Philadelphia and its surrounding suburban area continue to draw new residents and businesses, all of whom need moving and removal services
When an older relative needed help clearing out her house before relocating, Cos Losco and his wife realized they couldn’t tackle the job alone. When he began looking around for moving help, Cos found College Hunks Hauling Junk online. The idea of a moving and junk removal franchise intrigued him, so he began to research the opportunity online.
What were you doing before College Hunks Hauling Junk?
I spent 30 years in various manufacturing environments — startup and large corporations — including capital equipment assembly and medical device machining. I served in senior management positions for 15 years.
My wife, Mary Anne, also has a business background. She worked in corporate America early in her career, and then she spent time at home raising our children. Most recently she’s worked part time in human resources, in recruiting and consulting roles.
How did you find out about College Hunks Hauling Hunk?
I lost my job in July 2014, and my aunt lost her husband that August. She is 87 years old and could not stay in her house. She needed help not only selling, but also cleaning out 40 years of stuff. I couldn’t do it myself, and talking to my wife I said, “Someone does this for a living.” So I Googled “house clean-out” and up came “College Hunks Hauling Junk.” I showed my wife. We both were instantly intrigued and began reading the information on the website. We contacted their franchise consultant, and it went from there.
What sets your College Hunks Hauling Junk franchise apart from other independent moving and removal companies?
Our company’s core values, plus Nick and Omar’s passion, their honesty, and their drive to improve, learn, and grow. We have a network of more than 50 businesses that care about and support each other — all our other franchisees are passionate and helpful.
I didn’t look at any other franchises when I looked up “house clean-out.” When I came across College Hunks, I had no interest in franchising in general, so I was either going to be sold by this one or go back to the corporate world. And this felt right!
What do you need to do to be successful in this franchise?
You need to follow the model laid out by the corporate team, which covers everything about running the franchise — from networking to setting appointments to tips on increasing customer satisfaction.
The training provided by corporate is very solid, as well. It works by creating some “real life” situations to prepare a franchise owner for things that can come up.
Lastly, always work on hiring good personnel. Corporate and other franchise owners have lots of good advice in this regard, and that is key. And don’t forget to do lots of networking!
Who are your main customers?
We draw customers from many resources through that networking. Our goal for our first year in business is to network through a BNI group, and also reach out to Realtors, assisted-living facilities, and estate planners. We have residential and commercial clients, and now we are working on obtaining our moving license from the state of Pennsylvania. That will let us grow even more quickly.
What does a typical day look like?
Our team comes in an hour before our first job. They clock in and review the jobs for the day and discuss lessons learned from the day before, as well as our core values. We work on training for new employees, as well as ongoing training for everyone else.
Then we prepare the truck and complete a checklist before the team heads out. I work on our marketing efforts and my other responsibilities. After the truck comes back, we begin our donation drop-offs for items that can be reused, and then we clean up the truck and check everyone back in.
After that, we summarize the day to talk about what went right and what we’ve learned. Everyone heads home, and our operations manager prepares work orders for the next day, and the last folks in the office close up shop.
What do you like about the business?
I enjoy working with the people we hire. I am developing our team and future leaders, which is something that appealed to me when I began looking at the College Hunks Hauling Junk franchise.
I also enjoy talking with customers and networking. We provide top-notch service to our community, and I like to get out and meet people to make them aware of what we offer.
And, most of all, it’s mine! I am making all the decisions, and the responsibility for our success lies with me.
What does franchise ownership allow you to do that you couldn’t do before?
I own the business myself and do not have a boss or work for anyone else. It allows me the freedom to make my own decisions without having to answer to anyone. That freedom also means that I am the person in charge of making it all happen — that means working with my team so everyone can succeed.
Would you recommend this franchise? Why?
Yes. The structure, support systems, and the camaraderie throughout the company are excellent. The training is very effective and thorough, and the other owners are more than willing to share their experience. The corporate team is there to support me, which is very important during these early days. College Hunks gives me every opportunity to succeed.
Learn more about College Hunks Hauling Junk
If you’d like to find out more about how College Hunks strives to be the best moving franchise to invest in, please fill out a form and start a conversation. We look forward to answering your questions.