Brian Scudamore - WTF?! (Willing to Fail)

Brian Scudamores enthralling tale of the launch and longevity of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is everything you want from a business yarn. Toxic employees, poor decisions, and financial and personal loss cant dim the persistence and optimism of an entrepreneur who transformed the simplest of ideas into a $250M-plus multi-brand empire. This book will make you want to runarms flung widetoward entrepreneurship.

L EIGH B UCHANAN , E DITOR AT L ARGE AT I NC. M AGAZINE

Its no surprise that Brian Scudamore has experienced the incredible highs and lows of entrepreneurship; hes been in the battle for 30 years! In WTF?! (Willing to Fail), he bares it allthe good, the bad, and the uglyin a way that will help entrepreneurs on their own journey. If I had to sum this book up, Id say, Learn from Brians mistakes so you dont have to! We should all be open to learning from those who have done it before!

J OE D E S ENA , CEO AND FOUNDER OF S PARTAN R ACE, N EW Y ORK T IMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, AND WORLD-CLASS ENDURANCE ATHLETE

Brian Scudamore is one of the hidden gems of the entrepreneurial world. In this book, he conveys life lessons with humility and wisdom. With a healthy dose of fun and entertainment (and blue wigs), Brian delves into counterintuitive insights about commitment vs. passion, work vs. play, and the turning points in life that shaped him, not only describing the key lessons hes learned but also the events that triggered those lessons.

D R. N OAM W ASSERMAN , FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF F OUNDER C ENTRAL, USC , AND AUTHOR OF THE BEST-SELLING T HE F OUNDERS D ILEMMAS

In this very readable book, culled from 30-years experience, Brian Scudamore details how budding entrepreneurs must be WTF (Willing to Fail) if they hope to truly succeed. Highly recommended.

J USTIN M ARTIN , AUTHOR AND ONE-TIME WRITER FOR F ORTUNE MAGAZINE

Brian Scudamores story is both improbable and inspiring. From a chance lightbulb moment at a McDonalds to the purchase of a $700 beat-up truckBrian built a billion-dollar brand with his own two hands. Was he lucky? You bet. Was his timing right? Yes. But he also busted his butt to build an elegant and simple business that went on to spawn competitors and rivals. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is a story full of failure, struggle, crisis and ultimately success through grit. And Brian lived that story.

G UY R AZ , HOST OF NPR S H OW I B UILT T HIS

The best learning comes from those who have done it, and Brian Scudamore sure has. WTF?! is not only a fun and easy read, but I pulled 15 business and life takeaways that will enhance my life and the lives of the CEOs I coach on a monthly basis.

J ACK D ALY , MULTIPLE BEST-SELLING AUTHOR ON A MAZON AND CEO COACH

When an accomplished person like Brian opens up about his failures as much as his successes, the lessons are powerful. This book is worth more than an MBA.

P AT L ENCIONI , BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF T HE F IVE D YSFUNCTIONS OF A T EAM, BUSINESS CONSULTANT, AND SPEAKER

Brian Scudamore is everymans entrepreneur, taking ordinary companies and converting them into exceptional companies, then spreading them worldwide. This book tells the story of how everyone can, with great, productive joy, literally transform the world!

M ICHAEL E . G ERBER , AUTHOR OF T HE E - M YTH BOOKS

Clear, candid, and fun to read, Brian Scudamores book is a great crash course for anyone who wants to start and scale a business.

E LAINE P OFELDT , AUTHOR OF T HE M ILLION- D OLLAR, O NE- P ERSON B USINESS

Brian Scudamore has taken ordinary service businesses and turned them into exceptional customer service experiencesfour times over. He truly understands how to scale businesses and has turned his WTF attitude into a recipe for massive growth. This book is an essential tool for anyone taking on the adventure of entrepreneurship.

V ERNE H ARNISH , FOUNDER, E NTREPRENEURS O RGANIZATION, AND AUTHOR OF S CALING U P ( R OCKEFELLER H ABITS 2.0)

Its not easy to turn one business into a multi-million-dollar success, and Brian Scudamores done it four times. In his first book, he opens up about how he transformed a single junk truck into a home-services empire, and how if he can do itanyone can. This is a must-read for anyone looking for guidance on their entrepreneurial journey.

R OBERT H ERJAVEC , CELEBRITY ENTREPRENEUR ON S HARK T ANK AND D RAGONS D EN AND CEO OF H ERJAVEC G ROUP

Success in entrepreneurship really comes down to attitude, and Brian Scudamore proves hes got the right one. In his first book, he shares how hes learned to transform failure into learning opportunities, how finding amazing people and treating them well is the key to growth, and that business should be fun. His WTF philosophy is a secret weapon for anyone looking to scale their business, create great culture, and turn challenges into triumphs.

JJ R AMBERG , HOST OF MSNBC S Y OUR B USINESS AND COFOUNDER OF G OODSHOP.COM

Success is all about attitude. With its upbeat, positive tone, this book is an essential tool for anyone looking for guidance as they take on the adventure of entrepreneurship.

T ONY H SIEH , CEO OF Z APPOS AND N EW Y ORK T IMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF D ELIVERING H APPINESS

For Grandpa Kenny and Grandma Florence who first lit my entrepreneurial fire.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

I wrote this book to encourage you.

Im the most ordinary guy there is. I didnt start a tech company or invent an app. I dont party with rock stars or drive a fancy car. My colleagues, friends, and family will tell you, Brian is a regular guy.

After nearly thirty years, my little junk hauling company is doing an average of a million dollars a day, and I see a clear pathway to becoming a billion-dollar company. You can do something big, too, if you want. But youve got to be willing to fail.

Failure is a temporary condition.

Afterward, it is a lesson learned.

It is wisdom gained.

Ive experienced moments of triumph and felt fulfillment that, in the beginning, I never could have imagined. But these moments have been punctuated by challenges Ive faced, mistakes Ive made, and failures Ive endured.

Im going to share all these with you so you can learn from my mistakes. After all, why should both of us have to learn the same hard lessons the hard way?

Ive been lucky to be surrounded by passionate, hardworking people I can count on, people who want to build something bigger and bettertogether.

The best parts of your life, the moments youll remember forever, will happen because of the awesome people standing next to you.

I didnt do it alone, and you cant either.

Do you want to go on an adventure of entrepreneurship?

Do you want to take the road less traveled?

Do you want to begin your own founders story?

If I can do it, so can you.

Brian

CHAPTER 1

DIFFICULTIES AND SECRET GETAWAYS

I got a dad when I was seven.

Charles Scudamore was studying to become a doctor, and lucky for me, he fell in love with my mother.

I do.

I do.

And Im with her. Its sort of a package deal. Hi, my name is Brian.

Then, whoosh!Charles Scudamore whisked Mom and me from our home in San Francisco to Vancouver, which is in a whole other country.

So now Im a foreigner, a seven-year-old American in Canada, and the only thing I cared aboutthe only thing I really wantedwas to fit in, to belong, to have friends.

My problem was I tried too hard. I became the class clown, always making fun of other kids in an attempt to get a laugh, get noticed, be accepted. I became an expert at pushing peoples buttons and yanking their chains.