What does it mean to be extraordinary?

Brian Scudamore, CEO and founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK ?, who in 1996 operated the million-plus-dollar company at the age of 26, said it means, “You have to go out there and be loud and proud. .. You have to stand out. You have to have a brand that is worth highlighting. “

He learned a lot about this kind of philosophy in the book Purple Cow, written by one of his mentors, Seth Godin.

It’s like Sir Richard Branson’s recent flying superhero saving nurses publicity stunt to launch Virgin Mobile Canada.

Like Branson, Scudamore takes risks. He and his company want to make sure they are noticed. After all, they are “building the Fed-Ex of garbage disposal.” However, he does know that beyond gorilla marketing, his strategies and team of motivated employees and franchise partners are key to maintaining the brand. “It’s about the people,” he said.

After changing the company name from Rubbish Boys to 1-800-GOT-JUNK (Scudamore was looking for a more professional name and was inspired by the Got Milk campaign and the 1-800-FLOWER model, where it doesn’t matter where you are at the country, you can call a number), Scudamore knew he could build a brand. It had never been done in the industry.

“Garbage disposal is not a new thing. It has been around forever,” he said. “But it’s similar to some other industries where brands have come in and successfully dominated and created a very strong industry.”

“Look at Starbucks. There used to be a mom and dad coffee shop on every corner. You don’t see that anymore. It’s all Starbucks.”

1-800-GOT-JUNK is headed in that same direction. You may never find it on every corner, but July 2004 marked its 100th franchise. The company’s short-term goal is to have 250 franchise partners with system-wide sales of $ 100 million by the end of 2006.

And its long-term goal is to become the world’s largest garbage disposal company with a presence in 10 countries by the end of 2012. “We are building together something much bigger than any of us could build alone,” Scudamore said. .

He is committed to maintaining and strengthening this type of teamwork. The growth of the company depends on it and it is also what makes the brand special. “We’re only as good as we make out. If we’re not delivering our service on time and the initial prices that we promise, then our brand isn’t built. People will start looking at us and say, ‘These guys aren’t as good as they say. What are they’.

That’s the problem with having such a well-established brand and reputation; you have to keep your promises. You just can’t hide from a disgruntled customer, especially when you’re wearing a big blue wig and standing by a large mobile billboard, greeting morning commuters as they pass. The “Honk if you love trash” sign won’t help either.