Larry O’Toole grew Gentle Giant Moving into a $66M company with 26 locations by protecting one thing: culture. This article turns his podcast lessons into a practical hiring and leadership playbook for moving company owners.

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How to Hire Movers Who Protect Your Culture as You Scale

Larry O’Toole built Gentle Giant Moving into a company with 26 locations, about 500 employees, and around $66 million in revenue. His core lesson for moving company owners is simple: culture starts with who you let in the door.

If you hire people only because they can move furniture, collect money, and cover jobs, you may create problems that are very hard to remove later. Use this playbook to build a moving company culture that can scale.

What Standard Should Every New Mover Meet?

Larry’s grandfather told him the first hire sets the standard for everyone after that. That idea became a foundation for Gentle Giant.

New Hire Culture Checklist

• Enthusiasm: They show up eager, prepared, and ready to work.
• Respect: They make customers and coworkers feel comfortable.
• Honesty: This should be non-negotiable.
• Teamwork: They do not act like they are above the crew.
• Going above and beyond: They want the customer to feel they received value for their money.

A mover with skill but poor human relations can damage the crew. Do not ignore bad attitude because you need to cover the schedule.

How Do You Test for Effort Before You Hire?

Gentle Giant is known for using Harvard Stadium as part of its hiring process. Applicants run the stadium sections, and the goal is not just speed. The goal is to see what happens when the person hits a wall.

The Physical Challenge Framework

• 1. Pick a hard but simple challenge: A stadium, hill, dunes, or a CrossFit-style routine can work.
• 2. Measure effort, not perfection: Larry looks for people who keep pushing when it gets hard.
• 3. Set a clear standard: Gentle Giant uses a 40-minute benchmark at Harvard Stadium.
• 4. Watch for quitting behavior: Sitting down, giving up, or coasting tells you something.
• 5. Let good candidates improve: If someone has the right attitude but needs conditioning, they can come back and try again.

If you use a physical test, make sure it fits your market and is safe. Larry mentioned having insurance and working around stadium access.

How Do You Turn Movers Into Leaders?

At Gentle Giant, leadership is developed from inside the company. Crew chiefing is the first proving ground because the person manages a small team, deals with customers, and works under real pressure.

The Internal Promotion Path

• 1. Mover: Learns the work, service standards, and crew expectations.
• 2. Crew chief: Leads jobs and proves they can handle people and customers.
• 3. Group leader: Mentors a group of movers, usually around 8 to 10 people.
• 4. Manager track: Gets more training, leadership meetings, and exposure to other locations.

The key is that new movers should not disappear into dispatch. They need a leader they can go to. Group leaders help keep employees connected, trained, and accountable.

What Makes a Great Crew Leader?

Larry said emotional intelligence matters more than raw moving skill for a crew leader. A smart crew chief knows how to ask dispatch for the right team member when a job needs a specific skill.

Crew Leader Scorecard

• Can they stay calm with customers?
• Can they correct a mover without insulting them?
• Can they avoid playing favorites?
• Can they make the crew feel proud of the work?
• Can they ask for help instead of pretending they know everything?

A moving company owner should promote the person who can lead people, not just the person who can carry the heaviest piece.

How Do You Prepare Leaders for More Locations?

Gentle Giant sends potential leaders to other markets, including places like Seattle, Florida, and Phoenix, so they can experience different offices. Sometimes they go for a month. Sometimes they help a location that is short on people.

Location Leadership Decision Guide

• Send them out before promoting them: Let them see how another branch operates.
• Watch how they adapt: A future manager must handle different teams and markets.
• Ask who wants to relocate: Some people are open to moving. Others are not.
• Bring people back for training: Gentle Giant also brings people into Boston for training and culture exposure.

Do not assume a great local crew chief automatically wants to run another branch. Patience matters.

What Mistakes Should Moving Company Owners Avoid?

• Hiring for skill while ignoring attitude.
• Keeping toxic people because revenue is tight.
• Letting “big fish” employees act like they run the company.
• Opening new locations before the service standard is strong.
• Renting space you do not need just to feel bigger.
• Thinking about money before building perfect service.

Larry warned against arrogance in business. Build the house on rock first: service, standards, people, and culture.

Quick Win: Create Your 5-Value Hiring Filter Today

In under 30 minutes, write your moving company’s five core values and use them in every interview this week.

• Value 1: Honesty
• Value 2: Enthusiasm
• Value 3: Going above and beyond
• Value 4: Respect
• Value 5: Teamwork

For every applicant, score each value as yes, maybe, or no. If they miss too many values, do not hire them just because you need another mover.

How to Apply This This Week

• 1. Audit your current crew: Identify who raises the standard and who lowers it.
• 2. Update your interview questions: Ask about enthusiasm, teamwork, respect, and pressure.
• 3. Pick one effort test: Choose a safe physical challenge that shows persistence.
• 4. Choose one future group leader: Give them 5 to 10 movers to mentor and check in with.
• 5. Stop one bad culture habit: Do not tolerate disrespect just because someone is productive.

To hear the full conversation with Larry O’Toole, watch the original video He Built a $66M Moving Empire on One Rule and visit the Movified YouTube channel.