Starting up a business, no matter what industry, has become incredibly complicated nowadays. It seems like wherever you look, the industry is saturated, and the competition is incredibly tough. However, there is always room for those who know how to make it.
With a moving company, you need to do a lot of the right things. Unfortunately, you will need to come up with a game plan by yourself or with your business partners. But after that, you can look into the basics, such as an mc number, insurance, equipment, and advertising.
Let’s go through some things you will need to bring your ideas to life.
1. Business Plan.
With a game plan in mind, you will need to figure out how you intend to set your company apart from the rest of the players in the market.
To set yourself apart, you can try to think about your range of services. Considering offering a good variety. Alternatively, you could look at the problems and find new solutions that can make everything much better for your clients.
If you have done the research, you might’ve seen that the moving industry is packed with amateurs who offer low prices and have weak long term plans. You will need to aim for professionalism by offering the best services while keeping your prices competitive to get good business.
With a proper business plan, you can forecast development, allocate your resources properly, focus more on key points, and also know what to do in case any problems arise.
2. Permits and Licenses.
Just like any other business, your moving company will need many licenses and permits before it can offer its services to its first customer. While the regular permits depend on the location of your offices, there are some things you will need to get no matter where you are.
First one would be a US DOT or MC number. Sometimes you might need both. These numbers are necessary if you are planning on helping clients move across state lines. You can easily find out the difference between a US DOT and MC number before applying for them.
The second incredibly important universal one is insurance. You will need to get insurance for all the items that you will be moving, vehicles, office, and many other things. If you’re planning on running a two-person business, think about getting a license to drive the vehicle in case you are buying a truck.
3. Purchasing or Renting Equipment.
The first and big one is the vehicle you will be driving for the moves. Many people start small with hatchback they have or an SUV. But you should look into pickups, trucks, or other vehicles that will make your company look more professional. It would be best to purchase this and get a US DOT or MC number.
A moving company also needs to have plenty of equipment to professionally handle every project. You may need hauling equipment, packing supplies, back braces, ramps, and many other things. Since the equipment can be expensive, you can think about renting it if your budget doesn’t allow you to purchase everything.
4. Advertising Your Moving Company.
For starters, you should consider getting your brand stickers and name printed on boxes and other materials. This can really help you gain more recognition. You should consider putting similar stickers and colors on your company truck, it is free advertising every time you drive it around for work.
Other than that, you should have an online presence. To make it in today’s world, new brands need to have a website and social media accounts. You can set up a fast-loading site that has a user-friendly design and offers information on all of your services. It should also make use of content marketing. This will help people find solutions to their problems in your blogs and give your brand more exposure.
The good thing about a moving company is that you can advertise offline locally to grow your business as well. These would be your newspapers, magazines, TV channels, or anything else.
Also, you should keep in mind that word will always be spreading about your company. That means you need to provide the best service to all the clients and be consistent to enjoy the sweet benefits of word of mouth advertising.
