In a  recent episode of "Franchisor Hot Seat,"   Nick Powills , founder and publisher of 1851 Franchise, interviewed  Tiam Behdarvandan , founder of  Let's Get Moving . Behdarvandan shared his journey into franchising, which he described as an "accidental" entry sparked by his experience working part-time in the moving industry while studying business. Recognizing the resilience and profitability of the moving business, Behdarvandan said, "I think we don’t choose what we’re good at. That’s number one. I think it chooses us, and [Let’s Get] Moving chose me." This realization, combined with mentorship and years of hard work, led him to grow the brand to nine corporate locations and approximately 65-70 franchise units across the U.S. and Canada. Behdarvandan emphasized the importance of mentorship, community-building and the scalable support Let's Get Moving provides to franchisees. The business handles marketing, sales and back end operations, allowing franchisees to focus on running their territories. Many franchisees see significant growth within their first year, with some expanding to multiple locations. Discussing the brand's unique culture and focus on customer experience, Behdarvandan highlighted Let’s Get Moving’s comprehensive training program, which ensures high-quality service: "We protect floors with runners, do walkthroughs, protect belongings and give extra care to important items." Looking ahead, Behdarvandan’s vision extends beyond financial success. He aims to foster a community of leaders who grow personally and professionally within the franchise system. "It’s not just about making money. It’s about growing as individuals and leaders for their businesses and families," he said. This commitment to culture and excellence continues to drive Let's Get Moving's expansion and impact. A transcript of Powills’ interview with Behdarvandan has been provided below. It has been edited for clarity, brevity and style. Nick Powills: Let's Get Moving. It's the Franchisor Hot Seat, coming up next. All right. I'm looking forward to this because, first of all, where there's a story, there's a conversation. But let's start with the accidental franchise story. How did you accidentally fall into franchising? Tiam Behdarvandan: Well, Nick, thanks for having me here. This is Tiam with Let's Get Moving. I think we don’t choose what we’re good at. That’s number one. I think it chooses us, and Moving chose me. I was working as a part-time employee while studying business, and I started managing for them a little bit and saw the back end. I realized Moving was definitely a gem. It generates a lot of money, it’s a powerful business and it can withstand recessions — good times, bad times. That’s what really made me get into it — learning the back end and seeing how everything is done. I just wanted to do it the right way, the proper way. We opened many locations after the business hardship. It’s not easy to start a brand, to get everything going on your own. Initially, it was really tough getting lots of jobs — getting any jobs was tough. Slowly, I started to learn about the business and online strategies. I started to crack the codes a little bit. What really helped me was definitely mentorship. I've spoken about this all the time. I’ve had a really good mentor,  Louis Massaro . He helped a lot of moving companies, and he really changed my life. I was working with him privately, and we actually grew our business to about five corporate locations in different parts of Canada. We started to work with my mentor on what our next steps were. We started to reverse-engineer the next five-to-ten years. Everything I spoke about with him led to franchising. This is obviously what I wanted to do. I wanted to build a community, grow the brand and help people start a business. It’s been very rewarding because, as an individual, you don’t have that much power in the world. With this business, I’m able to make an impact in people’s lives. It really means a lot to me to be able to see the good side of making a difference in someone’s life. That really is the biggest part that I resonate with. That’s why I really love franchising. I’m able to build a community and help these people get to a better place using the name Let’s Get Moving. This is why I love Let’s Get Moving and what it’s become — because it allows me to help other people. I don’t think I would have been able to do anything as an individual, but with this business, it allows me to do a lot. Powills: How many locations do you have now? Behdarvandan: Right now, I run nine corporate locations of my own in the U.S. and Canada — about 70 to 75 trucks or so. We have about 65 to 70 franchise locations that are also in Canada and the U.S. that are running their own businesses. We do all the back-end work for them, like the marketing and sales. We actually book jobs with deposits for the franchisees. All they need to do is have the truck, hire movers, go out there, complete the job and collect the payment. That’s all their responsibility. We manage the websites and everything. Powills: I want to break something down from what I hear. You go into business, and you said it wasn’t easy. You start grinding, trying to find jobs and then you start cracking the code and figuring out how to engineer this. Because you’re looking around and seeking mentorship, you start figuring out scale. You go from one location to five and continue to scale as the corporate entity. When I hear your blueprint, it sounds like the blueprint you’re trying to tell other people: You’re going to get into this business. It’s not going to be easy. Obviously, you’ve built all the back-end support, which makes it a lot easier, but you’ve built this infrastructure. You’re going to grind. You should have the scaling mindset to get involved here. Now, if we take your story as the avatar, are you seeing that franchisees are following a very similar path? They don’t have to grind as hard as you did because you were building a brand, but are you seeing them scale and change wealth projections for their families? Behdarvandan: Absolutely. I definitely see that. A lot of our locations, within their first 12 months, are getting to three to four trucks. That’s obviously huge growth within 12 months. There are moving companies out there that have been around for six or seven years that haven’t been able to get to two or three trucks. It all depends on marketing — the right marketing and sales that we have developed over the last 15 years. There’s definitely a big possibility to grow and scale this business. Franchisees can even expand to additional locations, buy additional territories and run two or three businesses at the same time. Powills: Do you have franchisees who are now hitting two, three or four locations? Behdarvandan: I have a couple of franchisees who have more than one location, I think a maximum of two or three. A lot of times, they just buy a territory next to theirs and expand that way. Powills: Do you get to a moment where you want to wake them up and say, “Don’t get stuck — whether that’s at the two- or three-unit