3 Mistakes That Are Killing Your Moving Company's Growth in 2026 (and how to fix them) | Ep 009

This Is How You Build A Moving Company People Trust

Manuel Cardenas did around 1,300 moves in a single year out of a 2012 Chevy Malibu with two dollies and thirty blankets, and that was before Veterans Best Movers even existed. In this episode you'll hear how an Army flight medic built a San Antonio moving company people trust enough to leave 1,000 five star Google reviews in under 4 years. You'll get the exact estimate process behind those reviews, from room-by-room phone walkthroughs to why he quotes worst case with a two hour window instead of a single number. You'll also hear how one 4.5 star review on a booking platform pushed him to stop renting his reputation and build his own, and how he prices in the 40th percentile while never chasing the cheapest customer. If you run a moving company and want customers who trust you before the truck arrives, this is the playbook. What you'll walk away with: -The estimate walkthrough Manuel runs on every sales call: room by room, box counts in brackets, and asking "is this it?" three times so the customer remembers saying yes -Why he quotes worst case with a two hour window, and how honest quotes protect the review after the move -The rule that everyone in his office is a mover first, and what that does to close rates and crew trust -How senior living facilities became 30 to 40% of his clientele through donuts, coffee runs, and donated mariachis -Why his owned trucks stay local for branding and leased trucks take the long distance wear -The word of mouth hiring system behind 9 of his 21 guys and near-zero turnover -What losing his ranking over a single 4.5 star review taught him about owning your reputation About the guest: Manuel Cardenas is the founder of Veterans Best Movers in San Antonio, Texas, an Army flight medic who ranked 9th in the country for jobs completed on U-Haul's Moving Help platform in his first full year. Today his company runs six trucks, 21 team members, and just crossed 1,000 five star reviews on Google. Timestamps: 00:00 1,300 Moves Out of a Chevy Malibu 13:43 Building Veterans Best Movers From Nothing 29:24 The Estimate Process Behind the Reviews 37:32 Movers First: The Team Behind the Trust Connect with Manuel and Veterans Best Movers: Website: https://veteransbestmover.com [https://veteransbestmover.com] Google Business Profile: https://share.google/BFdK16JMvxeFMRbe4 [https://share.google/BFdK16JMvxeFMRbe4] Phone: (210) 761-6595 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veteransbestmovers_/ [https://www.instagram.com/veteransbestmovers_/] Connect with Heavy Lifting Marketing: Website: https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/ [https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theheavyliftingmarketing/ [https://www.instagram.com/theheavyliftingmarketing/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571600552571 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571600552571]

Should Your Moving Company Offer Storage? The Real Numbers

If you're on the fence about whether storage belongs in your business, this episode gives you the real numbers to decide for yourself. Robin Boldt started with zero moving experience and ended up running a company where storage customers guarantee themselves a second job. What this episode covers You'll hear how Robin and his business partner Caesar built Express Moving and Storage from a single rented truck into a seven truck operation covering the DMV area. Robin walks through why they put "storage" in the company name before they ever owned a warehouse, and how they used rented self storage units, charged at cost, just to win moving jobs in the early years. You'll get the real pricing behind their current storage model, including what a vault costs and how occupancy runs through the seasons. And you'll hear exactly what he trains his sales reps to ask on every single call, and why it matters more than most movers think. What you'll walk away with -The exact reasoning behind offering storage before you have a facility to put it in -How Express Moving prices their storage vaults, and when they'll discount that price -Why a storage customer is close to a guaranteed second move down the line -The one question Robin has his sales reps ask every customer, no exceptions -How an unrelated auction house relationship became a recurring revenue stream in the early years -Why Robin stopped chasing growth for its own sake and started focusing on profit margins instead -What it actually took to find warehouse space big enough for a seven truck fleet About the guest Robin Boldt co-founded Express Moving and Storage 13 years ago with business partner Caesar, growing the company to seven trucks, 25 movers, and roughly 100 storage vaults serving the Washington DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland area. The company runs storage occupancy between 80 and 100 percent and splits its move volume roughly 85 percent local to 15 percent long distance. Timestamps 00:00 Zero Moving Experience, One Auction House Connection 11:28 Why "Storage" Was in the Name Before They Owned a Warehouse 21:29 The Real Vault Numbers: Pricing, Occupancy, and Discounts 26:35 The One Sales Question That Turns a Move Into Two 34:03 Why They Stopped Chasing Growth and Started Chasing Margin Connect with Robin Boldt https://expressmovingandstorageva.com/ [https://expressmovingandstorageva.com/] https://www.facebook.com/Expressmovingandstorage/ [https://www.facebook.com/Expressmovingandstorage/] (571)450-9042 Connect with Heavy Lifting Marketing https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/ [https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/] https://www.instagram.com/theheavyliftingmarketing/ [https://www.instagram.com/theheavyliftingmarketing/] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571600552571 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571600552571]

