What does it take to build a home service business that can grow beyond its founders without losing the brand, team, or customer experience that made it work?

In this episode of The Next Nova Podcast, Matt Phillips sits down with Jason Tudor of Count Junkula, a Dracula-themed junk removal and dumpster rental company in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Jason shares how he and his business partner moved from window cleaning and other home services into a business they found simpler, safer, and easier to scale. He explains lessons from narrowing their previous service offering, adapting during COVID, and adding capacity before demand overwhelms the operation.

The conversation also explores Count Junkula's distinctive branding. What initially felt almost too silly became one of the company's strongest differentiators. Jason explains how a clear identity helps keep marketing consistent and memorable.

He also shares what it took to move from working in the truck to building a team of roughly 20 people, including training, safety standards, selective hiring, and why the wrong hire can affect the whole business.

Matt and Jason also discuss capacity planning, franchising, and technology. Jason explains what he learned from operating a second location, why he refocused on Raleigh, and how his business partner built an AI-powered route optimizer.

Jason also shares how he uses ChatGPT and Claude for creative work, software development, integrations, and operational problem-solving.

Looking ahead, Count Junkula has a goal of reaching $10 million in annual revenue. Jason makes clear this is a target, not a current result.

In This Episode

• Moving from window cleaning to junk removal
• Building a memorable Dracula-themed brand
• Getting the founders out of the truck
• Training, safety, and selective hiring
• Planning capacity before demand spikes
• Lessons from attempting to franchise
• Building an AI route optimizer
• Using ChatGPT and Claude
• The goal of reaching $10M in annual revenue
• Growing one market vs. multiple locations

Chapters

00:00 Episode Setup and Introduction
00:42 What Count Junkula Does Today
01:41 From Window Cleaning to Junk Removal
02:37 Why Junk Removal Was Easier to Scale
04:15 Adapting the Business During COVID
04:44 Buying Capacity Before You Need It
05:51 What Jason Learned From Franchising
08:04 Building a Brand People Remember
10:56 Launching With Google Ads
11:45 Getting Out of the Truck
12:34 Building a 20-Person Team
13:49 Training for Safety and Customer Experience
15:17 Why Hiring the Wrong Person Costs So Much
17:13 How Count Junkula Plans Capacity
19:41 Building an AI Route Optimizer
20:45 Using ChatGPT and Claude
23:24 The Goal of $10M in Annual Revenue
23:53 Single-Market Growth vs. Multiple Locations
24:20 Adding New Services
25:02 Where to Find Count Junkula

Resources

Count Junkula
Website: countjuncula.com
Instagram: @CountJuncula

The Next Nova Podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3T0bb1zyABAchkIw75RpFy?si=b8771f6576804605
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-nova/id6813648765

Connect with Jason Tudor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-tudor-44595619

Vexnova: https://vexnova.com/

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