The Great Franchisees: Mackenzie Kilgariff and Brittany Ishman, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, New Jersey

At just 23 years old, Mackenzie Kilgariff is one of the youngest franchise owners with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK*®, the 380-unit moving franchise. Kilgariff started her career as a marketing intern with the brand before rising through the ranks to a general manager position. Now, thanks in large part to TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’s scholarship program, which covered the bulk of her initial franchise fees, Kilgariff has teamed up with her mentor, Brittany Ishman, to open New Jersey’s third TWO MEN AND A TRUCK territory.

We spoke to Kilgariff and Ishman to learn more about their journey to franchising and their experience with the fast-growing moving brand.

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story – what did you do before franchising?

Mackenzie Kilgariff: I started with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK as an intern my freshman year of college at Westchester University. I had originally gone into college with a criminal justice background and wanted to become a cop but soon realized that it wasn’t the right path for me. My uncle owned the Philadelphia TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location and recommended that I pursue the marketing internship to get career experience — and I never left. I stayed with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and moved into a sales position for two years during college as well. 

Brittany Ishman: I originally discovered TWO MEN AND A TRUCK when I was matched with a temporary position in their human resources department. I was covering for someone on maternity leave but when she returned, I was offered a permanent position and became a manager at the Home Office working in risk management and compliance. I helped build their human resources department and that’s where I saw how much fun the franchisees were having and thought that would be a great fit for me as well. I bought the rights for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK in Princeton five years ago and now co-own the Brunswick rights with Mackenzie as she begins her journey as a franchisee.

1851: Why did you pick franchising over starting your own business?

Ishman: Franchising is nice because of the tools and support. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has its blueprint laid out with training and offers top-notch support. I also own two other franchises in the beauty and wellness industry.

1851: When did you start looking for a franchise opportunity with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK? How long until you signed?

Kilgariff: ?I looked into the franchising opportunity when I looked into the Scholarship Program TWO MEN AND A TRUCK offers two years ago. I always knew I did want to own my own business and this felt like the perfect fit. 

1851: How did you perform your research? 

Kilgariff: ?A lot of it was internal knowledge that I had gained from TMT. I also learned a lot from Brittany. She was a great mentor and was not afraid to throw challenges my way. I also spoke with other franchisees and asked about their experiences. 

1851: What could have scared you away from the opportunity? ?

Kilgariff: Moving is a very tough industry. It’s long hours, unhappy customers, and intense regulations. It takes certain people to be in an industry like this just due to the nature of it. No day is ever the same, and sometimes that is scary but very rewarding.

1851: Why did you pick TWO MEN AND A TRUCK? What excited you most about the potential?

Kilgariff: I graduated from Westchester University in the midst of the pandemic and I was worried about what my next step would be, so I looked at the one thing that had been consistent in my life for four years - TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. I expressed an interest in becoming even more involved and everything seemed to fall into place from there. I began an operations management role before moving up to a general manager position. During my time with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, I saw that the franchise owners have a deep passion for the brand and for seeing others succeed. Franchisees aren’t only interested in their own success, but that of everyone else in the franchise system. That comradery is why I wanted to stay with the brand. In addition to that, I love how involved with the community TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is. We just completed a Toys for Tots campaign where we helped transport all of the toys.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK offers a scholarship program in which managers who have been in the position for at least a year have an opportunity to go back to TWO MEN AND A TRUCK school. It’s a year-long process —  every month I learned a new aspect of the business. It really helped me see the business from a new perspective. Instead of solely focusing on the day-to-day operations, I was also focused on the bigger picture. Throughout the process, I learned how to run the business as a franchisee and I was recently awarded a scholarship that covers 80% of the franchise fee. I will open my first location, with my co-owner and mentor Brittany Ishman, which covers Brunswick, New Jersey, this March. It will be New Jersey’s third TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location.

1851: What trends are you seeing in your local community? 

Kilgariff: We haven’t stopped since the pandemic started. We’ve completed over 4,100 moves since March 2020.

Ishman: In 2020, the Princeton location had one of the top sales revenue for the entire system. 

1851: What makes you stand out as a unique business owner in the local community? 

Kilgariff: ?We do a lot of community service, that I love to be a part of. I love driving the trucks in the parades and going out on moves that benefit my community. We give a lot of donations to our local shelters, free moves to people in need in the community, transport food donations to food banks, and so much more. I think a lot of people my age are so ready to get their phones out and show everyone what they are doing, but it's also about the person you are and the leader you have to be when no one is watching you. (Hope that makes sense) I like just knowing that I am doing the right thing for my community. 

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Kilgariff: I want to become the queen of moving in New Jersey. There’s so much opportunity for growth with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. More than half of the Garden State isn’t serviced by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and my goal is to change that. Brittany and I are two young women in a male-dominated field and we intend to shake it up. 

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Ishman: Do your research — owning a business is not an easy task so you need to be sure you love it. It’s also important to learn about your market and competitors and talk to other franchisees for advice.

Kilgariff: It’s also so important to make sure you take care of your employees.

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Kilgariff: Talking about TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. I’m so passionate about this brand. I also like to travel, whether it's hiking or going to the beach. 

Ishman: I have a son that’s about to be a year old so I love spending my time with him. 

ABOUT TWO MEN AND A TRUCK 

Headquartered in Michigan, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is the largest franchised moving company in North America. Currently, there are more than 380 locations and 3,000 trucks operating in 46 U.S. states in addition to Canada, Ireland and the UK. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has performed more than 8.5 million moves since its inception in 1985 and has seen consistent growth dating back to December 2009. In 2021, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked TWO MEN AND A TRUCK as one of the top 500 franchises in the U.S. for the 26th consecutive year. Franchise Business Review also named TWO MEN AND A TRUCK a 2021 Top 200 Franchise and Top Recession-Proof Franchise. As of August 2021, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has joined the ServiceMaster brand. ServiceMaster was founded as one of America’s first franchise businesses and does business under six brands today across 50 states and nine countries that generate more than $3.3B in system-wide sales: ServiceMaster Restore, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, AmeriSpec and Furniture Medic. 

For franchising opportunities, visit franchise.twomenandatruck.com.