⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

Got-Junk Founder Meets House Painter, Starts New Franchise When Brian Scudamore of 1-800-Got-Junk hired a contractor to spruce up his old house, he found the second brand he'd been looking for. Now, the two have joined forces for 1-888-Wow-1Day! Painting.

By Dinah Wisenberg Brin

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Junk Entrepreneur Meets House Painter, Starts New Franchise
Brian Scudamore (standing) joined forces with his house painter, Jim Bodden (in driver's seat), to form 1-888-Wow-1Day! Painting.
Photo courtesy of 1-888-Wow-1Day Painting

Most people don't stumble across the next big thing when they hire a contractor to paint their home.

Then again, most people aren't Brian Scudamore, the entrepreneur who started 1-800-Got-Junk at age 18 and built it into a $100 million franchise.

Scudamore, now 41, spied his latest opportunity while meeting last year with three contractors all bidding on a job to spruce up his 90-year-old home. One of them, Jim Bodden, won the project because he promised to paint the entire house in a day. "I came home at 6:30 p.m. on paint day and the entire home, floor to ceilings, molding to trim," was done, Scudamore says.

That was enough to convince Scudamore that this house painter should be his new business partner. Scudamore proposed meshing Bodden's 22 years of painting experience with his 22 years of franchise experience. The new company, 1-888-Wow-1Day! Painting, which promises to finish any painting job in one day, was launched in February last year, about 3 months after the men struck a deal.

Wow-1Day "happened in a really serendipitous way. I knew that one day I would discover a second brand," Scudamore says. "I was keeping my eyes peeled so to speak."

The business is now growing faster than Scudamore's junk-removal business, which has expanded to 200 franchises globally.

The one-day painting brand has 10 franchise partners in Texas, California, Kansas, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, and aims to have 50 franchises by year end, according to Scudamore, CEO of both the junk and painting ventures.

Bodden serves as director of field operations and holds a seat on the board, and owns a company franchise near Vancouver. Scudamore has helped with "crowdsourcing" painters and getting publicity.

Scudamore believes Wow-1Day will be bigger than his junk franchise. "We have a huge potential to take a very fragmented mom-and-pop business and turn it into something very special," he says.

The business uses mostly eco-friendly paints, according to its website. A franchisee could pay less than $50,000 in cash to open a location, which is less than the typical fast-food franchise.

Scudamore says picking the right franchisees is critical to success – a lesson he learned when building 1-800-Got-Junk.

He says he's not necessarily looking for experienced painters but "passionate franchise partners" who will bring a new mindset to an industry that's sometimes lacking in customer service.

"The number one lesson we've ever learned," Scudamore says, "is that it's all about people."

Have you ever run across a business opportunity in a similar serendipitous way?

Dinah Wisenberg Brin is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She has covered business, politics, healthcare and general news for wire services, newspapers, blogs and other publications.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.

Money & Finance

4 Promising Industries Investors Should Be Watching in 2024

Wondering whether your industry is on the decline or set to expand? Read on for these predictions on the best sectors for growth in 2024.