Nick Huber’s entrepreneurial journey began not with a traditional backing but rather with a simple Craigslist ad during the summer before his senior year at Cornell University in 2011. Unlike his peers who were engrossed in investment banking internships, Huber found himself back home in Leopold, Indiana, unsure of his future course. His chance encounter with a fellow student’s mother, seeking storage for her child’s belongings, ignited a venture that would blossom into Storage Squad—a service dedicated to helping college students manage their summer storage needs. This business effortlessly scaled beyond Ithaca to major cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. While he eventually sold Storage Squad for $1.75 million, Huber remained invested in the underlying storage facilities, owning a stake in 64 locations across 11 states. His experiences during this time shaped a compelling startup philosophy that emphasizes hard work in practical, often overlooked domains, rather than aiming to transform the world through lofty tech ambitions.
Huber’s philosophy counters the mainstream entrepreneurial narrative. At 35, with an impressive portfolio of 11 businesses that collectively generated over $50 million in sales last year, his message remains direct: practical jobs are where real opportunity lies. He has critiqued the high-stakes model embraced by many founders who seek significant venture capital investment. Instead, Huber focuses on bootstrap strategies with the objective of achieving profitability swiftly. For him, success is less about sweeping disruptions and more about executing mundane tasks with excellence. On platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Huber shares straightforward guidance—emphasizing swift cash flow positive results instead of far-fetched moonshot ideas. His forthcoming book, “The Sweaty Startup,” aims to elaborate on these principles, encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs to find lucrative niches before banking on broader, riskier ventures.
Huber’s initial approach to business identified deficiencies in the established storage market, where competitors relied on slow, traditional methods. His strategy was simple: to optimize their operations. Recruiting a friend from college, he retrofitted their old cars to serve as makeshift moving vehicles and, through sheer hard work, generated revenue quickly. Despite challenges, including skepticism from educators about the scalability of his business, Huber recognized that his determination and commitment to superior customer service were critical differentiators. Through trial and error, he cultivated an ethos of looking not to disrupt but to understand consumer needs, ultimately focusing on capturing existing market share efficiently.
With his successful ventures, Huber also adopted a fast-paced operational style. Known for acquiring an extraordinary sense of urgency, he has expanded his business ventures beyond simple storage services. His journey into various markets—such as launching companies focused on web development and search engine optimization—reflects a commitment not only to identifying opportunities but also to adapting to rapidly changing market conditions. He recognizes that ancillary businesses can thrive once initial enterprises are established. For instance, jobs he recognized were needed for his original companies led him to create WebRun for web page development and BoldSEO for search engine optimization, which emphasized the intersection of tech and service-oriented growth.
Huber’s turn towards outsourcing customer support also exemplifies his innovative approach. After employing workers from the Philippines for efficient and cost-effective customer service operations, he became a stakeholder in the outsourcing firm Support Shepherd. Recently, he elevated this enterprise by raising $30 million to gain majority ownership, renaming it Somewhere and integrating skilled coders from Latin America. While critics have raised concerns regarding his outsourcing strategies, Huber dismisses them, pointing out that large corporations routinely outsource jobs to maximize efficiency. His perspective highlights the complexities involved in global labor dynamics, challenging the notion of exploitative practices while promoting a capitalist framework that emphasizes value creation.
Finally, Huber’s business philosophy revolves around observable market realities and straightforward assessment of opportunities, rather than convoluted analyses. He adopts a no-nonsense approach to identifying underperforming businesses, leveraging customer service observations—like contacting potential competitors during off-hours to assess responsiveness. His keen observational skills guide decisions, leading him to target markets where competition may be complacent. Notably, his experience with Storage Squad revealed that targeting niche markets—such as exclusive private schools—could yield greater returns compared to generalized strategies applied to larger state institutions. Through these experiences, Huber exemplifies how driven entrepreneurship can thrive by aligning practical service solutions with keen market insights, showcasing a pathway to success that starkly differs from the prevalent startup archetype today.
