How Dan John Built a $760k Moving Company in 3 Years | Ep 010 | The Heavy Lifting Podcast

Building a Moving Company People Actually Want to Work For

Jesse Whitaker has been in the moving industry for 31 years and never ran a single paid ad. Moxie Movers serves the Richmond metro area with 40 guys and roughly 10 moves a day. Half of that volume comes from repeat customers and referrals. He put his prices on the website before it was common practice, answers phones himself two days a week, and keeps a pool table at the office because he believes the beers-after-work thing is older than any business strategy anyone will ever sell you. In this conversation you will hear how he built a team people actually stay on, how he spots bad hires before they poison a crew, why he refuses to hire anyone under 25, and what happened when he stepped too far out of his own business. What you will walk away with: -Why culture is the first priority, not the last and what it costs you when you treat it as decoration -A hiring filter Jesse has used for decades: if the crew doesn't like the new guy after two weeks, the new guy goes -The argument for putting your prices on your website before the customer ever calls -Why Jesse won't hire someone with moving experience, and what he looks for instead -How to give employees room to fail without the business falling apart -What "beers after work" actually does for retention and why trying to control it kills it -The real reason stepping away from your business requires more oversight, not less Jesse Whitaker is the founder of Moxie Movers in Richmond, Virginia. He has been in the moving industry for 31 years, starting the week after high school graduation. Moxie Movers runs approximately 300 moves a month with 40 employees, all within a single metro area, with zero paid advertising. Timestamps: 00:00 From minimum wage to local empire 06:50 The pool table that built his company culture 13:20 His two-week rule for weeding out bad hires 35:05 Why he puts his prices on the website 56:20 300 moves a month with zero paid ads Connect with Moxie Movers: https://moxiemovers.com/ [https://moxiemovers.com/] https://www.instagram.com/moxie_movers/ [https://www.instagram.com/moxie_movers/] 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] If you run a moving company and you have been trying to figure out why good people keep leaving, this one is worth your full attention.

His Business Partner Punched Him in Front of a Moving Client. Here's Why He Went Solo.

Alexander Surfus was mid-move when his business partner showed up unannounced, high, and threw a punch at him in front of the client. This is the story of how he walked away, started over with $500, and built Surfus Moving into a five-star rated operation in Greenville, South Carolina. If you own a moving company or you're thinking about starting one, this episode is one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show. No fluff, no highlight reel, just seven years of grinding in the moving industry. In this episode we cover: -Starting as a laborer at College Hunks for $10.50 an hour during COVID -Driving 26-foot trucks through Manhattan with zero training -The red flags in a business partnership that almost cost him everything -How he rebuilt from $500 with no truck and no safety net -Why he chooses Penske over U-Haul -How he generates all his business through Google Maps with no paid ads -The chargeback scam that cost him a full move and how to protect yourself -Why young crews always leave and what to do about it -Where solo movers go when they're ready to expand to a new market Timestamps: 00:00 From College Hunks to Long Haul Moving 09:22 The Business Partner Red Flags He Missed 20:53 Running a Solo Moving Company in 2026 25:52 Uhaul vs Penske 40:36 Future Aspirations for Alexander Connect with Alexander Surfus: https://www.surfusmovingpros.com/ [https://www.surfusmovingpros.com/] https://www.facebook.com/surfusmovingpros [https://www.facebook.com/surfusmovingpros] Connect with Heavy Lifting Marketing: heavyliftingmarketing.com [http://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] If you found this useful, subscribe and leave a comment, it helps other moving company owners find the show. #MovingCompany #MovingIndustry #HeavyLiftingPodcast #MovingBusiness #Movers #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #MovingCompanyOwner #HowToStartAMovingCompany #MovingIndustryPodcast

How He Fully Booked His 2nd Moving Location in 90 Days | Ep 013 | The Heavy Lifting Podcast

