Brady Wright: IU Student to Bloomington College HUNKS Owner

Franchisee stories · Bloomington, Indiana

Brady Wright is an Indiana University student who signed a College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving® franchise agreement in September 2026, and he plans to open in Bloomington, Indiana, before he graduates in spring 2027. A scholarship covered his initial franchise fee, and he went through the full candidate process before he signed.

We’ve been grinning about it all week.

Who is Brady Wright?

Brady Wright is the incoming owner of the College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving franchise serving Bloomington, Indiana, and a current student at Indiana University. He announced the signing on LinkedIn on September 15, 2026, and Eric Osborne, Director of Franchise Development, shared it with a note that Bloomington “is going to be in great hands.”

He’s building the company while he finishes his degree, so by the time he walks across the stage, running it will already be his full-time job.

We’re pumped about this one. Brady moves at one speed (fast), he follows up before you’ve finished asking, and he brings a happy, easy energy that makes people want to be in the room with him. That combination is rare at any age, and it matters a lot in a business where the owner’s whole job is hiring and developing a team.

How did Brady Wright get a College HUNKS franchise?

The scholarship started with a bet. When Indiana and Miami met in the college football National Championship, co-founder Omar Soliman and Kelsie Ackman, our Chief Legal Counsel and Development Officer, made a friendly wager on the game. That wager became a scholarship for an IU student to own the Bloomington franchise.

Brady was selected earlier in 2026 as the recipient of that scholarship, which waived the initial franchise fee for a Bloomington-area College HUNKS franchise. The scholarship covered that one fee. It did not skip any steps: Brady still received and reviewed the Franchise Disclosure Document, visited headquarters, talked with the franchise team, and signed the same franchise agreement every owner signs.

Here’s what his path looked like from selection to opening.

Can a college student own a franchise?

Yes, a college student can own a franchise, as long as they meet the franchisor’s qualification requirements and go through the same disclosure and approval process as any other candidate. The deciding factors are leadership ability, financial qualification, and fit with the brand.

At College HUNKS, the baseline for any candidate is a minimum net worth of $200,000 and $75,000 in liquid capital, and industry experience isn’t required. You can see what the total investment covers separately. Owners come from corporate careers, the military, education, healthcare, and tech, and now a college campus. What every path shares is the process: federal law requires a franchisor to deliver its Franchise Disclosure Document at least 14 calendar days before a candidate signs anything or pays anything, and that rule applies to a 21-year-old exactly the way it applies to a 51-year-old.

If you’re earlier in the research, our franchise due diligence guide walks through what to verify before you sign with any brand.

What did Brady do before signing the franchise agreement?

Brady spent the months before signing doing his homework. He visited College HUNKS headquarters in Tampa, spent time shadowing Chad Jacob, who owns the College HUNKS franchise in Kalamazoo, Michigan, learned from people who have built successful businesses, and started building relationships with leaders across Bloomington before he had a truck on the road.

Shadowing a working owner shows you the parts of the job a brochure can’t (like what a hiring conversation sounds like on a busy morning), and he did all of it before he signed anything. Chad opened his doors to a candidate who wasn’t his to train, which is the kind of thing owners in this system do for each other. A home services franchise owner is a local leader first, too, so starting those Bloomington relationships early gives Brady a head start on recruiting and referrals.

In his own words, “Every step has made me more confident in what we can build here.”

What does Brady want to build in Bloomington?

Brady wants to build a Bloomington company that people know for the leaders it develops and the impact it makes locally, with moving and junk removal as the work that makes that possible.

Bloomington is the reason he’s building here. He fell in love with the city after coming to IU (the people, the atmosphere and the community), and he sees the business as a way to give back to a place that has given him so much.

“My vision is much bigger than moving and junk removal. I want to build a company known for developing young leaders, creating opportunities for people in Bloomington, delivering an incredible experience to every client, and making a real impact in the community.”
Brady Wright

That lines up closely with how the brand thinks about ownership. A College HUNKS owner leads a team and adds trucks as booked work grows, and the H.U.N.K.S. culture is built around hiring and developing people. In a college town like Bloomington, an owner who is still a student himself and wants to be known for developing young leaders is a natural fit. You can see more about the culture on why owners choose College HUNKS.

He talks about it like someone who has already thought past the obvious questions, and he doesn’t hedge on the answers. He put developing people first in that answer and the work second, which is not the order most candidates use.

Where can you follow Brady’s journey?

Brady is documenting the whole road to opening on Instagram and TikTok at @BtownCollegeHunk. He isn’t telling the story looking back after the fact. He’s sharing it while the outcome is still unknown, mistakes and lessons included, not just the wins.

“I’m 21, I definitely don’t have everything figured out, I have a lot to learn, and I feel like I have everything to prove.”
Brady Wright

The thread running through it is that entrepreneurship can be a tool for service. In his words, what excites him most is what the company can let him do for other people: “create jobs, develop people, serve customers, support organizations in Bloomington, and hopefully leave the community better than I found it.”

Why does a college student owner fit College HUNKS?

A college student owner fits College HUNKS because the company was started by two of them. Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman were college students in 2003 when they borrowed a cargo van and started hauling junk between classes. They incorporated in 2004, added moving to build a two-in-one model, and began franchising in 2007. More than twenty years and 370+ territories later, the brand just signed a college student to build it in a college town.

The playbook they built is what makes an early start realistic. Every owner gets a dedicated franchise business coach and a dedicated marketing coach, and the centralized Sales & Loyalty Center books jobs on behalf of franchise owners, so a first-time owner isn’t answering every phone call while also hiring a team. Brady still has to lead, recruit, and run the business. He doesn’t have to invent the system to do it. See how training and support work for the full picture.

Are College HUNKS franchise territories open in Indiana?

Yes, College HUNKS is still awarding 2026 franchise territories in Indiana. With Bloomington and Indianapolis now spoken for, Fort Wayne and Evansville are both 2026 priority territories, and each one is protected.

What happens between signing and opening day?

The months between signing a franchise agreement and opening are for building the foundation: training, securing the local setup, hiring the first crew, and getting known in the market. Brady put his next stretch plainly as building relationships, learning the business, recruiting great people, and getting ready to hit the ground running when the doors open.

For most new owners, this is where the franchise support system does the most work. The coaching relationship starts before launch, and the operating playbook covers the pieces that usually trip up a first business, from hiring to local marketing.

Bloomington, you’re getting an owner who is thrilled to be there. Welcome to the family, Brady! We can’t wait to watch you open those doors.

Could you be the next owner in your market?

Brady closed his announcement with a line most people take a whole career to learn, and he’s not out of school yet.

“Signing the contract isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting line.”
Brady Wright

If you’re weighing whether a College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving franchise fits your goals, whether you’re finishing school or twenty years into a career, talk to our Franchise Development team and see whether a territory is still open in your market. We read every inquiry, and there’s no pressure, just answers.

More owner stories: Scott Leffel bought his Dallas franchise at 50, coming out of a corporate sales career, which makes a good contrast to Brady’s start.

This story reflects the experience of an individual franchise owner and is not a guarantee of your results.

This information is not an offer to sell or solicitation to buy a franchise. A franchise offering can only be made through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document. Certain states regulate the offer and sale of franchises; if you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your state.

College Hunks Hauling Junk® and College Hunks Moving® are registered trademarks of CHHJ Franchising, L.L.C.