable Smoothie Cups and Nut Butter Bites.

    Hiring & workforceLeadership, teams & culture
    9 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 38m

    #115 Pure Gold Series: Lessons on Iterating from Seth Goldman + Updates on Eat the Change & Just Ice Tea

    Seth Goldman, Co-Founder of Eat the Change and Honest Tea, discusses the rapid scaling of his new beverage brand, Just Ice Tea, which has reached $16 million in gross sales and distribution in over 5,000 stores. He details the strategic decision to discontinue the company's first product, mushroom jerky, due to low velocity, and the subsequent packaging redesign of Cosmic Chews to improve consumer appeal. Goldman also covers the company's recent $14 million raise, the upcoming launch of a canned product line, and his leadership philosophy on mental health support and prioritization during hyper-growth.

    Scaling productionPricing, margins & unit economics
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 37m

    #88 Undaunted Leadership with Hint Founder Kara Goldin

    Kara Goldin, founder of Hint, discusses scaling her unsweetened flavored water company from a garage startup to over 30,000 retail locations, emphasizing leadership lessons from the pandemic and early growth. She explains how Hint grew 40% in 2020 by pivoting operations, securing deals with Costco, Walmart, and Aldi, and managing supply chain disruptions through direct store engagement. Goldin highlights the importance of hiring 'creators' rather than just managers, maintaining transparency with employees, and the strategic value of lacking prior CPG industry experience. The episode covers her book 'Undaunted,' detailing key decisions like losing Starbucks to focus on Target and refusing unfavorable promotions from Whole Foods to protect brand equity.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.