Building Axel: Sean DeDeyn’s Path from D-1 Wrestling to a Staffing Powerhouse

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://youtu.be/HAx9noqsqTo https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore www.potomaccompany.com https://bluecollartwins.com 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