mark — continue to press down. If you get too comfortable in a lifestyle, you’re going to miss out on a big opportunity”? Behdarvandan: This is huge. When we initially talk to people — especially at franchise shows or when we get a hot lead — the most important thing to us is having that mindset. This is a business where if we keep doing the back-end work and you keep growing — getting more trucks and movers — that’s how we grow side-by-side. I cannot do it without them. This is a partnership, and they have to have that growth mindset. It’s really important to us, so we always talk about that in our initial conversations. We’re looking for people with the right mindset, especially in bigger cities with huge potential that require 10 to 15 trucks and can generate $5 to $10 million a year. We need to choose the right partners who have the capital and mindset to grow to the full potential. It’s very important. We have very limited locations, so we need to ensure they’re given to the right people. Powills: Out of curiosity, during Discovery Day, do you make them work a truck? Behdarvandan: Absolutely. When we do training, there’s a seven-day program where they go through every department with our managers. They get trained on everything. Even though we do the back-end work, we still want them to know what we’re doing step-by-step so they feel comfortable and confident. This way, they can focus on their aspect of the business and not worry about whether we’re doing our part. We bring them to our office and show them everything step-by-step. They go on jobs and drive the truck. We take them to downtown Toronto and always take a picture with the CN Tower. It’s a ritual. Powills: Before they sign the franchise agreement, do you test them out with that? Behdarvandan: Not really. It’s not their aspect to know how to do the moving. They need to be the boss and the owner. Powills: Here’s why I say it. I’ll give you two examples. One is, in our office, I’d crumble up a piece of paper, put it on the floor and start putting $20 bills underneath them. Once they figured it out, all I wanted to see was if they had the mentality of “it’s not my job.” If they have that mentality, it doesn’t mean they have to do it. I’m not expecting them to take out the trash, but I am expecting them to be part of our community. Secondly, I have a client who runs a breakfast brand,  Biscuit Belly . Their discovery process involves dinner and drinks the night before, which is a great way to test how people behave in social settings. The next day, they work in the restaurant for a morning. The expectation isn’t that they’ll work in the restaurant every day, but that if something goes wrong, they’re willing to do it. When I hear your story, all I hear is grit and perseverance. It’s hard because sometimes it puts a governor on the franchisee. If this were part of the Discovery Day — packing up a truck — you’d quickly see who’s willing and who’s not. Behdarvandan: I hear you for sure. Some of our franchisees might not be able to physically do the job, especially older ones. That’s why it’s not mandatory. But a lot of our franchisees used to own moving companies. About 50-60% of our franchisees already have trucks and knowledge of the business. They just haven’t cracked the code. Those are the perfect partners for us. Powills: You’re solving their headache. Most small business operators — and many franchisees — come from careers in sales or other fields. They’re experts at one thing, but suddenly they need to master HR, marketing, supply chain and scheduling. That’s overwhelming. What you’ve done is take mom-and-pop moving companies that know the fundamentals and give them the tools to grow. Behdarvandan: Exactly. Many of them have great reviews but struggle to get more customers. That’s where we come in. Powills: Let’s shift to the brand. Moving people’s possessions is intimate and sensitive. How do you stand out? What’s your point of differentiation? Behdarvandan: As a brand, we need to do everything right. To beat the competition and make a difference, our customer service, reviews and overall experience need to be on point. It’s important to paint the right image when explaining our services so customers know what to expect. We protect floors with runners, do walkthroughs, protect belongings and give extra care to important items. When things go wrong — and they will — we’re there for the customer to fix the experience. Retaining a customer is far cheaper than losing them to a bad review. It all starts with training. We spent three and a half years building a training program with a professional company that creates systems for moving companies. We trained movers, drivers and office staff on their responsibilities, step-by-step. The program includes quizzes after each topic to ensure understanding. This helps us maintain quality across the board. Powills: What’s the investment to get in, and what does Item 19 say? Behdarvandan: Right now, the cost isn’t much. We manage everything on the back end. All you need is one truck, a couple of movers, a small office, and materials like blankets and dollies. We help you find trucks, offices, and movers, and assist with hiring and training. You need about $100,000 to $120,000 to start, including a $40,000 franchise fee. Territories vary — regular ones cost $30,000 and larger ones are $40,000. Powills: Do you make an earnings claim in Item 19? Behdarvandan: Not right now. Our new FDD [Franchise Disclosure Document] is being produced. Interested buyers can contact franchisees to gain insights. Powills: What’s your vision for the business? Behdarvandan: My vision goes beyond money. Twice a year, we attend seminars with 500 to 600 moving companies to network and learn from amazing speakers. I encourage franchisees to join, and we build a community by learning and spending time together. Last time, we had over 20 franchisees from all over — Canada, L.A., New York — spending three days together. We want to better people in every way. It’s not just about making money. It’s about growing as individuals and leaders for their businesses and families. That’s the culture we’re building at Let’s Get Moving. Powills: What a cool statement. You’re elevating culture and supporting franchisees. You’ve built a solid infrastructure for scaling, and it’s clear you’re building it the right way. Tiam, I’m grateful for our conversation. I look forward to seeing where the story goes. Behdarvandan: Thank you so much, Nick. Powills: For Tiam, I’m Nick. That’s another Franchisor Hot Seat. Watch the entire interview above or on  YouTube . For more interviews with those influencing the franchise industry, check out these stories on 1851 Franchise: Jeff Brazier Drives Kiddie Academy’s Growth with Strategic Leadership and Franchisee Support VP Shelly Pair Shares How Children’s Lighthouse Sets Itself Apart with Hands-On Franchisee Support Phoenix Franchise Brands VP Kevin Longe Share His Journey from Corporate America to Multi-Brand Franchisor How the CEO of Hot Palette America Found His Passion in Franchising and Built a Consulting Empire