The Sweaty Startup

Jared and I got into the real truth behind why most people struggle to build a real business. I walked him through how I learned to operate, how I built my hiring systems, and why delegation and simple execution beat complicated ideas every single time. We talked about the mistakes entrepreneurs make when they overthink instead of taking action, how I built teams inside my portfolio companies, and why international hiring changed everything for me. I also broke down how I evaluate markets, how I test demand in ten minutes, and why most people should start with boring businesses before they even think about buying a company. This is the most honest breakdown of what actually works and what never does.


Grow your business:  
https://sweatystartup.com/events
 
Book:  
https://www.amazon.com/Sweaty-Startup-Doing-Boring-Things/dp/006338762X  
 
Newsletter:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/newsletter  
 
My Companies:  
Offshore recruiting – https://somewhere.com  
Cost segregation – https://recostseg.com  
Self storage – https://boltstorage.com  
RE development – http://www.boltbuilders.com  
Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com  
Paid ads – https://adrhino.com  
SEO – https://boldseo.com  
Insurance – https://titanrisk.com  
Pest control – https://spidexx.com  
 
Sell a business:  
http://nickhuber.com/sell  
 
Buy a business:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/buy  
 
Invest with me:  
http://nickhuber.com/invest  
 
Social Profiles:  
X – https://www.x.com/sweatystartup  
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sweatystartup  
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/404?fromUrl=/sweatystartup  
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweatystartup  
 
Podcasts:  
The Sweaty Startup & The Nick Huber Show  
https://open.spotify.com/show/7L5zQxijU81xq4SbVYNs81  
 
Free PDF – How to analyze a self-storage deal:  
https://sweatystartup.ck.page/79046c9b03

In this episode, I sat down with Andrew Giancola to talk about what actually builds wealth, ownership, leverage, and playing long-term games. We got into the mindset shifts that helped me go from a service business to raising tens of millions of dollars, and how Andrew made the leap from financial stress to financial freedom. This conversation is packed with lessons for anyone serious about escaping the treadmill and building something that lasts.


Grow your business:  
https://sweatystartup.com/events
 
Book:  
https://www.amazon.com/Sweaty-Startup-Doing-Boring-Things/dp/006338762X  
 
Newsletter:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/newsletter  
 
My Companies:  
Offshore recruiting – https://somewhere.com  
Cost segregation – https://recostseg.com  
Self storage – https://boltstorage.com  
RE development – http://www.boltbuilders.com  
Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com  
Paid ads – https://adrhino.com  
SEO – https://boldseo.com  
Insurance – https://titanrisk.com  
Pest control – https://spidexx.com  
 
Sell a business:  
http://nickhuber.com/sell  
 
Buy a business:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/buy  
 
Invest with me:  
http://nickhuber.com/invest  
 
Social Profiles:  
X – https://www.x.com/sweatystartup  
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sweatystartup  
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/404?fromUrl=/sweatystartup  
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweatystartup  
 
Podcasts:  
The Sweaty Startup & The Nick Huber Show  
https://open.spotify.com/show/7L5zQxijU81xq4SbVYNs81  
 
Free PDF – How to analyze a self-storage deal:  
https://sweatystartup.ck.page/79046c9b03

I sat down with Amy Calandrino to talk about one of the biggest traps in small business, owning a job instead of an asset. We unpacked the real difference between momentum and just being stuck on a treadmill, how real estate can either unlock freedom or bury you, and why most people overcomplicate entrepreneurship. If you're serious about building something durable, not just flashy, this conversation is worth your time.


Grow your business:  
https://sweatystartup.com/events
 
Book:  
https://www.amazon.com/Sweaty-Startup-Doing-Boring-Things/dp/006338762X  
 
Newsletter:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/newsletter  
 
My Companies:  
Offshore recruiting – https://somewhere.com  
Cost segregation – https://recostseg.com  
Self storage – https://boltstorage.com  
RE development – http://www.boltbuilders.com  
Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com  
Paid ads – https://adrhino.com  
SEO – https://boldseo.com  
Insurance – https://titanrisk.com  
Pest control – https://spidexx.com  
 
Sell a business:  
http://nickhuber.com/sell  
 
Buy a business:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/buy  
 
Invest with me:  
http://nickhuber.com/invest  
 
Social Profiles:  
X – https://www.x.com/sweatystartup  
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sweatystartup  
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/404?fromUrl=/sweatystartup  
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweatystartup  
 
