He Started a $300,000 Moving Company and He Doesn’t Even Own a Truck

A Blueprint for Success in Your Start-up

You’re probably wondering, how is this even possible, how could you run a moving company without owning a single truck? Guess what, this guy doesn’t have any employees either. He runs a business worth more than a quarter of a million dollars – all with his phone and computer. It sounds impossible, but you could do it, too. In this article, you’ll read the story of this amazing entrepreneur and learn exactly how he built this business. The best part? You’ll be able to use his entire blueprint in just about any service-based business and you’ll know everything you need to know in order to implement this simple strategy for your own start-up. Back Story To protect his identity, we’ll call our famed entrepreneur Kevin. Kevin was one of those troubled kids – growing up, he messed around and didn’t take anything seriously. With limited options for his future, he joined the military. After, he dabbled in acting but success evaded him. Without much money or a career, he felt lost, and desperate to get in better shape financially, he decided to become a male stripper (he is a pretty good-looking dude, after all). After some time, he started managing the strip club he’d been dancing at for about two years. Without knowing it, Kevin was on the precipice of a life-changing opportunity when his boss, the owner of the club, approached him with a business venture. Kevin’s boss had a friend, we’ll call this friend Terry, who was looking for a partner to start a moving company with. Terry was a self-proclaimed “SEO gangster, (i.e., he claimed to know a lot about search engine optimization). Terry would handle all the marketing, he just needed someone to handle the day-to-day business operations. Kevin had saved up a substantial amount of money dancing at the club and decided to take a risk and go all in on Terry’s business proposal. He invested nearly all his savings for 80% ownership of the company. The first year was difficult and uncertain for Terry and Kevin – they spent tens of thousands of dollars on advertising and had yet to make a profit. Kevin was near to quitting, he thought that he might just be better off managing the club. At least in that atmosphere, he was making money and not losing it. The biggest problem they’d encountered was that they were getting jobs that they had no way of fulfilling, mainly because these jobs were outside of their city and, at times, the state. Ironically, this problem would prove to be a blessing. Out of ideas, Kevin decided to run a Craigslist ad in hopes he might find a subcontractor to fulfill these jobs. To his delight, he received a TON of calls from qualified candidates, and they were able to successfully subcontract their first job. Eventually, Terry got busy with other businesses and was no longer interested in the moving company – the company belonged solely to Kevin now. On his own, Kevin realized that there was a huge opportunity to scale. He now knew that he could find subcontractors using Craigslist. If he could do it in one city, he reasoned he could do it anywhere in the United States. Following this realization, Kevin created Google and Yelp listings in 224 different cities across the U.S. In a short time, he was ranking high on Google and Yelp in multiple cities, this allowed him to get hundreds of organic leads without paying a single dollar. Kevin’s moving company is still in business and has been for 5 years now. They get 40+ inbound sales calls per day – all organically. The company netted $300,000 in sales last year and this year they're on track for half a million. No truck. No employees. 1 guy. $300,000+. You do the math. Now, you’re going to find out exactly how you can do it yourself.

Here is EXACTLY How He Did it (Step-by-Step) Finding Customers (Leads)

Here is a list of all the tactics Kevin used to find leads:

• Multiple landing pages on his website. These landing pages were optimized for local search keywords (e.g., “Moving Company Chicago”).

• Unique business listings on search engines. Kevin created 224 unique business listings in different cities across the U.S. for Google and Yelp (all optimized). Insider Tip: he had all the listings route back to the same phone number.

• Paid ads on platforms. To get the initial leads in those 224 cities, he ran paid ads on both Google and Yelp. Yelp had a better return on investment (ROI), though.

• Incentivizing customers. After completion of jobs, he would take $25-$50 off the invoice for customers who left a 5-star review.

• Plan for advertising. The summer months were the busiest months for Kevin’s business. He spent his whole advertising budget during those months in order to optimize the return on ad spend (ROAS).

Booking Jobs (Sales)

Here is a list of all of the tactics Kevin used to book jobs:

• Efficiency and time management. Kevin used a premade message for inbound messages on Yelp. The message contained the company’s pricing options and all the features of their services. Insider tip: Kevin personalized every message by using the customer’s name.
  

  • Once the customer was ready to book, another premade message would be sent requesting all the needed information from the customer to create a service contract and a payable invoice for the deposit.

• Use of readily available resources. For the service agreements he simply used a Square template. For invoicing he used stripe.

• Additional attention to high-dollar jobs. For long-distance moves (the BIG $$$ shit), he would follow-up with leads every day via phone call (time to brush up on your customer service voice) in order to close the deals.

Fulfillment (Getting the job done)

Here is a list of all of the tactics Kevin used to fulfill job requests:

• Subcontracting. Kevin would run a Craigslist ad to secure the contractor for every job he booked (depending on the city, the ad would cost between $3-$5).

• Don’t cut corners and know who you’re hiring. All the contractors that Kevin hired for jobs completed an I9 form.

• Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Kevin had a template that he would use for the Craigslist ads, one very similar to a typical job board ad – do some research in this area, it’ll pay off in your time.

