Steps to Open a Moving Company

Steps to Open a Moving Company

To open a moving company, it can be an intimidating mountain to climb on your own. Becoming your own business and putting your entrepreneurial spirit to work has its benefits though. In terms of risk v. reward, you may consider franchising as a suitable alternative to opening a moving company on your own.

Regardless of whether you choose to franchise a moving company or open your own, there are clear steps to getting from your initial decision to fulfilling the commitment of starting a new business in Canada. Here are the steps every moving business has to go through to arrive at launch.

1 – Knowing your market

In big cities, more than 80 percent of moves are smaller jobs where no storage facilities or large trucks are needed. By knowing your market and the types of moves you’ll be expected to make, you understand the manpower that’s required as well as the assets that need purchasing. This prevents you from under-purchasing or over-purchasing, keeping your budget accurate to the market. The best moving company franchise in Canada can assist in outlining strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in a local marketplace.

2 – Put it in a business plan

Before you put down your first dollar in investment, draft a plan of action. Writing out your business plan, you should answer your own questions of how to get started. Forecast what it will take to develop it as a start-up, where and how to allocate resources, what key points which will differentiate you from your competitors, opportunities in your sales territory, and your response to possible problems as they come up. If you’ve bought a moving franchise for sale, a lot of this planning is thankfully already done for you.

3 – Purchasing moving equipment

Starting a moving company, the upfront costs vary according to what you need equipment-wise. A smaller moving truck is sometimes all you’ll need to get going or if you want to keep as much of your budget as you can, upgrading at a later date. That said, you may miss out on moving business if you do this. You’ll also need to purchase moving pads or blankets, furniture belts, ropes, moving dollies, and packing and wrapping materials. Setting yourself up with an inventory of moving boxes is also a smart move. Now, with a moving and storage franchise, you can rely on the experience and partnerships of the Franchisor to purchase the best equipment with a significant discount offered to the corporation by accredited partners.

4 – Insurance

As a mover, you are asking your clients to trust you with some of their most valued possessions. Should anything unexpected happen and furniture or items become damaged in transit, the responsibility’s on you. For this reason, any moving company in Canada should have liability insurance and cargo insurance. This isn’t just an added expense – it could save your company. You never know what could arise and for all the guarantees you can make, the customer will feel more at ease when they know you’re properly insured.

5 – Advertising

So you’ve purchased all the basics that a moving company needs. The next step is creating awareness locally, advertising that you exist and are open for business. You need a carefully chosen name, an eye-catching logo, and you need your truck with your name and logo. With Metropolitan Movers franchise, you get a time tested and nationally recognized design and colour scheme.

6 – Website and digital marketing

When someone wants to hire a reliable moving company in Canada, they search online which is why every mover needs a website. A strong online presence is a key to getting your name out there and generating leads. Not only will you need a website but moving companies today are engaged in digital marketing strategies across social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, email lead cultivation tactics, video promotion, and more. Costs can creep up significantly when you’re trying to get started with a website. A moving service franchise fortunately usually already has all of this digital marketing in place, ensuring you’re on the fast-track to making a profit from the first week in operations.

7 – Training employees

Chances are you’re not going to be alone in moving households. You’re going to need at least one other person with you, if not a few. If they haven’t been properly trained in how to pack, load and unload, and move heavy furniture, you risk damaging your client’s property or having an injury on your hands. Ensure the people you hire are trained on how to protect themselves and the items they are moving. Secondly, employees should be trained in sales techniques, as should you. If you want to book customers quickly and increase your profit, sales is all you’ve got. Metropolitan Movers moving franchise offers sales training to franchisees, which is very beneficial to you if you’re not accustomed to a high-pressure sales-based business.

8 – Set your services and rates

If you haven’t already done so, you need to decide what moving services you’re offering and what rates you’re able to provide. Know what you need to make to break even, to make a profit, and how low you can go for a household who may not be able to pay full price. Also, the best moving franchisees or small business owners know when to turn down jobs, when to book jobs, and how to maximize their schedule without overworking themselves or their employees. Moving can be a tough yet very profitable business venture and how you schedule your work is important.

9 – Your customers are your referrals

Every job you take is an opportunity to generate a referral. If you do a bad job with a customer, not only are you going to lose their business but they could leave a negative review of you online and cause a number of issues for you. When you start a new moving company franchise or on your own, make sure you treat your customers like royalty. Word-of-mouth advertising is extremely beneficial but also, it’s just the right thing to do. The customer’s expectations should be met each and every time.

These 9 steps to open a moving company are easier said than done. Should you decide to become a franchise in Canada, you still get to be your own boss and be an entrepreneur. You just do so under an established brand, with significant amounts of resources, support, and assistance you wouldn’t otherwise have. For a low-cost, high-profit moving franchise in Canada, contact Metropolitan Movers today on how you get yourself set up.