In 2009, College Hunks Hauling Junk appeared on Shark Tank’s first-ever episode. The business was founded by Omar Soliman and Nick Friedman. They only pitched their spinoff idea, College Foxes Packing Boxes, and didn’t get a deal. So far, College Hunks Hauling Junk is worth an estimated $250 million.
Nick Friedman & Omar Soliman
Omar Soliman is a native of Washington, DC and grew up working at his mother’s furniture business doing sales and delivery. After finishing high school, Soliman pursued a degree in business administration at the University of Miami.
Nick Friedman studied Economics and Spanish at Pomona College. The two entrepreneurs met in 10th grade and have been best friends ever since. Although they took different paths in college, the guys kept in touch.
Founding College Hunks
As the right-hand man at his mom’s furniture shop, clients often asked Omar to take old furniture away. Omar made it a side hustle, and Nick often helped out.
In 2004, Soliman won $10,000 in a business contest and used the money to establish College Hunks Hauling Junk with his buddy. The startup only hauled junk items at first, but expanded to a full moving service.
Two years after launching, they transported 4,000 tons worth of junk. It was a huge success, so the founders began franchising in 2007. They also launched College Foxes Packing Boxes, a packing and organizing firm.
Facing the Sharks
By 2009, Nick and Omar’s original business was booming, but their new venture was yet to take off. They were seeking $250,000 for 25% of College Foxes Packing Boxes. The Sharks quickly started asking about College Hunks.
The spinoff idea annoyed the Sharks as they wanted a chunk of College Hunks. After some consideration, the entrepreneurs offered 10% of the parent company for $1 million. Kevin O’Leary was outraged at the valuation and labeled them greedy.
All the Sharks dropped out except for Robert Herjavec. Robert made a reasonable offer of $250,000 for 50% of Foxes and 10% of Hunks. After giving it some thought, the founders rejected the deal.
Expansion After Shark Tank
Despite not closing a deal, Omar and Nick have taken College Hunks to new heights and ditched College Foxes. In January 2022, the company announced it did over $200 million in annual revenue and $250 million by 2024. Currently, they have nearly 200 franchise partners in North America.
It’s possible the guys only set up College Foxes to get on the show and avoid giving up equity in College Hunks. In 2013, the New York Times reported that contestants had to give ABC 5% equity or 2% in royalties to get on the show. This was the case until Mark Cuban got the clause removed.
Currently, it costs between $250,000 to $350,000 to become a franchisee as per collegehunksfranchise.com. The franchise business has experienced huge growth over the last 10 years.
In 2013, the average franchise revenue was $442,000, and that grew to an average of $1.44 million per location by 2024. The top 25% of franchise owners now average over $3 million in gross revenue, per the company’s 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. Also, seven franchise locations appeared on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies. As a result, the firm is worth an estimated $250 million.
Trash Butler
Outside of College HUNKS, Omar and Nick launched Trash Butler, a tech-enabled valet trash pickup service for apartment communities. Unlike College HUNKS, which the founders bootstrapped, Trash Butler took on outside investment, Florida Funders in Tampa invested $4.1 million in the startup in 2019 to help it scale faster.
TV, Awards and Milestones
The brand’s TV journey didn’t end with Shark Tank. On January 7, 2022, Soliman and Friedman made history as the first co-founders ever featured together on CBS’s Undercover Boss, kicking off the show’s 11th season.
In February 2025, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary, with Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor presenting the co-founders with the key to the city in recognition of their economic and social contributions.
