The moving business is mostly dominated by males but if that’s the path you want to follow, gender predominance should most definitely not stand in your way! It’s clear that there is no business venture that women can’t tackle successfully, regardless of its nature.
Starting a business is tough though, especially when it comes to commercial moving services as there are a lot of logistics to consider. From hiring a great team to how you market yourself and attract clients as a newcomer. It may sometimes get quite overwhelming but remember that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and with ambition and perseverance, you can succeed at everything!
If you’re looking for some friendly advice (from one entrepreneur to another) at the start of your new moving company, here are some useful tips to ensure your success!
Start by setting concrete goals
If you do not have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve as a business owner, you may face many challenges as your business grows and expands. With specific objectives, you can create more definite targets, making it easier to fulfill your goals and clarifying your company journey.
Creating a business plan can be an intimidating task for many new business owners. You must research your niche, define your short-term and long-term objectives and know how you manage the required finances to prepare your business plan. Some things to keep in mind when creating your plan are:
- Analysis of market
- Company summary
- Description of business
- Business operating method
Be strategic in making your choices. Every day, as a business owner, is different; be meticulous in finding solutions and opportunities for improvement. When you start to establish your business plan, add up the cost. You will have to take into account all the business costs necessary to start such as location, rental, supplies and marketing.
The costs for running a company can be high and you may get some unexpected costs as well. It is better to be prepared rather than come up short when bills begin to gather.
Hire the best moving crew
You need to build a team that you can trust to fulfill your goals to the best of their ability in order for your business to succeed. It can start as a small team, but what’s even more important is to work together. Start by outlining your vision, defining your skills gap and taking into account your team’s experience.
One of the most important things in recruiting new employees is to have a multi-step process to ensure they are well qualified for the job. You must first define the recruitment criteria and ensure that you adhere to it.
After your expectations have been clarified, it’s time to come out and find your new moving crew. If you’re not sure where to find the right people, you may try some of the methods below:
- Request referrals from people you know
- Post on a trusted website such as Linekdin
- Social media postings
- Post an ad in a local paper
- Publishing an ad on Craigslist
After you put out your announcement, the next step will be going through the applications and tossing aside the ones that don’t fit your criteria. You should then start having phone interviews with the remaining candidates. The last step is to schedule and conduct the in-person interviews. This could also include some type of test which will help you take out of the race anyone who does not fit your requirements. If you’re still not sure who you want to hire, check the references of your top options and contact previous employers for character references.
Network with other business owners
You can’t do it alone if you want to build a large and successful business. It is invaluable how much collaboration and connections can achieve. Continuing to fester links with others through networking and this can help you learn new things, share ideas and even advance your career. There are many ways you can network effectively, including participating in social media networking and online networking.
Understand your customers
You need to target your audience as specifically as possible. Identify the ideal client and the communities which they are a part of. Choose one community to serve at first and stay as long as possible with that community. Customize your service, message and process towards that particular community. You will thus ensure a strong link with your customers.
During a market evaluation, two main factors should be highlighted: niche volume and the fact that it is saturated or not. For any company, customers are the ultimate revenue source. You might have invested thousands of dollars in your moving business, but it just won’t stand without a strong customer.
Create a smart marketing strategy
Many business owners have one challenge to face is that they cannot sell. Sharing your business with the world, particularly when you are new can be intimidating.
Traditionally, in our society men are brought up to focus on activities, while women are brought up to focus more on communication. This was seen as a disadvantage in the business for women, but the tables are turned around now, considering that women are significantly more active in social media and have greater networks of friendship – even if they don’t try. In an era when social media offers endless promotion possibilities and it’s pretty much essential for marketing your business, you need to use all your advantages, including your own personal social media network and persona.
It’s hard to make money if you can’t persuade consumers to use your services and support your company. You can’t afford to be shy if you really want your business to become a success. Be prepared to talk about your business confidently, to constantly market and network as a new business owner. Let everyone know about your business – friends, family, even acquaintances, ought to know the industry in which you are and what you are doing. Our first customers are usually people around us and it is an easy way to launch your company. That ensures that you are the first person in everyone’s mind when it comes to the service you are selling.
Don’t give up
Every new company has different ups and downs to go through. You need to stay focused, learn from mistakes, and apply this experience to your business development. It is safe to make some mistakes while learning something. There’s no harm. There are two key elements of any profitable undertaking: the additional milestone and persistence. It is of utmost importance to keep the end goal in mind.
About the author
Michaela Smith is the marketing director of Empire Movers, a respected commercial moving company in NYC . They have over 15 years of experience on the market, during which have accumulated great expertise in training new movers.
This is a Sponsored Post – the author has requested this post be shared on WE magazine for Women and WE were compensated for sharing.
