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The Dylan Gemelli Podcast

Episode #168: He Turned Down Shark Tank and Built a $300M Business... But Was It Worth It? Featuring Nick Friedman

Duration
56m
Broadcast on
30 Sep 2026
Audio Format
other

He built a $300 MILLION business by outworking almost everyone around him. But eventually, the grind started showing up physically... from stress-induced hair loss to sleepless nights and burnout.

 

He is Nick Friedman, co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving, a company with more than 200 franchise locations and roughly $300 million in annual sales. He appeared on the premiere episode of Shark Tank, is the co-author of Effortless Entrepreneur, and has spent more than two decades building, scaling and leading one of the most recognizable brands in the moving and junk-removal industry.



In this episode, we talk about:

■ How College Hunks started with a beat-up cargo van and grew into a $300 million business

■ What happened when Nick appeared on the first-ever episode of Shark Tank

■ Why entrepreneurship can become an emotional rollercoaster

■ How chronic stress caused Nick to lose a patch of his hair

■ How burnout affects your decisions, relationships and leadership

■ The six areas Nick uses to evaluate his life

■ How fitness, faith and recovery affect business performance

■ Why entrepreneurs often sabotage themselves by chasing too many ideas

■ How setting impossible goals can force better decisions

■ Why complacency can become dangerous after you become successful

■ Why the people and information around you shape who you become

■ Nick’s plan to turn College Hunks into a billion-dollar brand



Chapters:

(00:00) Intro

(00:47) Timeline

(03:53) How College Hunks Started

(05:00) From a Beat-Up Van to a $300M Business

(07:33) How to Stand Out in a Crowded Industry

(11:13) The Stress Behind Running a Massive Business

(21:01) How Shark Tank Changed Entrepreneurship

(23:38) How Much Did Shark Tank Actually Help the Business?

(27:09) The Hidden Health Cost of Entrepreneurship

(29:01) Waking Up at 2AM From Stress

(30:36) All Gas, No Brakes

(34:13) Burnout Leads to Bad Decisions

(36:11) From Ego and Money to Purpose

(38:43) The 6 F’s of a Balanced Life

(40:37) Stretched, Not Stressed

(41:21) Building a Brand People Remember

(44:19) The Plan to Build a Billion-Dollar Brand

(45:09) The Science of Scaling

(46:48) Why Too Many Ideas Can Hold You Back

(49:01) The Danger of Complacency

(50:48) Your Environment Shapes Who You Become

(53:00) Why Successful People Still Want More

(54:29) The Effortless Entrepreneur

(55:35) Final Thoughts



Follow Nick and his work:

 

College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving

https://www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.com/

 

Nick Friedman:

https://www.nickfriedman.com/

 

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/nickfriedman1/?hl=en

 

HUNKS TALKING JUNK Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hunks-talking-junk/id1865713027

 

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I call it a 20 year overnight success. We now have roughly 200 franchisees around the country, you know, 300 million annual sales I lost a patch of my hair in the first year of the business I think I went away for like my first vacation But I was so stressed out coming back trying to pick up the pieces that I missed I can hustle hard and grind and push forward But there's a certain limit that your body will allow you and then when I was younger It was even worse because I was trying to burn the candle at both ends of the spectrum first episode of Shark Tank I understand you probably felt pressure, but the show was brand new Yeah, maybe not as much pressure as after you've seen it plus you're going into that thing blind We didn't know these sharks were gonna become TV celebrities. We just thought Mr. Wonderful was a jerk He was kind of poisoning the room by just beating us up and calling us pigs I want them to bring me on as a guest shark and put me next to Mr. Wonderful because one of the things he said to us is Here's an interesting question How much do you actually know about the way your everyday habits are supporting how you age? We hear so much about longevity right now sleep, protein, strength training, nutrition All of these things matter, but there's another layer that doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should What's happening inside yourselves? Your mitochondria produce the cellular energy that your body relies upon every day And mitochondrial dysfunction that's considered a central hallmark of aging And that's why I've been so interested in the work timeline does with might appear Might appear as their pure and patented form of uralithin A It supports mitochondrial function and cellular renewal by activating mitophagy Your body's natural process for clearing out damaged mitochondria But rather than just tell you about it timeline wants you to think about your own longevity habits So they've created a longevity quiz that takes just a few minutes And it looks at some of the everyday habits that can support healthy aging And the best part if you complete the quiz timeline will send you a free sample of might appear gummies So take the quiz learn a little bit more about how you're supporting the way you age And try might appear for yourself Go to timeline.com/jamelli to take the longevity quiz and get your free gummies That's timeline.com/jamelli All right everybody welcome back to the Dylan Jamelli podcast So I have a different kind of discussion today that I am really really excited to Because I come from a business background actually an entrepreneurial side And I really want to tie in what it's like to run a massive business and company And how it affects your health and your mental stability And then just the thoughts the everyday work that goes into managing family Business and something of this size And so the conversation today is going to be amazing And on another level my guest was on the very first episode Of one of my all-time favorite shows shark tank And he is the co-founder of college hunks hauling junk and moving And I'm telling you man what he has done with this company Is on an entirely different level And I have the most profound respect For what you have done the grind the effort where it started your story So we're gonna have a blast today my friend Thank you for coming to see me And I can't wait to get into everything about you So without further ado, Nick Friedman

Transcription truncated.