Brian Scudamore

Early life and education

Scudamore was born in San Francisco on March 16, 1970. He struggled with reading in high school and dropped out after failing an eighth math class. He persuaded Concordia University to admit him to its business program, but left after two years to attend the University of British Columbia to be nearer his business. He dropped out of university in 1993 to focus on rubbish full time, disappointing his father, a liver transplant surgeon.

Books

His first book, WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success, was published in 2018 and recounts his entrepreneurial journey over nearly 30 years. His second book, BYOB: Build Your Own Business, Be Your Own Boss, came out in 2022 and became a Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon Bestseller. It outlines two paths for starting a business and includes lessons from other entrepreneurs.

Career

In 1989, while waiting in a McDonald's drive-thru, Scudamore saw a pickup truck advertising junk removal and invested $700 from savings to buy a truck, starting The Rubbish Boys with the tagline "We'll stash your trash in a flash! He went door-to-door and patrolled alleys for junk. The business grew quickly, and he skipped classes to take calls, eventually dropping out of university to focus on it. By 1997, revenue reached $1 million, but he laid off his entire staff because they did not share his vision, adopting a new motto: "It's All About People.

He renamed the company 1-800-GOT-JUNK? after the Idaho Transportation Department released the phone number to him at no cost. Since 1998, the company has grown to over 150 locations in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Scudamore declined external funding to maintain his vision. Despite being told the industry could not be franchised, he tested markets in Victoria, British Columbia, and Seattle.

In 1999, his friend Paul Guy opened the first franchise in Toronto, which remains the largest and most profitable. Scudamore was quoted on 10 million Starbucks cups as part of their 'As I See It' program.

Recognition

In 2004, Scudamore was inducted into the Young Presidents' Organization and served on the board of the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization. He became a CEO Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Inductee with the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization in 2012. Other honors include Fortune Small Business' Best Bosses Award, Best Leader on Facebook from The CSuite Awards, The Globe and Mail's Top 40 under 40, three 'Best Company To Work For' awards, and an Entrepreneur of the Year award for Business to Consumer services in British Columbia.