From Homeless to Franchise Owners: The Thomas Brothers

Franchisee stories · Hunks Talking Junk, Ep. 14

Every franchise brand says “we build leaders.” It’s on the posters. Adrian and Austin Thomas are what it looks like when a company actually means it, and on the newest episode of Hunks Talking Junk, they told co-founder Nick Friedman the whole story: the truck, the car, the funeral, the pay cut, and the day they took over a failing College HUNKS location in North Columbus, Ohio and started rebuilding it.

It’s 46 minutes. If you’re evaluating this franchise, it might be the most useful 46 minutes on the internet, because nobody in this episode is selling you anything. They’re just telling you what happened.

Who are Adrian and Austin Thomas?

Adrian and Austin Thomas are brothers and business partners who own the College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving franchise serving North Columbus, Ohio. Neither of them bought their way in from the outside. They started on the trucks in Tampa while attending the University of Tampa, and Adrian went on to drive a 26-foot truck at 19 and later became a franchise business coach for the corporate organization.

“College Hunks took a chance on me at 19 to drive a 26-foot truck, then later to become a business coach.”
Adrian Thomas

Austin’s starting point was harder. When they were hired, he was homeless and sleeping in Adrian’s car. He tells that part himself about four minutes into the episode, and it’s worth hearing in his words rather than ours.

“To be honest with you, for me it was a bit of an emotional time. I was homeless, living in his car at the time. But I was very transparent in the interview process. I told them exactly what I was going through… and you guys still gave me a shot right out of the gates. Fast forward nine years later, and we’re here now.”
Austin Thomas

How do you go from the back of a truck to owning the business?

You start at the bottom and keep raising your hand when opportunities open up. The brothers spent years working up through crew and leadership roles, and they’re specific about what the trucks taught them: humility, trust, emotional intelligence, and how to lead people who used to be your peers (they get into that one around the 20-minute mark, and it’s some of the best leadership talk on the episode).

Then their father passed away, the day before Austin’s birthday in January 2018. They describe his death as the turning point, the moment that pushed them to stop waiting. Faith and family run through the whole conversation as the foundation everything else sits on.

“When he passed, in a weird way, it gave me permission to go all in. It was just go time at that point. I literally cried for six hours straight, non-stop, and then I heard his voice say, ‘Okay, this is what I prepared you for. Get up and go to work.’ And we went to work the next day.”
Austin Thomas

Adrian, by then a franchise business coach, found the opening in a market he was already coaching: a failing College HUNKS location in North Columbus, back home in Ohio. Fifteen lenders turned him down (great credit, great story, no collateral), and the deal only happened because the former owners offered to owner-finance it themselves. When the first month started turning around, he called his brother.

“You said we could own one. We can own one. Come home. Let’s do this together.”
Adrian Thomas

Austin took a roughly $25,000 pay cut from his corporate role, relocated to North Columbus, and came in as co-owner on sweat equity. Real talk: most franchise development content shows you the finish line. This episode shows you the middle, which is the part that actually decides whether someone makes it.

Can you really start on a truck and end up owning a College HUNKS franchise?

The Thomas brothers did, and they followed a path that’s built into the system on purpose. Team members grow into crew leads, crew leads into managers, and managers into owners.

“I love College Hunks because of the opportunities it provides. To grow, to serve the community, and to run a multi-million dollar operation at 26.”
Adrian Thomas

So what does that mean if you’re reading this from the outside? Two things. If you’re already working in moving, junk removal, or the trades, your experience counts here (the brothers would argue it counts more than a business degree). And if you’re evaluating markets: they did this in Ohio, where territories are open right now.

Do I need business experience to own a College HUNKS franchise?

No. A business background is not required to own a College HUNKS franchise. Candidates need a minimum net worth of $200,000 and $75,000 in liquid capital, and the brand provides the training, a dedicated business coach, and a marketing coach. What the Thomas brothers prove is that experience in moving, junk removal, or the trades is an advantage, and that this is a two-in-one model (junk removal and moving under one brand and one fee) built so a driven operator can grow from the truck to ownership.

Where to listen

The full episode is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. New Hunks Talking Junk episodes drop every other Thursday. Another one worth your time: Shelly Sun Berkowitz on what makes a good franchisee.

Want the path they took?

Walk the model, the live territory map, and the math for your zip code with the franchise team. Book a call, or start with how the business works.

More owner stories

• Erica Fine came at it from the opposite direction: ten years at General Electric, then a College HUNKS franchise in Arlington Heights as a single mom, now seven zones.
• Erick Ramirez launched in Albuquerque and bought a second territory inside a year.
• The full series is on our franchisee stories page.

This story reflects the experience of individual franchise owners and is not a guarantee of your results. Financial information referenced is drawn from Item 19 of the 2026 CHHJ Franchising, L.L.C. Franchise Disclosure Document. See Item 19 for material assumptions and full required disclosures. New franchisees may earn less.