This is what it is all about. A safe home move, satisfied customers and you have made some money.
Owning your own removal company and working for yourself sounds good. But what are the realities of doing so, and how do you even begin to get your venture off the ground?
Starting a furniture removal company is fairly inexpensive and requires no stock or product to purchase, so if your dream is to start a removal firm, it is a realistic dream.
Over 370,000 people moved home in the UK in 2017, the majority of whom hired the services of a Removal Company.
People will always move home for one reason or another and are willing to pay someone else to do the hard work for them.
So how do you start up a furniture removal company, and more importantly, a successful and profitable removal company?
Do you have what it takes?
Obviously, you will need to be physically fit, after all, people are going to be paying you to do the physical work for them.
And people skills will be vitally important, you will be in the company of stressed people in stressful situations day in, day out.
Will your home life allow you to be flexible in your working hours or days? If you intend to do UK wide home moves it may involve overnight stays and long working days.
Do you have the correct driving licence to allow you to drive a large van?
Who is going to hire you?
Sit down and work out who your customers are likely to be in terms of demographics or services they will be seeking.
If you live in a university town could you specialize in moving students, or is there an elderly demographic who are usually looking to downsize?
Take the time to look at your competitors’ websites and see the services they offer, is there a gap in the market you could fill?
Read all the reviews you can about other removal firms in your area. See what people like and dislike about the services they are receiving.
Will you offer local moves or nationwide moves? Labour only services? Packing and Labour? Storage?
Be clear about who your business will target, start small, think about specialising in certain types of moves, or moving specific items such as antiques or pianos if there is a market for such a service in your area.
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There are plenty of removal firms out there, why should yours succeed where others have failed? What is going to make you stand out from the crowd?
Finding a niche market or offering a service that nobody else does may be the edge you need to attract customers.
These days more and more people rate outstanding Customer Service as the number one consideration when purchasing or hiring. How will you differ from every other removal company out there?
Don’t think that low prices will be the be-all and end-all. Yes, the price is a consideration for most people, but you will be handling every possession they own in the world. They want to know you have the skills to complete the job safely with no damage to their goods (more about this later).
Have multiple lines of communication such as email, mobile, and landline. This shows you are accessible and gives the customer a sense of confidence.
The removal industry is steeped in tradition and not all companies are that quick to keep up with the latest technology. This is where you can have an edge. An online presence is essential, so you must have a smart website and be on social media. Identify your customers and see what medium they use to communicate, then tailor your online campaign to meet those customers’ needs.
What Equipment do you need to start a Removal Company?
Consider what services you what intend to offer and what equipment you will need to fulfill those services.
That depends on the services you intend to offer, but the initial outlay is not big and you can always easily rent the moving equipment from hire stores.
A labour only service means you will need:
Protective workwear such as gloves and steel toe capped footwear
A furniture dolly, sack truck or lifting straps for moving heavy furniture
Furniture blankets
If you offer a packing service you will need:
An assortment of quality moving boxes
Packing tape
Packing tape dispenser gun
Packing paper
Bubble wrap
Marker pens
Offer a full removal service and you will obviously need a van, which will be your biggest outlay. It is crucial to get the right van though. Ideally, it will need to be 3.5t or above. It must be reliable and presentable after all this will be a form of advertising for you, which brings us to the point of logo and name.
Ensure your van prominently displays your logo and contact details. Keep it smart and easily readable, there is no point having reams of information on the side of your van, but you want enough to entice any potential customers to your website or to call you.
Another piece of vital equipment will be a good quality, van specific Sat Nav. A car GPS will not warn you of low bridges or narrow lanes for example, whereas a lorry specific Sat Nav will.
Training and Certification
As mentioned earlier, your customers will want to be confident you can handle their possessions safely, that you are a professional removal company.
Consider attending a formal training course specifically for the removal industry. Often courses will cover every aspect of home moves including manual handling, packing skills, piano moving, and vehicle loading.
It will impress and reassure your customers when you present your training certificates when you are quoting for your jobs.
Removal Industry Associations
You will have limited opportunity to convince your customers that you are the right people to hire for their home move. Belonging to a removal industry association will reinforce to your customers your professionalism and ability to provide a quality home move.
There are two main removal industry associations in the UK, British Association of Removers (BAR) and National Guild of Removers and Storers.
As we mentioned earlier, outstanding customer service is essential. And a key element of your customer service should be to manage your online reputation.
The majority of people use reviews to help them when deciding what to purchase. The reviews of your services will sway the decision of most people looking to move home so they must be managed well.
You will not get every move perfect, that is a fact of life, and no matter what you do you cannot please everyone all the time. But it is crucial that you not only direct your customers to leave you reviews, preferably on a reputable removal review website, but that you respond to each and every review that is left for your business.
This demonstrates to customers that you value their custom, learn from their feedback and are willing to correct any mistakes you may have made. Crucially, it also gives you the ability to defend yourself from unfair reviews. Just always be polite and factual in your responses, ensuring you personalise each response.
To register your business on a reputable removal review website for free just click here.
You should pay particular attention to your logo and company name when starting a new business, ensuring that you do not infringe anybody else’s copyright.
Take into consideration how people will search for your removal company online. Create a company name that is not only recognisable but is associated easily with being in the home removal industry. It should also take into consideration how easily people will find you when they do an online search.
People will search for antique removal specialist or professional home packing services in Slough, for example, so your company name should reflect exactly what you do.
Also, ensure you register with google so that you come up on local business searches.
Growing Your Business By Getting Leads
Every day will offer you a new challenge.
So you are now a legitimate business, with a shiny van sat outside with your company logo emblazoned upon it, your website is up and running and you are ready to get to work.
It will take time to build a good reputation and for people to start contacting you directly. So how do you get off to a flying start?
Buying qualified leads from a reputable lead provider is an easy way to get the work rolling in.
You should select a lead provider who is well established and with a proven history of providing quality leads. And being able to control the number of leads you buy and that fit your business model is crucial.
Visit this website to see such an example of a quality lead provider and how easy it can be to start getting leads.
And having successfully helped those customers move home, be sure to provide them with the link to your review site so that they can leave you a great review.
Bonus Information: How to Sell Leads
If you have little or no sales experience the tips within this guide will be invaluable to you and will help you sell your services from the quotes you give.
Bonus Tip: Invest in good quality workwear that has your logo on it. It is fairly inexpensive, portrays the professional image you want people to see and is another form of advertising. Turning up at a customer in dirty jeans and an old t-shirt will not inspire confidence in your company.
You will also find a wealth of information about moving home in our home moving blog which you may find useful.
We would love to hear your success stories, and if you have any more advice or tips for people looking to start their own removal firm, why not leave a comment below.
*At RemovalReviews we will connect you with a professional moving company. Please note that we may not be affiliated with
and you may be speaking with another licensed provider.
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