Brian Scudamore, the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, has had a long and winding entrepreneurial road. From starting with $700 and an old pickup truck, to building a $700 million junk removal empire, to starring on Canada’s “Dragon Den”, there aren’t many challenges he hasn’t faced. In this episode, host Mike Michalowicz, best-selling author of Profit First and The Money Habit, talks with Brian about the origins of his company, his personal growth through the ups and downs of running a business, and his philosophy of making meaning, not just money, through impactful leadership and fostering a positive company culture. Download the episode now!
Brian Scudamore, the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, has had a long and winding entrepreneurial road. From starting with $700 and an old pickup truck, to building a $700 million junk removal empire, to starring on Canada’s “Dragon Den”, there aren’t many challenges he hasn’t faced. In this episode, host Mike Michalowicz, best-selling author of Profit First and The Money Habit, talks with Brian about the origins of his company, his personal growth through the ups and downs of running a business, and his philosophy of making meaning, not just money, through impactful leadership and fostering a positive company culture. Download the episode now!
Ep. 1November 04, 2025
Brian Scudamore, the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, has had a long and winding entrepreneurial road. From starting with $700 and an old pickup truck, to building a $700 million junk removal empire, to starring on Canada’s “Dragon Den”, there aren’t many challenges he hasn’t faced. In this episode, host Mike Michalowicz, best-selling author of Profit First and The Money Habit, talks with Brian about the origins of his company, his personal growth through the ups and downs of running a business, and his philosophy of making meaning, not just money, through impactful leadership and fostering a positive company culture. Download the episode now!
Brian Scudamore, the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, has had a long and winding entrepreneurial road. From starting with $700 and an old pickup truck, to building a $700 million junk removal empire, to ...
BECOMING SELF-MADE GUEST
Brian Scudamore
Founder and CEO, 1800-Got-JUNK
Brian started his business in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 18, and later went on to franchise 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as a way to expand operations. Today, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has 1000 trucks on the road throughout some 180 locations in Canada, the United States, and Australia.
BECOMING SELF-MADE GUEST
Brian Scudamore
Founder and CEO, 1800-Got-JUNK
Brian started his business in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 18, and later went on to franchise 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as a way to expand operations. Today, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has 1000 trucks on the road throughout some 180 locations in Canada, the United States, and Australia.
When all is going wrong be willing to reset: Five years in, Brian fired all 11 employees, dropped back to one truck, and rebuilt around attitude and optimism.
Lesson: hire for values, not convenience—and own the decision when the team isn’t right
Paint the picture, then march to it: Stuck in comparison, Brian went to Bowen Island and wrote a two-page “Painted Picture” aka his vision for the future of the company—30 cities served, becoming “FedEx of junk removal,” and appearing on Oprah—and shared it with the 1-800-GotJunk? team. Half doubted, half opted in and five years later it happened.
Lesson: Make the future vivid, share it, and let it select your people.
Find the right collaborators: At ~$100M, misaligned leadership (and a huge 2008 misstep) nearly sank the company. Brian removed the execs, elevated loyal managers, then interviewed 75 candidates to find COO Eric Church—a true yin/yang partner who’s helped 7× revenue.
Lesson: when you scale, replace yourself in the right places, not everywhere—operate in your unique ability and hire for the rest.
This is an AI generated transcript. Please excuse any spelling errors.
Brian Scudamore (00:00):If you want something, you got to go after it. But what really makes a difference is connecting with your why. If your why fits someone else's, why boom magic. If I can see a ...
I fired my entire company. I wasn’t having fun in my business. And I realized I didn’t have the right people.”
Brian Scudamore, 1800-Got-JUNK
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