Should Your Moving Company Switch to Flat Rate? Here's the Truth

Gabriel Ventura has been doing flat rate moving since before most companies knew what it was.18 years in business, zero marketing budget, and a tip rate his competitors can't explain. What This Episode Covers In this episode you'll hear exactly how Gabriel built Movers on Duty from the ground up on a flat rate pricing model and why he says going hourly was never an option. We get into the real mechanics of how flat rate moving works when things go wrong on move day, how he handles extra items without the conversation turning ugly, and why his pricing strategy is directly responsible for his crew earning more in tips than movers at companies three times his size. What You'll Walk Away With -Why flat rate moving removes the adversarial dynamic between you and your client on move day -How to handle extra items without blowing the agreed price or the relationship -The 50% realtor discount strategy that turned into 80% of Gabriel's business being B2B referrals -Why sending bigger crews for shorter jobs makes your moving company more money, not less -How Gabriel recruits the best movers by watching other companies' trucks in the field -The exact software he uses to generate accurate flat rate moving quotes online and over the phone -Why eating early losses built him a moving company that runs entirely on word of mouth 18 years later This Episode Is For You If: -You own or operate a moving company and are considering switching to flat rate pricing -You're tired of customers pushing back on hourly rates and extra charges -You're looking for real operational insight from someone who has been in the moving industry for over 18 years About Gabriel Gabriel Ventura is the founder of Movers on Duty, a Maryland-based moving company built entirely on flat rate pricing and referral growth. He started in the moving industry at 18 as a helper, became a driver within a year, and was in sales within 18 months, before launching his own company and running it for 18 years without a single BBB complaint. TimeStamps 0:00 The FlatRate Revolution in Moving 11:54 The Unique Niche of Eviction Moving 17:55 Building Relationships with Realtors 24:39 Choosing the Right Truck Rental 30:34 Essential Equipment for Every Mover Connect with Gabriel Movers on Duty TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@movers.on.duty.us [https://www.tiktok.com/@movers.on.duty.us] Movers on Duty Website: https://moversonduty.com/ [https://moversonduty.com/] Connect with Heavy Lifting Marketing Are you a moving company owner looking to grow? Heavy Lifting Marketing works exclusively with moving companies across the US. We know the industry because we were in it. https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/ [https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/] https://www.instagram.com/theheavyliftingmarketing/ [https://www.instagram.com/theheavyliftingmarketing/] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571600552571 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571600552571] Book a free discovery call: calendly.com/heavyliftingmarketing/discovery-call [http://calendly.com/heavyliftingmarketing/discovery-call] #MovingCompany #HeavyLiftingPodcast #FlatRateMoving

Georgian Grit: How Simply Elite Moving Hit 1,000 Jobs in Their First Year

Giorgi Battinelli and his partners launched a moving company with no prior business experience. 1,000 moves later, they're running a multi-location operation with 50 employees, all in 12 months. Giorgi Battinelli (Simply Elite Moving, NJ/PA) breaks down the exact sales process, marketing mix, and team culture that made it happen faster than anyone expected. What you'll learn: -How to get your first 100 moves with zero marketing budget -The sales approach that closes 50% of calls (and how to train your team to do it) -Google LSA vs. Google Ads, which one actually works for moving companies -Why Yelp is underrated and how Simply Elite uses it to get higher-intent leads -How to build a moving company culture that retains great people -What Giorgi thinks 2026-2028 means for the moving industry Timestamps: 0:00 How To Get Your First 100 Moves 05:47 Georgian Work Ethic 15:56 Giorgi's Sales Process and Closing Rates 32:47 Google LSA vs. Google Ads 46:06 1,000 Moves in Year One Connect with Giorgi & Simply Elite Moving: https://share.google/Lkg60rnTbt7dywAzW [https://share.google/Lkg60rnTbt7dywAzW] https://simplyelitemoving.com/ [https://simplyelitemoving.com/] Connect with Heavy Lifting Marketing: https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/ [https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/] #MovingCompany #MovingIndustry #HeavyLiftingPodcast #MovingBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #MovingCompanyMarketing #StartingABusiness

He Moved the Parents. Then the Kids. Then the Grandkids. Roderick Hill's Secret.

Roderick Hill didn't plan on being a mover. His mom just needed him off the couch one summer. That summer job turned into three decades in the moving industry, and eventually ComfortZone Movers in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has over 100 five-star reviews, two crews on the road, and customers who keep sending him their kids, their siblings, and their parents. In this conversation we get into exactly how he did it and what most movers are completely overlooking. What You Will Walk Away With: -Why doing exceptional work on one job is worth more than any lead platform you're paying for -How Roderick turned a single family into multiple moves purely through trust and word of mouth -The simple review system he uses at the end of every job that built his Google profile from zero -Why he has never run a paid ad and what he does instead to stay busy through slow season -How he thinks about hiring and why he prefers guys with zero experience over seasoned movers -How he uses Google Gemini to write estimates and market his business without a marketing team -What his growth plan looks like, more trucks, storage, and eventually a second market About Roderick Hill Roderick Hill is the founder of ComfortZone Movers in Raleigh, North Carolina, a five-star rated moving company he built from the ground up over the last five and a half years using nothing but exceptional service and word of mouth. He has been in the moving industry for over three decades, starting as a young mover on a 48-state operation before eventually going out on his own. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 How a Summer Job Became a 30-Year Career 09:53 The Day He Decided to Go Out on His Own 16:23 How He Built 100+ Five Star Reviews 34:02 What ComfortZone Movers Will Look Like in 5 Years CONNECT WITH RODERICK HILL https://comfortzonemover.com/ [https://comfortzonemover.com/] https://www.facebook.com/p/Comfort-Zone-Movers-100065121604011/ [https://www.facebook.com/p/Comfort-Zone-Movers-100065121604011/] CONNECT WITH HEAVY LIFTING MARKETING We help moving companies get more calls, more bookings, and more five-star reviews through Google Ads, SEO, and done-for-you marketing systems built exclusively for movers. https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/ [https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/] https://www.instagram.com/theheavyliftingmarketing/ [https://www.instagram.com/theheavyliftingmarketing/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/105998723/admin/dashboard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/105998723/admin/dashboard/] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571600552571 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571600552571] If you run a moving company and you're still paying for leads that go to five other movers at the same time, this episode is worth your full attention.