*By Carlo Versano* Before there was KonMari, there was 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Brian Scudamore started the junk removal service as a way to pay for college, using his pickup to haul people's unwanted and unloved things from their homes. Since then, he branched out into house painting (WOW 1 DAY PAINTING), moving (You Move Me), and home detailing (Shack Shine) ー a thriving home improvement business under the umbrella of his company, O2E Brands. Scudamore, whose new book "WTF?! (Willing to Fail)" documents his struggles and successes as an entrepreneur, told Cheddar that it's especially important for business leaders to highlight the ways in which they've stumbled now that social media seems to add a patina of success and happiness to everything. Nobody seems to post photos showing themselves in the midst of making a mistake, the CEO said. "I've had plenty of dark days," Scudamore said, including bouts of depression and anxiety attacks as he worked to get his business off the ground. "I did fail a lot in the early years." He advised entrepreneurs toying with their big idea not to worry about catching lightning in a bottle. Instead, tweak, iterate, make it better. Scudamore thinks of his stable of brands as children, he said. Sometimes they stumble and as the parent, he has to pick them back up. And, just like a parent, he still makes mistakes, too. Scudamore's main business of junk removal has been lifted by the popularity of Marie Kondo, her book and subsequent Netflix ($NFLX) show, in which she urges people to tidy their homes by asking themselves whether items "spark joy." While the concept is trendy now, a similar mindset has been around for decades. The success of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is indicative of a "keeping up with the Joneses" problem in our consumer culture, Scudamore said, where we keep buying and collecting without giving much thought as to what we already have. Does that make Scudamore the original KonMari evangelist? "Marie Kondo's got it figured out," he said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/1-800-got-junk-ceo-says-failure-is-key-to-finding-business-success).

Share:
More In Business
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV: What you need to know
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
Universal Music and AI song generator Udio partner on new AI platform
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Load More