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Moving Company Growth Lessons From a Company Founded in 1919

Most moving company owners want more moving leads, better crews, and stronger profit. But long-term growth is not just about buying more ads or trucks.

In this episode of Let’s Talk Moving Podcast, Thomas McCarthy of McCarthy Transfer and Storage shared lessons from a fourth-generation moving business that has been around since 1919. The biggest lesson is simple: if the market changes, the owner must change first.

What Should a Moving Company Owner Focus on First?

The first job of the owner is business development. If people in your market do not know you, trust you, or see you, your sales team has a harder job.

For a moving company owner, relationship building is not optional. It helps with realtors, local customers, business owners, referral partners, and past clients.

Owner-Led Business Development Checklist

• Attend local events: Get in rooms where homeowners, realtors, and business owners spend time.
• Introduce yourself as the owner: Owner-to-owner conversations create trust faster.
• Support your sales team: Do not expect salespeople to create every relationship alone.
• Be visible in the community: Do not hide inside operations all week.
• If you are not a people person, improve: Take classes, practice speaking, or put a strong relationship builder in front of the company.

Nobody will usually sell your moving business with the same belief and passion as the owner. That does not mean you do every estimate forever. It means you stay connected to the people who can send work your way.

How Do You Keep Your Moving Business From Getting Stale?

What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. The moving industry is still built on moving furniture, but how customers find you, judge you, and communicate with you keeps changing.

Newer companies may not have decades of experience, but many are willing to use social media, video, and new marketing tactics faster than older companies.

Personal Development Framework for Owners

• Leadership: Learn how to lead people better, not just manage jobs.
• Health: Protect your energy so you can handle stress, long days, and decisions.
• Market knowledge: Pay attention to customer behavior, technology, and competitors.
• Communication: Get better at speaking, selling value, and building trust.
• Experimentation: Try new things before you are forced to catch up.

The episode also mentioned using tools like RingCentral notes to save time during customer calls. The point is not that technology replaces people. The point is that smart tools can help your team stay organized while still keeping the human touch.

How Do You Build a Moving Team That Customers Trust?

A strong moving company culture starts with the owner. If the owner cares about standards, the team is more likely to care. If the owner cuts corners, the team will notice that too.

McCarthy shared several simple ways their company shows professionalism and appreciation.

Team Culture Checklist

• Professional trucks: Keep equipment well maintained so customers see quality before the crew enters the home.
• Uniforms: Make it clear that movers represent the company brand.
• Employee appreciation meals: Their team does a Thanksgiving breakfast cooked by leadership and office staff.
• Summer cookouts: When most crews return around the same time, they prepare food for the team.
• Hot weather support: On very hot days, they deliver cold drinks, water, Gatorade, and ice to crews.

These are not complicated systems. But they show movers that the company sees their hard work. That matters in an industry where crews carry the customer experience.

How Do You Sell Value Instead of Being the Cheapest Mover?

Thomas described his company’s approach as being a resource or moving concierge for customers. That means the sales process is not just “send an estimate and hope they call back.”

The goal is to help customers understand what a professional moving company does and why cheap moving service can become expensive when things go wrong.

Moving Sales Value Script

• Explain the risk: Cheap movers may not have the license, insurance, equipment, or training customers expect.
• Explain the value: Professional movers protect items, show up prepared, and stand behind the work.
• Explain the cost: Trucks, equipment, warehouse space, workers comp, insurance, and good labor all cost real money.
• Help even if they do not book: Encourage them to choose a professional mover so they have a good experience with the industry.
• Follow up with care: Be responsive, helpful, and focused on a smooth move.

A useful line from the conversation was the idea that good service is not cheap, and cheap service is not good. Moving company owners must teach customers what they are paying for.

How Do You Protect Your Company From One Revenue Source?

McCarthy Transfer and Storage has historically done a large amount of military moving work in San Diego. But changes in the military moving model created pressure on margins and made it harder to rely on that line of business the same way.

The lesson for any moving company owner is clear: do not let one customer type become your whole business.

If one line of business goes down, another should help carry the company. The goal is fewer extreme peaks and valleys.

What Mistakes Should New Moving Companies Avoid?

Thomas gave clear advice for newer companies: start small and do it right. Moving is capital intensive when done professionally.

• Do not grow faster than your systems: Taking jobs you cannot service well hurts your reputation.
• Do not skip licensing: In California, he referenced the Bureau of Household Goods and Services license.
• Do not operate uninsured: Customers and employees need protection.
• Do not damage the industry’s reputation: Bad movers make customers distrust professional movers.
• Do not avoid mentors: Learn from people who already understand the moving industry.

Quick Win: Make One Owner-Level Relationship Today

In the next 30 minutes, choose one realtor, business owner, property manager, or past customer and send a simple personal message.

• Thank them for their connection or past business.
• Remind them your company is available as a moving resource.
• Offer help with questions, estimates, or planning.
• Do not hard sell. Start the relationship first.

How to Apply This This Week

• 1. Block two hours for business development: Visit a local event, realtor office, business group, or referral partner.
• 2. Record one simple video: Answer a common customer question about moving estimates, packing, or choosing a professional mover.
• 3. Thank your crew: Bring drinks, breakfast, or lunch to show appreciation for the physical work they do.
• 4. Review your revenue mix: Identify whether one source of work is creating too much risk.
• 5. Improve one sales follow-up: Rewrite your follow-up so it sounds helpful, not desperate.

For more context from Thomas McCarthy and McCarthy Transfer and Storage, watch the original Episode 121 of Let’s Talk Moving and visit the Let’s Talk Moving Podcast YouTube channel.