Podcasts:  
The Sweaty Startup & The Nick Huber Show  
https://open.spotify.com/show/7L5zQxijU81xq4SbVYNs81  
 
Free PDF – How to analyze a self-storage deal:  
https://sweatystartup.ck.page/79046c9b03

Tom and I talk about the moment I turned down a multimillion dollar cash-out offer and instead decided to raise twenty million dollars and buy control of Somewhere.com. I walk through how that deal came together, how I borrowed nine million from the founder, structured the investor tranches, and rebuilt the leadership team while still running Bolt Storage and RE Cost Seg. We get into why I believed the company could become a publicly traded business and how my media brand helped me raise over forty million for storage, somewhere and other deals. I also explain how I split my time across multiple companies, why I spend 350k a year on my personal media team, and how building a brand on X completely accelerated my career. This episode is about unreasonable ambition, calculated risk and making moves even when nobody gives you permission.


Grow your business:  
https://sweatystartup.com/events
 
Book:  
https://www.amazon.com/Sweaty-Startup-Doing-Boring-Things/dp/006338762X  
 
Newsletter:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/newsletter  
 
My Companies:  
Offshore recruiting – https://somewhere.com  
Cost segregation – https://recostseg.com  
Self storage – https://boltstorage.com  
RE development – http://www.boltbuilders.com  
Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com  
Paid ads – https://adrhino.com  
SEO – https://boldseo.com  
Insurance – https://titanrisk.com  
Pest control – https://spidexx.com  
 
Sell a business:  
http://nickhuber.com/sell  
 
Buy a business:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/buy  
 
Invest with me:  
http://nickhuber.com/invest  
 
Social Profiles:  
X – https://www.x.com/sweatystartup  
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sweatystartup  
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/404?fromUrl=/sweatystartup  
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweatystartup  
 
Podcasts:  
The Sweaty Startup & The Nick Huber Show  
https://open.spotify.com/show/7L5zQxijU81xq4SbVYNs81  
 
Free PDF – How to analyze a self-storage deal:  
https://sweatystartup.ck.page/79046c9b03

This is the full conversation I had with Will Smith and Niklas James on the Acquiring Minds podcast in April of 2025. We broke down how I bought Somewhere.com, how I run my real estate private equity firm, and how I leverage offshore talent to scale revenue while saving costs.

We discussed how I think about building teams, why sales is the foundation of all businesses, and why buying a company isn't a shortcut, it's a challenge most people aren't ready for.If you're thinking about buying a business, this episode will show you the side of acquisitions people rarely talk about.

Big thanks to Will Smith for having me on, follow him here: https://x.com/whentheresawill

Check out more of his work here: https://acquiringminds.co/episodes

Also shoutout to Niklas James from Minds Capital for co-hosting this conversation with Will. https://x.com/NiklasWJ


In the intro, I mentioned that you should check out this episode from Acquiring Minds that came out just before Thanksgiving, episode 407 with Linh Tran. He quit corporate, bought a small HVAC business, scaled it, and now makes over $5M a year with a CEO running it for him. It's a really good episode: https://acquiringminds.co/articles/linh-tran-advanced-commercial-group-apex-fund


Grow your business:  
https://sweatystartup.com/events
 
Book:  
https://www.amazon.com/Sweaty-Startup-Doing-Boring-Things/dp/006338762X  
 
Newsletter:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/newsletter  
 
My Companies:  
Offshore recruiting – https://somewhere.com  
Cost segregation – https://recostseg.com  
Self storage – https://boltstorage.com  
RE development – http://www.boltbuilders.com  
Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com  
Paid ads – https://adrhino.com  
SEO – https://boldseo.com  
Insurance – https://titanrisk.com  
Pest control – https://spidexx.com  
 
Sell a business:  
http://nickhuber.com/sell  
 
Buy a business:  
https://www.nickhuber.com/buy  
 
Invest with me:  
http://nickhuber.com/invest  
 
Social Profiles:  
X – https://www.x.com/sweatystartup  
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sweatystartup  
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/404?fromUrl=/sweatystartup  
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweatystartup  
 
Podcasts:  
The Sweaty Startup & The Nick Huber Show  
https://open.spotify.com/show/7L5zQxijU81xq4SbVYNs81  
 
Free PDF – How to analyze a self-storage deal:  
https://sweatystartup.ck.page/79046c9b03