Largest Moving Franchise TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Continues to Evolve Business Model to Encourage Current Franchisees to Expand and New Franchisees to Join

With more than 380 locations across 44 states, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the largest moving franchise business in the country. The brand is not done growing — both in internal evolution as well as finding ways to add more of the right franchise partners to the system to build upon the more than 7.5 million moves since its inception in 1985.

“At TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, we want to make sure prospective franchisees align with our core purpose of moving people forward,” said Pamela Batten, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® compliance director.

What has kept the company so strong over the years are some key differentiators that set it apart as a franchise. Here are six reasons TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is a great franchise opportunity.

EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS: Proprietary technology that moves the moving industry forward

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchisees and employees benefit greatly from the brand’s proprietary scheduling software, Movers Who Care® 2, which is continuously developed and updated.

The technology simplifies the entire sales process for franchise owners and employees, automating much of the communication throughout the sales journey. It has also helped the brand move to paperless transactions.

“The beauty of our technology is that while it has greatly improved our operations, it isn’t done. Our technology will continue to evolve based on the ever-changing needs of our customers and franchisees,” Batten said. “As a company, we’re also working on digital sales orders and going paperless. For example, we now have an option that allows movers to take payments while out in the field.”

Batten noted that many franchisees are also opting to use tablets and electronic logbooks, which can come in handy for both movers and customers who are exhausted after a long day of moving.

“Technology enhances what we do, but it’s not going to take the place of actual movers anytime soon,” Batten said. “Plus, the moving industry continues to grow. It’s one of those things that’s not going to go away, and we still have plenty of opportunities for expansion.”

CENTRALIZED CONSULTING TEAMS OF NEARLY 50: Streamlining franchise business solutions designed to win for franchisees

The moving brand has four centralized support teams of nearly 50 employees built of subject matter experts in sales, marketing, recruiting, accounting, operations and risk and safety. The centralized support team works directly with franchisees to help them make sure they are maximizing their resources.

“Many franchisees, across many systems, struggle with local store marketing, operations and recruiting, not because they won’t do it, but because there isn’t a great plan created for them. We eliminated this pain point by building an amazing team who streamline the process for our franchise owners,” Batten said.

MAKING A LOCAL DIFFERENCE: Year-round community service initiatives

Prospective franchisees want to align themselves with a brand that has a high philanthropic footprint need look no further. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® has built that, establishing itself under the charitable foundation of “Movers Who Care®”.

For franchise owners, the brand has built continuous programs to drive philanthropic efforts: Movers for Moms®, Movers for Military®, Movers for Meals®, Movers for Mutts® and Truckload of Warmth®. The brand is also involved in other charitable efforts, such as Cheeriodicals and Convoy of Hope. This huge focus on philanthropy attracts the kinds of prospective franchisees the brand wants to add to its system.

“Our founder, Mary Ellen Sheets, created this company with the vision that it would always be present in and give back to the community,” Batten said. “In addition to taking advantage of brand-wide community efforts, our franchisees can also partner with the local charities of their choice.”

MORE THAN 200 HOME OFFICE EMPLOYEES PROVIDING FRANCHISEE SUPPORT: Helping franchisees open their doors, grow, find success, and stay satisfied

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® has built a support model that revolves around the franchisee. Support isn’t just created by the franchisor, it is also built from the collective voice of the franchisee. This two-way collaboration has helped the brand continue to grow.

The brand maintains a Team Advisory Board, which consists of franchisees who are elected to the position by their fellow franchisees.

“The TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® leadership team has monthly calls with the Team Advisory Board and we discuss a range of things,” Batten said. “We want to make sure we’re getting input along the way and that we’re all going in the same direction.”

The efforts have paid off. Batten noted that 90% of the brand’s expansion happens through existing franchisees. 

“Our franchisees are reinvesting because they see the value in the brand and in our company,” Batten said.

SCALABLE BUSINESS MODEL: Different levels of investments open the franchise opportunity to more people

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® offers two franchise business models: the mini-market model and the standard model.

The mini-market model is a smaller investment based on population size. A mini-market is for markets with anywhere from 100,000 people to 250,000 people. A standard market is 450,000 to 600,000. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® currently has five mini markets and will have a sixth one in 2020.

“Mini-markets allow for a wider pool of prospective franchisee applicants who can, in turn, provide services to a wider range of customers,” Batten said. “This model also creates scalability for both current and future franchise owners. For future franchise owners, it creates an investment model that includes a wider range of financial qualified future franchise owners.”

THE INTERSECTION OF PEOPLE AND CUSTOMERS: A simple business concept that relies on in-person customer service

Ultimately, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® offers a simple business model that focuses on moving.

“Moving, in general, is not a difficult concept,” Batten said. “You have to learn regulations. Some states have specific tariffs but, in general, it’s simply about moving from Point A to Point B. But, for someone to operate a moving business without a proven model would be tough. We have spent years operationalizing a business focused on moving one of the most intimate pieces of a customer’s life.”

With an unwavering commitment to franchisee well-being, extensive internal resources and dedication to philanthropic efforts at the local and national levels, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® will continue to pave the way in 2020.