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Building Axel: Sean DeDeyn’s Path from D-1 Wrestling to a Staffing Powerhouse
Manage episode 487000973 series 2899207
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Former Rutgers heavyweight Sean DeDeyn turned a hard-charging wrestling mindset into The Axel Group, a niche staffing firm that now supplies talent across every stage of major construction projects. Sean joins the Blue-Collar Twins to unpack the six-year sprint from a two-desk office to a 30-person team, a tech-driven recruiting engine, and side ventures ranging from tiki party boats to college-wrestling commentary.
You’ll hear:
- Fired on Monday, Founder by August – how a commission dispute became the push to launch Axel in 2017.
- Why “One Rep, One Book” Beats 10 000-Person Firms – the boutique model Sean uses to out-serve national agencies.
- Cold-Call Wrestling – translating mat grit into 100-dial days (and why the phone still wins).
- Culture & Careers – dinners with every employee, internal promotions, and watching teammates buy their first homes.
- Multiple Streams – co-building Belmar Tiki Party Boats, announcing Rutgers matches, and keeping a 5 a.m. workout streak.
- Vision Check – growing a place where his kids’ friends want to work “because they make a ton of money.”
Stick around for a quick CTA to Paul Giannamore’s Private-Equity Masterclass playlist—and see how far your own work ethic can take you.
From PE Teachers to Pest Control Owners: The Julio Twins Share Their POTOMAC Experience
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore
Produced by: www.verbell.ltd
Timestamps (podcast.co-ready)
00:00 – Cold-open: Sean on high-school “job names” and chasing income
00:35 – Show intro; Axel Group overview (construction-lifecycle staffing)
01:40 – Rutgers wrestling story: walk-on grind, partial scholarship, mindset lessons
03:30 – Linking mat toughness to sales success
05:55 – First staffing job, early wins, and Monday-night firing that changed everything
07:50 – Launching Axel Group (Aug 2017) and naming it after his son
09:40 – Father-in-law’s driveway challenge: “So—what do you actually do?”
11:30 – Scrappy first year: 500-sq-ft office, four months of runway, living with an employee
13:50 – Building culture: tattooed logo, dinners with every team member, internal promotions
15:30 – Sean’s current role: still running a book, mentoring recruiters, protecting culture
17:20 – Boutique edge vs. mega-firms; the “cheeseburger” service analogy
18:50 – Cold-call philosophy and reviving lost prospects
21:00 – Daily routine: 5 a.m. lifts, weekly run + sauna + cold plunge
22:45 – Side hustle: Rutgers wrestling commentary and network dividends
24:50 – Belmar Tiki Party Boats—building (not buying) 45-passenger floating lounges
27:00 – Common headaches: sales slumps, coaching wrestlers-turned-reps, keeping tech a tool not a crutch
28:45 – Wrestlers on staff and why grit hires win
29:15 – Long-term vision: a company graduates dream of joining—and constant self-improvement
30:10 – The “I made it… then got fired” lesson on staying humble
31:20 – Outro, Masterclass CTA, and closing credits
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