Delivering a Vision from the Driver Seat

You might catch quite a few more men than women behind the wheel of a moving truck, or as the franchise owner of a professional moving company for that matter, but that hasn't stopped Erin Whitty from paving her own way to the top of the Two Men and a Truck franchise. “I am living my dream,” she said, noting that she’s been a part of the brand since 2001. “I always had the goal of becoming a franchisee. Since I've been involved with the business for so long, there are few challenges that I haven’t faced at the operational and administrative levels.” Whitty’s journey to this point started back at the University of South Carolina where she graduated with a degree in business administration. After spending a short time working in commercial real estate in New York City, she accepted a position with Two Men and a Truck in Fairfield County, Conn. in 2001. Her cousins own the location, and they recruited her as a move consultant. After four years, Whitty was promoted to an office manager. A short time after her promotion, Whitty moved to Atlanta when her husband was relocated for work.  She joined the management team at the Two Men and a Truck franchise located in Tucker, Ga. and continued to use her extensive experience to climb the ranks. As the management team grew their portfolio to five franchises in 2012, she continued to shine and became a multi-unit manager. In January of this year, Whitty had the opportunity to purchase her own franchise in downtown Atlanta, and she capitalized on it. “Opening your own franchise is a multifaceted challenge, and it’s a balancing act of timing, funding and hiring,” Whitty said. “This franchise became available in January, and I was awarded it by the end of that month. It was a race to open the doors so that we could take advantage of the moving season, which is May through August. So this only gave us a four-month window to open the franchise." When she opened in May, she had six trucks, eighteen crew members, two managers and a move consultant. This fall, she plans to add warehouse storage to her facility, and in the early part of 2014, more trucks to her fleet. “There are daily challenges - some greater than others - but confidence in the brand, support from Two Men and a Truck International and a strong focus on the business plan has lead us to be successful in the first three months since opening,” Whitty said. “The service industry is a great industry for women to join because most clients of the service industry are women.” Whitty looks to use her eight years of experience in the Atlanta market to her advantage and become a multi-unit franchisee in the future.