#46 - Why Failure is Good For You with Brian Scudamore

Brian Scudamore is the founder and CEO of O2E Brands, the banner company for 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, and Shack Shine.

Brian is A regular contributor to Forbes, writing about small business ownership, franchising, and building corporate culture. His first book, WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success, was published in 2018.

In high school, Scudamore faced reading challenges and was unable to complete an eighth-grade math class. In spite of failing at high school, he was accepted to Concordia University's business program without finishing his diploma because they believed his experience would help him succeed.

In 1989, Scudamore was waiting in line at a McDonald's drive-thru when he noticed a pickup truck advertising a junk removal service. Scudamore invested $700 from his own savings and purchased a truck with the intention of removing junk from people's homes.

Scudamore found that his business took off faster than he had expected, often forcing him to miss school so that he could take phone calls. Scudamore attributes his interest in the business to experience as well as an intellectual curiosity.

Wanting to be close to his ventures, he left Concord. Near the end of 2015, Scudamore revealed a new term for the model of franchising used by O2E Brands - "entrepreneurship", defined as an entry point for aspiring entrepreneurs who don't have access to the expertise or capital to launch a business venture and Three years later, the International Franchise Association named Brian Scudamore 'Entrepreneur of the Year'.

Please help me welcome to the We Do Hard Things Podcast, Brian Scudamore.