Most people know how good they have it by being born in or immigrating to America. One of the biggest perks is America’s thriving capitalistic society. Anyone with a business idea and adequate financing can start their own business.
Starting a moving business in a small town, for example, can be incredibly lucrative, especially if there aren’t many competitors. However, if you want your new business to be successful, there are a few steps you need to take.
We’re here to help. Keep reading for a short and simple guide for starting a moving company in your small town.
Research the Local Market
First, you need to educate yourself on the local moving market. How many other moving businesses are there in town? Who are your biggest competitors?
Additionally, you need to research:
- Your startup costs
- Marketing strategies
- Your target market
- Business regulations and necessary credentials
- Financial projections
- And more
The more you know about the moving industry, the more prepared you’ll be for success.
Create a Business Plan
Using your market analysis, you need to create a business plan for your moving business. Your moving company plan needs to outline how your business will operate and how you intend to make it successful. Banks and investors will use your business plan to determine whether or not they want to lend you money.
The plan should include:
- Your business overview
- Your market analysis
- Your products and services
- Your management and employee structure
- Your marketing strategies
- Your financial projects
If you’ve never written a business plan before, we suggest using a guide.
Get Funded
Your next step in starting your small moving business is to apply for the financing you need to get it off the ground. We recommend starting with your bank and applying for a small business loan.
However, if you can’t get approved, you have other options. You can try to bootstrap your own business (using personal finances, savings, credit cards, etc.). You can also reach out to other investors, such as friends, family, private investors, angel investors, and crowdfunding groups.
Take Care of the Logistics
Once you get financed, you need to address your moving company requirements. First, you need to get a business license and insurance. Depending on the size of vehicles your company uses, you may also need to look into a commercial driver’s license.
Lastly, use your funding to procure the equipment you need to move your customers’ belongings from one home to the next.
Start Marketing Your Moving Business
Finally, let’s talk about how to market your moving business. Even in a small town, it’s important to invest in digital marketing. Your first step should be to create an amazing, user-friendly website. Then:
- Develop an SEO strategy to drive local traffic to your website
- Get on social media to reach out to people in your community
- Use content marketing to establish credibility in your brand
- Invest in PPC and SEM marketing services to increase your online visibility
- And more
It’s also a good idea to team up with a home listing service to get up-to-date leads on homeowners looking to sell their homes. You can use creative direct mail ideas to send promotions for your business to people who have recently listed their homes. This is a primed market as they will certainly be moving in the near future.
Need Help With Your Website or Digital Marketing?
If you’re planning on starting a moving company, we’re incredibly excited for you. As long as you’ve done your homework and have a solid business plan in place, there’s no reason your moving business can’t be wildly successful.
And if you need more help getting started, we’re here for you. Our blog is full of informative articles created to help entrepreneurs perfect their websites and improve their digital marketing success.