Moving Words – Success Tools Part II
Timothy Brady
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Edward Everett Hale
In my last blog post, I discussed
how to apply some of the top reasons businesses succeed as moving and storage
companies. In this post, I’ll continue the discussion with more reasons to
adapt and apply, to ‘up’ your business game and continue your success.
Determination
More than anyone, movers understand the need for determination to get a
shipment to where it must be on time and without damage. Makes no difference as
to the roadblocks you encounter enroute, the shipper’s belongings must get to their
new home. That same strong determination is necessary for the success of your
business. A successful moving company emphasizes resoluteness when building the
business and must not quit, particularly when the road gets bumpy. As we all
know from experience, there are many challenges that arise, and your team needs
an unwavering purpose to overcome these challenges. Determination (with
persistence) is a key component to your success.
Adapt to
Changes
This is so true in the relocation business. Whether
it’s a sudden road closure, an accident or weather, your van operators face – and adapt to – changes both anticipated
and unexpected on a moment-to-moment basis. You, as the moving company
owner/manager, need to use that same ability to adapt to the ever-changing
environment of the relocation business. From the unexpected loss of a customer
to the sudden fluctuations in fuel prices, to new and more stringent
regulations, each change requires you to see opportunity and how to make
that change create benefit to your operation. Remember, from adversity comes
innovation, which leads to major breakthroughs. So instead of avoiding change,
embrace it and analyze it. Change is the engine that moves you forward if looked at pragmatically.
Cash flow
Cash flow is the blood flow of any
business. Trucking, moving and storage can be destroyed with inadequate
capital. Successful carriers are the ones who have sufficient capital to run
their operations. A relocation company relies on innovative ways to keep the
cash on hand that’s needed to keep the moving vans rolling. The trick for
managing cash flow comes from a multitude of financial tools, including your
relationships with banks and financial institutions, your credit with your
vendors and your ability to collect from your customers. It’s also how well you
budget your revenue and Accounts Payable, to have that reserve cash to handle
slower times in this cyclical business.
Believe in yourself and your
business
We all realize that a moving
company’s success revolves around taking risks. So you, as the owner/manager of
your relocation company, must be willing to take a series of calculated risks.
However, your decisions need to have a solid, due-diligence foundation under
them to avoid known pitfalls. There are many unknowns when starting any
new service, so do the research; find mistakes others made so you don’t repeat
them, or if you do, you know what’s needed to get back on track quickly. In
other words, believing in yourself means you understand the challenges you’ll
face; believing in your business is knowing how you’ll deal with each of those
challenges.
Master of
Time
Time is both the friend and the enemy of any moving and storage operation. How
you manage your time determines its ‘friend or foe’
status. Running a moving company is akin to what your van operators experience
each day. At times it can be rough. Just like a van operator is limited to 11
hours driving and 14 hours per day to complete all the pick-ups, driving and
deliveries needed, the same can be said of the owner/manager of a moving
company. Between the multitude of hats you wear, along with the office staff
you manage, your company’s success hinges on you and how well you guide your
staff’s productivity and effectiveness. Be assured that having things to do
will never be an issue. However, carefully choosing what to focus on and prioritizing
the most critical tasks will continue to be some of your biggest challenges.
Execution
Execution is 99% of determining your company’s
success. This is where the idea, the plan and the team you’ve assembled come
together into a cohesive, HHG-hauling machine. Without all three: ideas, plans,
and a qualified team, success is questionable.
In conclusion,
successful moving companies look for opportunities which fill a niche no one
else is willing to do. You must think outside of the box by questioning the
status quo. Challenges will be constant. Learn from your mistakes, fix them
quickly, and continue your journey to success.
“Action is the foundational key to all
success.” – Pablo Picasso
