Introduction
In an industry often associated with brute force, establishing a distinct brand requires looking beyond standard operational metrics. Far too many owners attempt to grow through generic marketing and transactional sales, only to get stuck at the small-business ceiling. True growth requires infusing the business with unique past experiences and defining strict, respectable roles within leadership—especially when that leadership is a husband-and-wife team.
In this episode of Movified Wednesdays, recorded live at the Moving Legends Retreat in Orlando, Florida, hosts Mark Hirschi and Steven Reed sit down with Devin Clayton (Owner) and Carolina Clayton (CMO) of Liberty Moves Orlando. Devon and Carolina break down their powerful journey from the medical field and stay-at-home motherhood to commanding a three-truck operation in Orlando. They discuss the power of applying medical empathy to reduce customer anxiety, the brutal reality of navigating husband-and-wife partnership dynamics, and how Carolina transformed the business in just one year by stepping into the role of Chief Marketing Officer.
Key Takeaways
What You'll Learn:
- How Devin translated 15 years of medical bedside manner into a customized sales approach that prioritizes educating nervous clients.
- The severe challenges of launching a moving company in June 2020 with a newborn and a four-year-old, and why Devin spent the first 1.5 years on the truck.
- The precise moment Carolina decided to stop critiquing Devin’s management and pivot her biology degree toward becoming a force in local relationship marketing.
- How Liberty Moves Orlando utilizes Virtual Assistants through ReadyRolls.com to handle accounting, administrative tasks, and Google Sheets organization.
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Strategies for successfully engaging with the Chamber of Commerce and commercial groups like GOBA (Greater Orlando Business Association) to secure high-end long-term contracts.
Table of Contents
- Bedside Manner in Moving: Translating Medical Sales to Sales
- The 2020 Transition: From Stagnation to the Truck
- The Husband-and-Wife Bottleneck
- Redefining Roles: Carolina Steps into CMO
- The Future: Orlando Dominance and High-End Contracts
- Why Movified Preserves These Industry Stories
- Conclusion
Bedside Manner in Moving: Translating Medical Sales to Sales
Devin spent 15 years in the medical field, specializing in sleep medicine. While monitoring patients overnight, he noticed a critical gap in care: his coworkers would execute procedures silently, leaving patients confused and anxious. Devin chose a different path, focusing heavily on patient education and transparent communication.
When he transitioned into the moving industry, he recognized that customer anxiety was the primary pain point. Most moving companies focus entirely on the physical move, neglecting to explain what is happening and why. Devin applied his “bedside manner” to his sales process, developing a customized approach that focuses entirely on education. By transparently detailing what Liberty Moves is, what they aren’t, and why they use specific packing materials (like mattress bags), Devin successfully “nips the nerves in the bud”. He saw his grandmother in many of his senior patients and now sees that same need for tender, nurturing relationship-building in his senior moving clients, multiple of whom have written him letters thanking him for his patience.
The 2020 Transition: From Stagnation to the Truck
Devin left the medical field when it became stagnant due to automation, home sleep tests, and crushing Medicare scrutinized insurance crackdowns. He wanted to “eat what he killed”.
Despite the uncertainty of COVID-19 shutting everything down in March 2020, Liberty Moves officially incorporated in June 2020. The initial transition was incredibly scary, particularly for Carolina, who valued the nine-to-five security she grew up with and was pregnant with their second child. For the first year and a half, Devin was on the truck, often gone for 13 hours a day with no operational consistency. This chaos was a massive cultural shock, as the physical labor force in Orlando possessed a vastly different work ethic and sense of accountability than what Devin was used to in the medical field.
The Husband-and-Wife Bottleneck
The first few years of Liberty Moves were fueled by competition. Exhausted by sleep deprivation, breastfeeding, and caring for a four-year-old, Carolina felt isolated. Devin, on the truck, was physically destroyed daily.
This created a “who works harder” battleground. Carolina would watch Devin’s operations from the outside, constantly offering opinions on what he needed to do better, which Devin resented as an “insider” who was actually executing the work. As both leaders were educated and headstrong, the business suffered from a bottleneck. Devin was stubbornly attempting to execute sales, administrative tasks, and dispatch on his own, and the lack of respectful communication about their respective roles stunted the company’s vision.
Redefining Roles: Carolina Steps into CMO
The turning point occurred a year ago when the couple defined their precise operational lanes. Carolina accepted her role and decided to pivot her biology degree toward becoming the Chief Marketing Officer.
Devin thrives in the one-on-one, detail-oriented environment of sales. Carolina thrives as a connector. In just 12 months, she went from a “sideline” stay-at-home mother to a dominant force in relationship marketing. She overcame her anxiety to actively engage with the Chamber of Commerce, quickly becoming the key connector who is now introduced to Seminole County Sheriffs, Undersheriffs, and judges. By respecting each other’s roles and distinct skill sets, the company’s internal tension evaporated, allowing them to focus entirely on growth.
The Future: Orlando Dominance and High-End Contracts
With their roles defined and Devin now off the truck, Liberty Moves has expanded its infrastructure. They have implemented a Virtual Assistant (VA) model through ReadyRolls.com, employing a GM named Richard. VAs handle administrative tasks, organizing emails, managing Google Sheets, and communicating with the crew, freeing Devin up to focus on sales and strategy.
The future vision for Liberty Moves is hometown dominance. Carolina is moving beyond just the Chamber, targeting specialized groups like GOBA (Greater Orlando Business Association). This commercial group—comprising builders, flooring installers, stair designers, and decorators—provides a direct pipeline to high-end moving contracts. Devin’s focus is clear: to continue utilizing transparent, medical-grade empathy to acquire the right clients and secure Liberty Moves as the undeniable choice for the older, senior generation in Central Florida.
Why Movified Preserves These Industry Stories
Movified exists to document the knowledge that standard business textbooks miss.
Hosted by Mark Hirschi, the show dives deep into the tools, technologies, and realities of running a modern moving business. Movified’s value lies in:
- Honest conversations about the brutal difficulty of running a small business as a husband-and-wife team, and the powerful role defined lanes and respectful communication play in breaking through stagnation.
- Proven, highly tactical strategies for utilizing past career empathy—such as translating medical bedside manner into customer communication—as a competitive advantage to reduce customer anxiety and increase conversion rates.
- Lessons earned through real-world execution, ensuring the next generation of movers understands the vital importance of Virtual Assistants and relationship marketing (rather than just generic SEO) to secure high-value commercial contracts and scale their business in a competitive market.
Conclusion
If your small business continues to require you to handle every transactional task, you are not scaling; you are stacking pressure. Devin and Carolina Clayton proved that true scale requires total role definition, relentless respect, and the courage to apply past career lessons—such as medical precision and total customer education—to a non-transparent industry. By outsourcing operational burdens to VAs and leveraging localized relationship marketing to dominate the Chamber and high-end commercial groups, they stop competing on price and start dominating on service.
