Omar Soliman

Our People Who Created Their Own Jobs interview today is with Omar Soliman, the CEO of College Hunks Hauling Junk.

He was named a Top 30 Entrepreneur under 30 in America by INC Magazine. He is also a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Omar has been a guest speaker at many high schools and colleges across the country, and he’s taken a bit of time to tell us about the history of College Hunks Hauling Junk.

TheCareerCreator.com: What is your “job”? Please tell us a bit about your company and what you sell or what service you provide?

Omar Soliman: I am the CEO and co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk, the largest US based junk removal company. We haul away and remove junk and trash from commercial and residential properties. We are like a dumpster service but we provide the labor.

TheCareerCreator.com: How long have you been in business?

Omar Soliman: Since June of 2005.

TheCareerCreator.com: You had a natural interest in ??? that is now the basis of your job?

Omar Soliman: I never said that I wanted to be a “trash-man” when I was growing up. But I had a natural interest in entrepreneurship and starting my own business. My natural interest is in people and that is the basis of my job. As a CEO I empower and motivate the people around me to reach their personal and business goals.

TheCareerCreator.com: Tell us a little about how you got started…give us a bit of your “Once upon a time…” What was the turning point where you decided to turn your interest or hobby into a career?

Omar Soliman: I started hauling junk as a summer gig in Washington DC when I was on break from college. I used a beat up cargo van that my mom had for her furniture store. My senior year of college I wrote a business plan for College Hunks Hauling Junk that won 1st place and $10,000 in the Rothschild Entrepreneurship competition at the University of Miami.

TheCareerCreator.com: What were some of the materials or technology you needed to get started on a very basic level?

Omar Soliman: We needed a logo, website 1-800 # and a truck in order to get started on a basic level.

TheCareerCreator.com: The best part about creating your own job? Or any really cool moments that made creating your own job completely worth it?

Omar Soliman: Seeing our vision grow into a national company and a soon to be household name. We started with 1 beat up van and now our orange and green trucks can be seen in 20 cities across the country.

TheCareerCreator.com: What’s the toughest hurdle you’ve encountered in creating your own job…and how you overcame it?

Omar Soliman: The toughest hurdle was to get out of the mind frame that I was creating my own job but rather I was creating something bigger than just me. I wanted to give everyone that joined our company an opportunity to grow and to look at College Hunks Hauling Junk as something more than just a job.

TheCareerCreator.com: Any words of wisdom or encouragement to anyone wanting to create their own job?

Omar Soliman: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. I created my own job in something that has existed for hundreds of years, trash removal. But I added my own innovative spin to it. In the words of Nike…JUST DO IT!

More About This Company:
Founder: Omar Soliman
Twitter: twitter.com/OmarJunkMan and twitter.com/1800JUNKUSA
Facebook: Omar Soliman
Email: Omar@1800JunkUSA.com
Website: www.1800JunkUSA.com

Thanks, Omar, for answering our questions. We think your story is encouraging to others because you didn’t only create your own job, but you created jobs for many other people as well, which is pretty cool!

Photo By: Luis Argerich

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