He had zero jobs booked, two trucks, and a warehouse in a city he'd never operated in. You'll see exactly how Max Labarbera launched his second moving company location in Charleston, SC and ran those trucks nearly every day within 90 days, without Google Ads, without a big budget, and without a playbook handed to him. Max breaks down the full marketing mix he used to hit the ground running in a brand new market, how his Myrtle Beach operation generates 15 to 20 leads daily on $50 in Facebook ads, the hiring approach that keeps quality high as he scales, and why he still gets in the trucks himself at 27 with eight on the road. What you'll walk away with: -The postcard and billboard strategy Max used to build brand recognition in Charleston from week one -Why he matched his billboard creative exactly to his direct mail design and what that did for recall -How to build a realtor and mortgage broker referral network in a market where nobody knows your name -The Facebook ad setup generating 15 to 20 leads a day in Myrtle Beach on $50 spend -Why Max fires within the first 15 minutes if a hire isn't right and how that protects the whole team -How he handles the pressure of 100+ five-star reviews and what he does when something goes wrong -The eco-friendly tote program that separates him from every other mover on a local job Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:53 The Origin Story, From 0 Trucks to a Full Fleet 10:52 Building a Team That Holds the Standard 21:56 Opening the 2nd Location, The Charleston Playbook Connect with Max Labarbera https://www.facebook.com/labarberamovers/ [https://www.facebook.com/labarberamovers/] https://www.instagram.com/labarberamovers/ [https://www.instagram.com/labarberamovers/] https://labarberamovers.com/ [https://labarberamovers.com/] Connect with Heavy Lifting Marketing heavyliftingmarketing.com [http://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] If you run a moving company and you're thinking about your second market, this one is for you.

46 Years in the Moving Industry: What I Wish Someone Told Me on Day One | Ep 012

Sean Stein has been in the moving business since the early 80s, back when a bread truck and 15 pads was a full operation. Today he runs A Mother's Touch Moving in Melbourne, Florida, a $4M+ company with nothing but 5-star reviews, and he's now franchising the model across the Southeast. In this episode, Sean breaks down everything he's learned across 46 years, from hiring and retaining great movers, to grassroots marketing that still works today, to why bigger isn't always better when it comes to growing your fleet. If you own a moving company and want to know what actually separates the businesses that last from the ones that don't, this is the episode. What we cover: 00:00 - The Origin Story 06:36 - Building The Team 15:51 - Giving Back as a Growth Strategy 22:49 - Marketing That Actually Works 43:18 - Legacy, Risk and Franchising Connect with Sean Stein: A Mother's Touch Moving - Melbourne, Florida https://www.motouchmovers.com/ [https://www.motouchmovers.com/] https://www.facebook.com/AMothersTouchMovers/ [https://www.facebook.com/AMothersTouchMovers/] https://www.facebook.com/people/Boxes-of-Love/61584219412348/ [https://www.facebook.com/people/Boxes-of-Love/61584219412348/] Subscribe to the Heavy Lifting Podcast for weekly conversations with moving company owners across the US who are building real businesses and sharing exactly how they do it. 📱 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] 🌐 https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/ [https://www.heavyliftingmarketing.com/] The Heavy Lifting Podcast is brought to you by Heavy Lifting Marketing, the only marketing agency built exclusively for moving companies.

How to Become the #1 Mover in a Small Town | Tukker Watson's Story | Ep 011

Tukker Watson started The Moving Guys Alabama with $700 and a car that broke down when you put it in reverse. Seven years later he has 400+ Google reviews in one of the smallest markets in the South. This is how he did it. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Tukker Watson and The Moving Guys 03:01 The Journey of Starting a Moving Business 06:09 The Importance of Customer Experience and Word of Mouth 09:08 Systems for Generating Reviews and Referrals 12:07 Investing in Equipment for Success 17:47 Scaling Smart: Managing Overhead and Growth 23:59 Marketing Strategies: Social Media and Local Partnerships 29:55 Team Management and Involvement in Daily Operations 39:05 The Importance of Leading By Example 42:38 Navigating Slow Season 46:10 Military Moves and Community Impact 49:34 Quality Over Quantity in Business Growth 55:24 The Journey of a Serial Entrepreneur 59:56 Future Aspirations and Business Goals How to connect with Tucker: https://www.instagram.com/the_movinguys/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_movinguys/] https://www.facebook.com/tukker.watson.2025 [https://www.facebook.com/tukker.watson.2025] https://themovingguys.co/ [https://themovingguys.co/] Want results like Tukker in your market? Book your free strategy session with us today. https://calendly.com/heavyliftingmarketing/strategy-session [https://calendly.com/heavyliftingmarketing/strategy-session]