What does it mean to be remarkable?

Brian Scudamore, CEO and Founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, who in 1996 was operating the million dollar plus company at the age of 26, said it means, “You’ve got to get out there and be loud and proud… You’ve got to stand out. You have got to have a brand that is worth remarking about.”

He learned much about this type of philosophy from the book Purple Cow, written by one of his mentors, Seth Godin.

It’s kind of 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 get noticed. After all, they’re “building the Fed-Ex of Junk removal.” He does know, however, that beyond the gorilla marketing, his strategies and his team of motivated employees and franchise partners are key to sustaining the brand. “It’s all 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 in the country, you can call one number), Scudamore knew he would be able to build a brand. It had never been done in the industry.

“Junk removal is not something new. It’s been around forever,” he said. “But, it is similar to some other industries where brands have come in and successfully dominated and created a very branded industry.

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

1-800-GOT-JUNK is heading in that same direction. Perhaps you’ll 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 $100M by the end of 2006.

And, its long term goal is to be the World’s Largest Junk Removal Company with a presence in 10 countries by the end of 2012. “We’re building something much bigger together than anyone of us could ever build alone,” said Scudamore.

He is committed to maintaining and strengthening this type of team work. The growth of the company depends on it and it’s also what makes the brand special. “We’re only as good as we make ourselves out to be. If we’re out there not delivering on our on-time service and up-front pricing that we promise, then our brand doesn’t build. People will start to look at us and say, ‘These guys aren’t as good as they say they are.’

That’s the problem with having such a well-established brand and reputation; you have to deliver on your promises. You simply cannot hide from a disgruntled customer, especially not when you’re wearing a big blue wig and standing beside a large mobile billboard, waving to the morning commuters as they pass by. The “Honk if you love junk” sign will not help either.

By Christina Lee

Christina Lee is Editor of The Image Architex Online Marketing Magazine (http://www.theIMAGEarchitex.com). Visit the site for more articles on branding and general marketing practices, opportunities, tips and ideas for small-sized business entrepreneurs, artists and producers.

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People often come to me to assist them with developing
their brand because they are unable to accomplish the
business success they desire. They’re experiencing what
we call the Big Uneasy–the state of being when things are
hard. They are stuck in an idea, unable to make it happen,
and dreams are unfulfilled. Life is heavy, there’s a lack of
flow… the Big Uneasy has taken over.

Knowledge is needed to alleviate the discomfort– to grow
your business, to make the right decisions. In our
information-rich world of today there is a multitude of help
available.

Multi-day, multi-speaker and multi-vendor events have
become the norm. More help is coming to the rescue
everyday. These essential events open people up to a
greater world of possibility– as well as something else that
can be debilitating– the clouds of guess.

Yes, you heard me right, the clouds of guess.

The breeding ground for the clouds of guess is amongst the
amazing speakers sharing valuable experience and
powerful tools at many multi-day events and the wonderful
people seeking to grow and fully participate in success. I
recently discovered this excruciating phenomenon on the
speaking trail with my own company.

Like experiencing the marine layer as it gradually rolls in at
dusk from the ocean, during the first day of the event the
clouds were nearly undetectable–masked by the crowd’s
excitement and enthusiasm. But as day two and three day
rolled out, the clouds of guess were swirling overhead.
Hundreds of people became engulfed in these clouds. At
first I thought it was simply information overload, however
looking closer I found the “clouds” were really DECISION
overload. “How do I decide which expert to go with?”, “What
tool is right for me for the money?”, “What approach is best
for my business right now?”. These business owners were
trying to decide without having a solid method to make a
decision so…they were reduced to guessing.

By the end of the multi-day event they were unable to make
any powerful decisions for their business. Only a skillful few
were able to circumvent the clouds. What did they know, that
most others didn’t?

We often trip ourselves up by asking the wrong questions.
The question isn’t, what expert, tool or approach that can
assist you best. If you are listening to someone on the
stage they are most likely successful infopreneurs; and
certainly has something of value to share with you. The real
question is “where am I in my business, service or product
at this specific point and what comes first.”

We all take something for granted in our lives, myself
included. A member of the Producers Guild of America with
a background producing theatre, television, interactive
games and the Internet, and an education in architecture, I
often forget the value of the “process” perspective that I have
honed.

Please know that there is an indisputable process
necessary to produce anything– especially something of
value. And the process clears away the clouds of guess and
prevents them from ever returning.

However, if the order of the process is altered, or if a step is
skipped, something WILL go wrong. Not only will those
clouds return, the new question will be… how much and
how bad will it hurt?

The major milestones of a typical production process
(bringing a idea into manifestation) in the language of
entertainment is:

• Development (idea, concept & script)

• Pre-production (how will it be made, delivered, budgeting,
casting, etc.)

• Production (making it)

• Post-production (delivering it)

Translating these major milestones to manifesting any
business, service or product:

• Idea, Concept & Branding

• Productization - how will it be made or delivered, priced,
where it fits in the existing product line or market, etc.

• Making it

• Marketing it

Use ALL those steps and the success you seek is yours.

The discipline and excellence you put into each step and
every little thing you do is what allows success to manifest.
The very process that you use directly impacts the speed of
your result. Skipping a step in the process or doing it
incompletely WILL delay or even prevent you from making
your success happen.

Before your make any implementation decision, be clear
about where you are in the manifestation process. I
guarantee, operating in this place of clarity will keep away
the clouds of guess and turn your Big Uneasy completely
around.

Now that you know this, go out and make it happen!

W. Vito Montone, Co-founder BrandU, Co-Author of Why
Brand: Big Business Success No Matter Your Size, and
BrandU Bible, the only step-by-step workbook for
developing your business as a brand.
www.whybrandu.com.

© 2003 Castle Montone, Limited All Rights Reserved.

W. Vito Montone has produced over 25 stage plays including
To Oz and Back, the television show Entertainment Atlanta
for a CBS affiliate, three multi-million dollar award
winning CD-ROM projects for Disney Interactive: including
MathQuest with Aladdin featuring Robin Williams” and the
award winning broadband website,”Concept:Cure” for
Digital Domain and General Motors. He has consulted on
story structure on over 15 feature projects, and was
Executive Producer at Paramount Digital Entertainment
leading development of the next generation of entertainment
on the web. His vast array of work experience has earned
him the title of “Experience Architect.’ He is the Co-Founder
and President of Why Communications where in addition to
the day to day branding business, he explores next
generation digital entertainment & branded virtual
experiences. He co-created BrandU, the only step-by-step
process of developing your business as a brand, and
co-authored the BrandU Bible, and the upcoming Why
BrandU: Big Business Success No Matter Your Size

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