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On this episode of Skin in the Game, Saxon Baum sits down with longtime friends and powerhouse entrepreneurs Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman, the co-founders of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving and Trash Butler. From detention in high school to becoming nationally recognized leaders, Nick and Omar share the raw story behind building two iconic brands from scratch.They talk about what it really means to bootstrap a company, the sleepless nights and skepticism they faced early on, and how they turned a beat-up cargo van into a viral, multi-million-dollar business. Along the way, they share how franchising became both their greatest challenge and smartest growth strategy, why brand and PR were everything, and the lessons they learned about scaling people, culture, and systems.The conversation dives deep into Tampa’s rise as an entrepreneurial hub and why they believe the city’s collaborative spirit gives it a unique edge. They also open up about the evolution of Trash Butler, how raising outside capital differed from their bootstrapped journey, and what it’s really like answering to a board after running their own show for so long.This episode is full of entrepreneurial wisdom, gritty stories, and quotable one-liners—from “teams win championships, families watch them” to “bootstrapping is the MBA, raising capital is the rocket fuel.”If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or simply curious about what it takes to build enduring businesses from the ground up, this conversation with Nick and Omar is a masterclass you won’t want to miss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode of Skin in the Game, Saxon Baum sits down with longtime friends and powerhouse entrepreneurs Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman, the co-founders of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving and Trash Butler. From detention in high school to becoming nationally recognized leaders, Nick and Omar share the raw story behind building two iconic brands from scratch.
They talk about what it really means to bootstrap a company, the sleepless nights and skepticism they faced early on, and how they turned a beat-up cargo van into a viral, multi-million-dollar business. Along the way, they share how franchising became both their greatest challenge and smartest growth strategy, why brand and PR were everything, and the lessons they learned about scaling people, culture, and systems.
The conversation dives deep into Tampa’s rise as an entrepreneurial hub and why they believe the city’s collaborative spirit gives it a unique edge. They also open up about the evolution of Trash Butler, how raising outside capital differed from their bootstrapped journey, and what it’s really like answering to a board after running their own show for so long.
This episode is full of entrepreneurial wisdom, gritty stories, and quotable one-liners—from “teams win championships, families watch them” to “bootstrapping is the MBA, raising capital is the rocket fuel.”
If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or simply curious about what it takes to build enduring businesses from the ground up, this conversation with Nick and Omar is a masterclass you won’t want to miss.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Florida Funders Managing Partner and "Skin in the Game VC" podcast hosts Saxon Baum & Tom Wallace believes that entrepreneurs are game changers and that the companies they envision, create and build make the world a better place. FLF is a hybrid venture capital fund and investor network that discovers, funds, and builds early-stage technology companies. We combine a $300M+ venture platform with 2,000+ accredited investors to back breakout founders in B2B software, fintech, AI, health care, and cybersecurity. Beyond capital, our team of serial entrepreneurs and investors provides operating expertise, strategic introductions, and a nationwide support network that helps founders win. By unifying venture capital with an engaged investor community, we deliver exceptional outcomes for founders and LPs alike. This podcast was envisioned to educate, connect and activate accredited investors to get skin in the game and invest like a VC.