• Organization. The use of Google Calendar helped Kevin to keep track of all the booked jobs and the information of the designated contractor for each job.

• Delegate to save time. The contractors would be responsible for renting a Uhaul truck if they didn't own one. Kevin’s company would reimburse the contractor for the truck (if necessary), gas, and any supplies.

• Paying out. Once the job was completed, he would pay the contractor 70% of the total sale via Zelle, CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal.

So, What’s the Big Picture? Let’s just cut to the chase – this guy built a $300,000 business; he did it using simple tools that most of us use on a day-to-day basis. So, you really don't need to be some tech guru to pull this off yourself. The truth is that anyone could use this exact business model in a myriad of different industries. The key component is capitalizing on a high-ticket service (any service you could charge a substantial amount for) and seek out high lifetime value (LTV) customers. Form a business centered around these components, utilize the tools and tactics outlined here, and you’ll be able to build a successful business. For inspiration, here’s a list of different services this model could be applied for in a business setting:

• Cleaning

• Junk Removal

• Gutter Cleaning

• Pool Cleaning and Repair

• Flooring

• Garage Doors

• Home Security System Installation

• Landscaping and Lawn Care

• Painting

• Remodeling Services

• Home Theater Installation and Setup

• Vehicle Relocation Services

The Reality of Start-Ups Now, before you put the cart ahead of the horse, let’s check into reality – first and foremost, you have to have a rough idea of how the service works – if you know nothing about painting, starting a painting business is probably a terrible idea. How can you know what needs to be done if you’ve never done it yourself? Next, a large part of what made customers trust Kevin’s business was the quality of his website. Yes, we know from the backstory that he was just a guy behind his computer, but the website made them look like they owned Uhaul. Lastly, you’ll need a good chunk of change to get started. Between paying for all the software and running paid ads, you're going to have to spend some money. Plus, maybe you'll be the one who needs to rent the first truck (or whatever equivalent equipment you'll need to complete the service you decide to advertise). You’re going to want to invest at least a few thousand dollars. If you decide to do something of this nature you should ask yourself:

1. Is this something I’m ready for?

2. Am I okay with failing hundreds of times before I achieve the ideal result?

3. Am I okay with losing money?
   

Kevin’s business nearly failed, he was stressed a lot – he still is at times – that’s what owning a business entails. There were many times he wanted to quit, at times he even wondered if the whole idea was a mistake. Yet, he persevered and today he is a successful entrepreneur. But, it wasn’t always this way and it wasn’t without hard work and struggle. Now you have seen a glimpse of what it takes to make it. The question is… What do you want your story to sound like in 5 years?

Value Packed Recap

Key Takeaways

1. Initial Investment: Kevin invested a significant portion of his savings into the business, obtaining an 80% ownership stake. This capital allowed him to kickstart the business and cover initial expenses.

2. Partnering for Expertise: Kevin partnered with Terry, who had expertise in SEO and marketing. Terry handled the online presence and marketing strategy, allowing Kevin to focus on day-to-day operations.

3. Subcontracting: Kevin started by subcontracting jobs that came in. This approach allowed him to take on more work than he could personally handle and expanded the business’s capacity to serve clients.

4. Local Optimization: Kevin optimized his online presence by creating numerous landing pages on his website, each targeting specific local keywords related to moving services. He also created individual business listings on Google and Yelp for multiple cities, optimizing them for local search.

5. Paid Advertising: Initially, Kevin used paid advertising on Google and Yelp to generate leads and establish a customer base in various cities. This provided an initial stream of jobs to build on.

6. Customer Incentives: Kevin offered discounts to customers who left 5-star reviews on Google and Yelp. Positive reviews helped build credibility and improve the business’s online reputation.

7. Strategic Advertising: Kevin focused his advertising budget on the busy months, optimizing his return on ad spend during peak demand.

8. Efficient Booking Process: Kevin had a streamlined booking process. He used premade messages for inquiries on platforms like Yelp, providing pricing options and service details upfront. Once customers were ready to book, he sent them information for creating service contracts and paying deposits online.

9. Follow-Up for High-Value Jobs: For lucrative long-distance moves, Kevin followed up with leads daily via phone calls to secure the deals. This personalized approach helped close higher-value contracts.

10. Contractor Network: Kevin used Craigslist to find contractors for each job. Contractors were responsible for their own transportation and equipment, and he reimbursed them for expenses.

11. Payment Process: Once the job was completed, Kevin paid contractors a percentage of the total sale. The payment was made through digital platforms like Zelle, CashApp, Venmo, or PayPal.

12. Scaling and Reviews: As the business grew, Kevin expanded his subcontractor network across multiple cities. Positive customer reviews on Google and Yelp boosted the business’s online visibility and generated organic leads.

13. Quality Online Presence: The business’s credibility was enhanced by having a professional and high-quality website that made it appear larger than it was.

14. The Right Attitude – Resilience and Perseverance: Kevin faced challenges, setbacks, and moments of doubt along the way, but he persisted through these difficulties to build a successful business.