Why TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Franchise Owners Continue to Invest in the Brand

When it comes to the moving industry, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® has positioned itself as the innovative leader to beat. Between its strong reputation among consumers and its positive and supportive system that fosters growth — both personally and professionally — TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® has a long history of raising the bar when it comes to top-quality moving services. 

Because TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s franchise system is proven, offers multiple territory sizes, and is simple to follow due to a large array of training resources, the brand provides its franchisees with the unique opportunity to grow. Whether entrepreneurs open up in another market or expand their territory to reach new customers, there’s always room for its local owners to improve their business and expand their reach as entrepreneurs. 

Mike Reps, a multi-unit franchisee, is one owner that is continuing to expand with the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® brand. “I come from an agricultural background — my parents were farmers, and it has always been a goal of mine to follow their lead in opening my own business,” said Reps. “After graduating with a degree in agriculture, I decided that the farming industry wasn't quite for me. That led me down the path that brought me to TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®. There are actually a lot of parallels between the two industries, including hard physical labor, but the moving industry offered the reward of customer interaction.”

Reps has had a long journey with the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® brand. He started as an employee of the Rochester, Minnesota franchise and was eventually approached by a contact that he had from the agriculture world, who told him about the franchise opportunity. Reps first became a general manager before officially becoming a franchisee in January 2018. Since then, Reps has opened two more locations, in Fargo, North Dakota in January 2019 and Mankato, Minnesota in February 2020. Reps notes that both of those territories are run by general managers who started as employees at the initial Rochester location.

When asked why he has been able to continue to invest in the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® brand, Reps notes that it all comes down to the support and brand awareness that helps franchisees scale quickly. “The level of support that the home office provides has always stood out to me,” he said. “Another one of the biggest things that appealed to me was the opportunity to invest in our employees and support their growth.”

Despite COVID-19, Reps says that his business has recovered and sales are up over this time last year. While he has no signings on the books at the moment, Reps is confident that he will continue to grow with the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® brand. 

Curtis Newman is another multi-unit franchise owner who is continuing to grow with the brand. “I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs in Des Moines, Iowa, and my brothers and I always knew we wanted to start our own business when we got older,” he said. “After working as a tennis pro for a while, my two brothers — Steve and Kevin — and I found the opportunity to purchase TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.”

The TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® business model appealed to the Newman brothers because it was scalable, manager-driven and couldn’t be replaced by technology. In addition, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is well known in the Des Moines, Iowa market, and the Newman family had used the brand’s services personally and had a great experience. After completing their due diligence and talking to established owners in the area, the Newmans knew it was the business for them. 

In 2014, the brothers purchased two franchises in San Antonio, Texas, followed by a location in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2016. In April 2018, they acquired locations in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. They opened a new location in Santa Fe, New Mexico in March 2019, followed by the most recent opening in San Marcos, Texas in March 2020.

“The first thing that makes the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® opportunity so scalable is the support from the corporate office — they have a centralized consulting team that includes experts on accounting, marketing, HR, sales and more,” Newman said. “For every aspect of the business, there is someone on the team who can help you grow. Our general managers can reach out to the team as a resource when they have questions, which means we don’t have to be so involved in the day-to-day operations of each individual store. We’ve also been able to take on underperforming locations or those that were transitioning management and put in the work to turn those businesses around.”

With locations all over the country, Newman notes that although each operation is a little different, he has learned that no matter where people live, they need a good mover, and that is why TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® works everywhere. 

Now, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Newmans are keeping their eyes peeled for new growth opportunities in 2021. “We have a lot of confidence in the leadership team right now, and we are investing in how they are running the whole system,” Newman said. “During COVID-19, our locations stayed open the entire time, and the Home Office leadership team gave us constant updates and helped us navigate everything from PPE to sanitation rules. During that hectic time, having a franchisor was so valuable, especially since a lot of our friends who own their own businesses weren't given that same information and struggled because of it. It is times like these where you look back and realize that franchise ownership is totally worth it, and that is why we continue to invest in TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.”

To learn more, visit: https://franchise.twomenandatruck.com/