Corporate Culture and Values Attracted Ryan Spille to the Moving and Hauling Franchise
Ryan Spille was miserable as a corporate attorney, he says. Five years into his career with a large Chicago firm, he and his wife “had a miraculous moment of inspiration,” agreeing that he should quit. “I had no plan for next steps,” says Spille, then the father of four. A few weeks later, he discovered College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving. He opened his New Brighton, Minn., franchise in November 2021.
College HUNKS’ culture was the deciding factor for Spille in becoming a franchisee, and he was particularly inspired by one of the company’s core values related to mentorship and building leaders. “As a youth leader in my church, I’ve always been passionate about helping young guys find direction in their lives. And with College HUNKS, I could turn that passion into a business opportunity,” Spille says.
“We help the young guys identify their individual goals and encourage them to slay the dragons in their personal lives that they may be ignoring. We encourage them to develop the habit of being honest with themselves and others so they can see clearly where they’ve been and where they need to go,” he says. “In short, we want them to aim at and progress toward becoming the best possible version of themselves — however they define that for themselves —and we encourage them toward that goal.”
Spille hosts a weekly book club, with employees reading and discussing a chapter from a book about self-improvement and goal-setting that he’s chosen. “Inevitably, a few of the guys will open up, sharing some of their personal struggles and their attempts to overcome them. As each person participates in discussing the values explained in the chapter, they begin to take ownership of those values. So instead of us imposing our culture and values on them, they take part in shaping the culture, which makes them more likely to abide by it.”
A Win-Win Culture
Creating an environment that fosters personal development is good for the employees and the bottom line, Spille says. “If my guys are progressing toward meaningful personal goals, facing up to their demons at home and school, and slaying their inner dragons along the way, their workplace performance soars.
“When a guy truly adopts these values, he doesn’t need lots of top-down oversight and micromanagement to do an excellent job. We just provide some direction and accountability, and after that, he oversees his own performance. On the other hand, if a guy is aimless in his personal life and ignoring problems he should be addressing, it’s not long before all those issues start to spill over into the workplace.”
Balancing Family and Business
Now a father of five, Spille is able to spend quality time with his family while reaping the rewards from a business he loves. Although the learning curve was steep in starting his business, he says the challenges only made accomplishments more gratifying. Today, with about 35 employees and five trucks, he plans to scale the rapidly growing business.
“I had a feeling at the outset that we could really be successful with the model College HUNKS gave us, but I’ve been surprised at how fast and hard that success came,” Spille says. “I love seeing the transformation of the company as it grows, but more than anything, I love seeing the growth in my guys.”
College HUNKS Core Values
Franchisee Ryan Spille was attracted to College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving for its culture and core values.
- Always Branding: Be professional and aware of how others see you, whether or not you’re with a customer.
- Listen, Fulfill and Delight: Pay attention to others, show courtesy and add a little spark to their day.
- Building Leaders: Mentor employees to help them learn, take on responsibility, and advance in business and in life.
- Create a Fun, Safe Winning Team!: This is the kind of environment in which morale is high and people flourish.
For more information about the College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving franchise, visit https://collegehunksfranchise.com/.
Two Booming Industries: Moving and Junk Hauling
Franchise owners with College HUNKS benefit from the billion-dollar moving services and junk hauling markets. The moving services industry in the U.S. is valued at $22.5 billion, according to IBISWorld. The waste management and remediation services industry is expected to be worth $230 billion by 2027, according to Statista.