Two Men and a Truck

MARYLAND

Source: Two Men and a Truck

Joey Hale was a mover and driver for this franchise before buying his own in 1999. Now he owns six, collectively earning $6M a year.

Description: Home and business moving and packing service

Owner: Joey Hale

Years in business: 17

No. of franchises owned: 6

Start-up costs: $178,000 to $550,000; $350,000 net worth; $150,000 liquid assets

Franchisor fees: $50,000; 6% royalty on revenues

2015 revenue, 2016 projection: $6 million; $7.8 million

2016 projected annual growth rate: 30%

Joey Hale was a mover and driver for Two Men and a Truck, the home and business moving and packing service, before he was ever a franchise owner. That's why he likes to say he knows the business from the ground up. In 1998, he was working for his father-in-law, who owned the Two Men and a Truck franchise in Knoxville, Tennessee. "I liked the hard work of it," he says. "There were different people every day, and I was good at it."

As his father-in-law began to phase out of the business, Hale took on increasing responsibilities for running the company, until in 1999 he bought the franchise outright from his father-in-law. Since then, he's expanded the business and now owns six franchises in three states — Maryland, California and Tennessee. In Maryland he has 16 employees and six moving trucks.

Additional franchisee resources

Hale says the most notable difference between Two Men and a Truck and other moving companies is the service. "Most other movers use day labor or part-time people," he says. "Our employees are full-time and are trained well so you can feel confident about who you're letting into your home." The company has more than 300 franchises and 2,100 trucks in the U.S.

Hale says his biggest challenges are the compliance regulations for healthcare and worker safety that cost him time and money. "It's tough as a small business owner to navigate these ever-changing rules," he adds. "But being part of a franchise with a recognizable name and a proven system helps to minimize some of the risk." Hale says if he needs help with training, accounting, marketing or any other business issue, there are more than 100 subject matter experts at the company's corporate office that he can speak with at any time. "I'm probably not the best when it comes to marketing my business, but when I need help, I know it's there," he adds.