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

Nick Friedman (0:00)

I call it a 20-year overnight success. We now have roughly 200 franchisees around the country, 300 million annual sales. I lost a patch of my hair in the first year of the business. I think I went away for 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.

Dylan Gemelli (0:23)

First episode of Shark Tank. I understand you probably felt pressure, but the show was brand new, so you had maybe not as much pressure after you've seen it. Plus, you're going into that thing blind.

Nick Friedman (0:31)

We didn't know these sharks were going to 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...

Dylan Gemelli (0:44)

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 your cells? 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 Mitopure. Mitopure is their pure and patented form of urolithin 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 Mitopure Gummies. So take the quiz, learn a little bit more about how you're supporting the way you age, and try Mitopure for yourself. Go to timeline.com/gemelli to take the longevity quiz and get your free gummies. That's timeline.com/gemelli.

All right, everybody, welcome back to the Dylan Gemelli 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 show, Shark Tank, and he is the co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk & 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 going to 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.

Nick Friedman (3:10)

Appreciate it, man. Thanks for having me here.

Dylan Gemelli (3:12)

Awesome, man. Thanks for getting down here and making this happen with me. You know, I am always supremely humbled by people taking the time and value when talking to me and coming to see me. And I was just telling my wife today, I said, you know, some people will say, I have to today and I say, I get to, you know, I get to interview you today. I get to have these awesome conversations and I get to show you to the world.

Nick Friedman (3:37)

Yeah. So it's a great framework to think from. We've got to remind ourselves that all the time, especially as a business owner, because there's many times where you're like, oh, I got to do this. I got to do that. It's like, we chose to do this. We get to do this. Yes.

Dylan Gemelli (3:48)

Yes. So, all right, college hunks.