
Why Turning Down Shark Tank Was the Best Decision They Made
From The Matthews Mentality Podcast by Kyle Matthews
June 2, 2026 · 1h 5m · Episode 117
About this episode
Nick Friedman discusses the growth of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving and the decision to turn down an offer from Shark Tank.
Nick Friedman, co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving, joins Kyle Matthews to share how a 2003 summer hustle with a beat-up cargo van grew into a national brand with roughly 200 franchise owners across 40+ states. They discuss the origin of the name and the HUNKS acronym (Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable Service), why customers pay for convenience and clutter relief, and how systems from The E-Myth helped them scale. Nick recounts appearing on Shark Tank’s first episode, dealing with Kevin O’Leary’s negativity, receiving an offer from Robert Herjavec, and turning it down. He explains franchising pros/cons, self-funding for 15 years, culture and accountability, lessons from Undercover Boss, industry headwinds tied to housing, and the company’s giving efforts including domestic violence survivor moves and Tampa hurricane relief.
People in this episode
Host: Kyle Matthews
Guest: Nick Friedman
Topics covered
- entrepreneurship
- franchising
- business growth
- Shark Tank
- company culture
- self-funding
Keywords
- College Hunks
- Shark Tank
- franchising
- business growth
- entrepreneurship
- self-funding
- company culture
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving
Books & works: Shark Tank, Undercover Boss
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