On this episode of the Work N Progress Podcast, the crew chops it up with the founders of Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria about building a business with your friends, scaling, selling, and staying rooted in North Nashville. 🏁 They break down how a scrappy moving company became the launchpad for a multi-city pizza brand, what it really took to open on Buchanan when people thought they were crazy, and how they’ve handled gentrification, responsibility, and community expectations along the way. 💼
From planting trees with “The Green Truck” to navigating federal contracts, COVID, and personal guarantees, Slim, Husky, and their partner keep it all the way honest about ambition, closures, low points, faith, and learning to slow down. They also talk about friendship in business, checking your ego, and why respect and accountability have kept their partnership strong for over a decade. 💯
If you’re an entrepreneur, creative, or just someone who loves Black Nashville stories and good pizza, this one’s a must-watch. Tap in, drop a comment, and let us know your biggest takeaway from this conversation. 🎙️
Timestamps:
0:00 – Introductions, PR bets & St. Jude Rock ’n’ Roll 5K recap 🏃♂️
3:20 – Wager results, friendly competition, and race-day excuses 😂
6:40 – Block party vibes, walking the city, and being tourists in Nashville 🌆
10:05 – Introducing Slim & Husky’s: longtime friends, TSU roots, and Black Nashville’s untold stories 🖤
13:20 – Giving flowers: community impact and setting a standard for collaboration 🌱
16:05 – What it means to build something positive where you’re from and reach Nike HQ & Morehouse 🎓
19:10 – Gratitude, responsibility, and becoming household names for the city 🙏
22:05 – Before pizza: The Green Truck moving company origin story 🚚
26:10 – “Why Not Move Green?” tees, planting trees, and learning entrepreneurship on the trucks 🌳
30:00 – Trials on the road: flipped trucks, bridges, McDonald’s drive-thru disasters & NYC chaos 😅
34:35 – Why a moving company? Low cost of entry, fit bodies, and Nashville’s early boom 📦
38:00 – Hiring the homies, second chances, and giving jobs to people re-entering society 🤝
41:30 – Thinking bigger: mentors, government contracts, and federal moves with SBA certification 🏛️
45:40 – From “we’ll franchise this” to “this business is hard as hell” – when reality set in 💡
49:05 – Learning you can sell a business and how “Built to Sell” changed their mindset 📚
52:10 – Structuring systems, SOPs, and making the business sellable 🧩
55:30 – The actual sale: working with a broker, walking away, and “let’s go make some pizza” moment 🍕
58:40 – Why pizza? Childhood nostalgia, WWF, TGIF, Ninja Turtles, and sleepovers 🐢
1:02:05 – Cinnamon rolls, Miss Winners memories, and fat kid joy 😂
1:04:30 – Building the first product in a cold garage with hoses, microwaved water, and no blueprint 🧪
1:07:40 – Community tastings, folding tables, and using surveys to build the menu together 📝
1:10:20 – Gentrification meetings on Buchanan and how free pizza calmed the room 🕊️
1:13:15 – Creating a cultural hub: music, art on the walls, Martin & House Party on the big screen 📺
1:16:05 – Why Slim & Husky’s pizza is different: dough process, 72-hour cold fermentation, and style of crust 🍕
1:19:10 – Making it a true neighborhood spot with intentional culture, art, and flavor combos 🎨
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