Global Franchise 9.3

What I wish I’d known ne thing I wish I’d held onto earlier in my career is this: have a sense of urgency, but be patient for results. It’s something I always tell people who are growing a business – if you try to shortcut success, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. Every time I’ve acted out of impatience it’s created more sleepless nights than necessary.We hear these stories about business unicorns, but very few people I know – if any – have achieved overnight success. While our industry bounced back after COVID , I admit I panicked at first. I let fear and uncertainty take control, which affected my leadership. I should’ve been more stoic and steadfast. If I could go back in time, I would reassure the team and provide more stability to instill confidence and direction early on. I never grew up thinking I’d own a moving business . In fact, I didn’t even know what the word “entrepreneur” meant until people started calling me one. In high school and college, I was obsessed with basketball and wanted to teach. But I also knew I wanted something financially rewarding and figured I could coach basketball after making some money. Now in my early 40s, I’m doing some volunteer coaching.We’ve been able to use our organization as a platform for leadership development, and I think I would have gone down the coaching path if I hadn’t gone this route, just because I enjoy educating and teaching people to reach their potential. I’ve always been an impulsive decision-maker. I got in trouble in school for not sitting still, not following rules – early signs of being suited for an entrepreneurial path. But there’s a thin line between bold and reckless. As an entrepreneur, you must take risks, but you can’t be reckless – you could drive off a cliff pretty quickly. When we started out, there were no TV shows like Shark Tank , no social media to glamorize entrepreneurship. Starting your own business was considered risky. People were skeptical when we quit our decent entry-level jobs after college. They’d ask, “You’re going to throw away your degrees to start a junk business?”We used that skepticism as motivation. It fueled us to prove the doubters wrong. We could see the potential of the brand and imagined it in other cities, so we decided to pursue it.When we went global, it felt like starting a whole new business. We needed resources, expertise, and infrastructure to support expansion. Looking back, we were a bit naïve at first, but we figured it out. My single most important piece of advice is never stop learning. My wife once jokingly said I was good at trying to get better. I asked her what she meant, and she said, “You read all these self-help and leadership books. You feel like you’d be complete by now, but there’s always more to learn.” I took it as a compliment because once you think you know everything, you’re stuck. I co-authored a book with Omar Soliman called Effortless Entrepreneur back in 2010 . It’s funny because we wrote it after a speaker at a conference told us, “Everyone should write a book.” So, we did. We wrote it from the perspective of what we wished we’d known in high school and college. At the time, we thought we’d be the next Tim Ferriss, writing about the four-hour workweek. It didn’t take off like that, but when I reread it, I realize it’s still mostly relevant and has timeless tips for entrepreneurs. O Nick Friedman co-founded College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving with his childhood friend Omar Soliman, with over 250 franchises across North America. Friedman has appeared on various television programs, including ABC’s Shark Tank , Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker , and CBS’s Undercover Boss . Beyond business, Friedman is a motivational speaker and has co-executive produced the award-winning documentary Beware of Mr. Baker. “If you try to shortcut success, you’re going to drive yourself crazy” N I C K F R I E D M A N 9 GLOBAL-FRANCHISE.COM Interv iew | FEATURE