Introduction
At some point, an owner has to ask themselves: are we still just a moving company, or are we becoming something much bigger?
While many businesses restrict themselves to residential household goods, the industry’s best operators are installing furniture, handling technology decommissioning, managing corporate assets, and running final-mile logistics. In this episode of Movified Mondays, host Mark Hirschi sits down with Jason Spaller, Vice President of Browning Moving & Storage. With 30 years of experience, Jason shares how his company evolved from a simple “butts and trucks” mindset into a multi-branch commercial logistics powerhouse by intentionally abandoning the standard moving company playbook.
Key Takeaways
What You’ll Learn:
- Why applying a household moving mentality to a commercial project is the fastest way to ruin your reputation.
- The five essential pieces of equipment and personnel required to launch a successful commercial division.
- Why investing in an inventory warehouse system yields higher profit margins than avoiding the upfront cost.
- The value of treating crews as independent contractors to foster a partner mentality.
Table of Contents
- Changing the “Butts and Trucks” Mindset
- The Partner Mentality: From Employee to Contractor
- The 5 Essentials for Commercial Moving
- Finding the Right Commercial Networks
- Why Movified Preserves These Industry Stories
- Conclusion
Changing the "Butts and Trucks" Mindset
For many years, Browning operated with a traditional moving mentality—focusing purely on labour and trucks.
As the company grew into a three-branch operation, Jason realized that taking on massive commercial volume while maintaining the status quo of outdated systems was causing major inefficiencies. The defining turning point occurred when Browning stopped looking at themselves as just a “moving pop company” and began investing in the infrastructure required to scale.
Although investing in new warehouse management software and adding full-time billing personnel initially felt risky, the increased operational efficiency resulted in significantly better profit retention.
The Partner Mentality: From Employee to Contractor
To improve culture and operational accountability, Browning transitioned a majority of its employee-based crews into contract-based partners.
By encouraging a crew leader to purchase their own truck and operate as a small business, Browning gave them actual “skin in the game”. Jason notes that this structural change completely altered the dispatch window’s vibe; instead of managing unmotivated employees, dispatchers now coordinate with driven contractors who share a positive, “let’s get it” partner mentality.
The 5 Essentials for Commercial Moving
The biggest mistake residential movers make when chasing commercial work is acting like a household mover. Arriving at an office relocation with only standard two-wheel dollies will immediately expose a company’s lack of preparation to the client.
Jason outlines five non-negotiables for commercial success:
- Honest conversations about operational inefficiencies, such as bloated warehouse labor costs.
- Proven, highly tactical strategies from industry veterans like Jason Spaller.
- Lessons earned through real-world trial and error, ensuring the next generation of movers does not have to learn everything the hard way.
Conclusion
To survive in the modern moving industry, companies must evolve beyond the basic household move. By treating crews as dedicated partners, investing in specialized commercial equipment, and abandoning outdated manual systems for advanced warehouse software, owners can unlock higher margins and entirely new revenue streams. Excellence requires the patience to build proper infrastructure and the humility to realize that what got a moving company to its first million will not be what takes it to its next ten.
- A Dedicated Project Manager (PM): You need an adaptable PM on the ground who can problem-solve beyond basic furniture moving.
- Professional Installers: Commercial moves require personnel trained to disassemble and reassemble complex cubicles and flat-packed model home furniture.
- Specialized Equipment: Moving beyond standard speed packs, a company must invest in electronic lifts, safe dollies, skates, and potentially even heavy machinery like telehandlers and forklift booms for industrial projects.
- Coordination Leadership: A dedicated coordination team ensures seamless flow from the initial sales call to final billing.
- A Purely Commercial Team: Browning utilizes a dedicated team of about eight professionals who only think commercial, fully separating them from the household goods mentality.
