Was it intimidating at all being the new Dragon in the Den?
I was overwhelmed . . . It was really strange. They don’t give you training when you become a Dragon. You just show up and you’re like, “How do I do this?” So, in the breaks, sitting beside Manjit [Minhas] and Arlene [Dickinson], I would turn to them and ask them questions. “What does this mean?” . . . I think it’s important to call out that I had never invested in someone else’s business prior to this show. This was incredibly new to me, and the Dragons took me under their wings and I got to learn.
Do you think that being a truly self-made businessman gives you a rare sort of connection to these contestants?
I look back at the early, early days of my business and I relate to these entrepreneurs that are just getting going, who might not have the education — like I didn’t — or who might not have the money — like I didn’t . . . [compared to] if somebody tries to relate to a Kevin O’Leary, one of the early Dragons, who had a different upbringing than I did. You can look at Brian Scudamore and go, “He came from nothing. He didn’t even finish high school. If he can do it, then so can I.”
What’s at the heart of your own entrepreneurial drive?
My grandparents ran an army surplus store, and I remember just watching their work ethic, and watching them solve problems. “How do you grow the business? How do you deal with inventory challenges?” Entrepreneurship is a daily set of challenges; I think of my job as being like Whack-a-Mole. For me, entrepreneurship is just that tenacity of go, go, go — you’re so driven by your own internal motivations to build a business that you’ll do anything to make it work . . . Something I’ve seen in entrepreneurs that have been successful is their ability to be resilient — take a No from someone and go, “OK, what do I learn from this? How do I get to a Yes?” You almost collect Nos as an entrepreneur.
Can you recall a time when things just weren’t working with 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and you had to change course?
Sure can. In 1994, five years into the business, I realized very clearly that I had the wrong people — and they say one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. I had 11 employees, and nine of them were just not the right people for me. So, I made a tough decision. I went in that next morning and I told everybody I was cleaning house. I let go of 11 employees, because the only way I could move forward was to start again. I said I’m sorry — those were the first two words out of my mouth — that I didn’t give them the leadership they needed to be successful. And I made a pivot. I started hiring people differently. I hired people based on attitude and personality, and their desire to want to build something with me vs. people that just saw it as an hourly job.
How does our Dragons’ Den stand apart from the international versions?
I’ve watched Shark Tank. I’ve watched some of the Sharks rip apart a pitcher — and I’m like, “What lesson are you teaching that person?” You’ve told them “No,” but you’ve [also] told them their idea is ridiculous. Find the good in them that you can prop up and say, “I don’t know if you’re going to be successful, but here’s what I would do.” Give them some wisdom. To me, the word that stands out in Dragons’ Den Canada would be “encouragement.”
The Dragons’ Den finale airs Thursday, January 9, on CBC
MEMORABLE ROLES:
He was born in San Francisco, but Brian Scudamore built his fortune right here in B.C. In 1989, the scrappy young high school dropout bought a truck for $700 and proceeded to build 1-800-GOT-JUNK? into the world’s largest junk removal biz. He later founded WOW 1 Day Painting and window cleaning service Shack Shine, in addition to penning two books: WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success and BYOB: Build Your Own Business, Be Your Own Boss.
CURRENT GIG:
A longtime fan of CBC pitch-off Dragons’ Den, Scudamore had auditioned several times to join the panel before finally landing a spot this year, replacing his good friend, departing Dragon Robert Herjavec. Season 19 wraps up on Thursday night.