Introduction
Running a moving company is no small feat. Owners often wrestle with a critical decision: When should I hire a General Manager (GM), an Operations Manager, or an Office Manager? This episode of Movified Wednesdays, hosted by Mark Hirschi with guests Steven Reed (Ready Rolls, Big League Moving) and Brian Slater (New City Moving), dives into this very issue.
For moving company owners and franchisees looking to scale without burning out, this discussion offers practical strategies, real stories, and proven frameworks for deciding where to invest your time and money. If you’ve ever wondered whether to prioritize fleet expansion, office support, or leadership hires, this article will help you find clarity.
Key Takeaways
What You’ll Learn:
- Owners must first master and document their systems before expecting managers to run them.
- An Office Manager is often the first pivotal hire that protects your time and organizes operations.
- Overpromoting friends or hiring prematurely can lead to costly burnout and turnover.
- The balance between trucks, marketing, and leadership hires depends on your growth stage and resources.
Table of Contents
- The Chicken or the Egg: Trucks, Sales, or People?
- Why Office Managers Are the Secret Weapon
- Hiring a General Manager: When Is the Right Time?
- Operations Managers: The Glorified Babysitters of the Industry
- Building Systems Before Scaling People
- Lessons from Burnout and Balance
- Managing Claims and Dispatch Without Losing Control
- Why Choose Movified
- Conclusion
The Chicken or the Egg: Trucks, Sales, or People?
One of the biggest dilemmas for new moving company owners is deciding what to prioritize first: trucks, sales, or staffing. Some owners invest heavily in brand-new fleets before the sales are even coming in, while others bootstrap with used trucks, reinvesting as cash flow grows.
Mark Hirschi explains: owners often also rush to hire sales teams or virtual assistants without a clear role defined. This “cart before the horse” approach causes inefficiency and waste.
Brian Slater shared his perspective: every dollar at the start is like gasoline. Burn it on unnecessary hires or oversized leases, and you’ll run out of fuel before gaining traction.
Why Office Managers Are the Secret Weapon
Both Steven and Brian agreed: the first truly game-changing hire in their businesses was an Office Manager.
Steven shared how Lindsay and later Kelsey, his early office managers, became his right hand — guarding his schedule, organizing chaos, and protecting him from distractions. Brian echoed the same with Samantha, who handled payroll, claims, and office operations at New City Moving.
“I’m not where I am without the women in the background who push me and fill my gaps.” — Steven Reed
This hire often pays for itself by preventing theft, closing jobs faster, and freeing the owner to focus on vision.
Hiring a General Manager: When Is the Right Time?
Most owners dream of handing off the reins to a GM, but both Steven and Brian stressed caution. For both, it didn’t happen until year 14–15.
Why so late? Because as owners, they were still the true GMs early on — setting up systems, training staff, and running departments. Handing that power too early often leads to mismanagement.
Brian’s advice: “Early dollars are like gasoline. Don’t burn them on roles you don’t truly need yet.”
Steven added that until your systems have no holes, you can’t expect someone else to manage them. Owners should think of themselves as the GM until the business is running at scale with multiple departments.
Operations Managers: The Glorified Babysitters of the Industry
Dispatch is the heart of a moving company — and often the most chaotic. Both guests joked that Ops Managers are “glorified babysitters” managing grown men with endless excuses.
Mark added: “You’ll hear everything from sick calls to last-minute no-shows, and then they still show up on payday.”
The lesson? Hiring an Ops Manager too early without documented SOPs can lead to burnout. Owners should expect turnover unless they’ve first mastered and delegated their own playbook.
Building Systems Before Scaling People
Both Steven and Brian emphasized that systems come before people.
Steven developed a master list of every moving company task by department, and Brian adopted tools like Todoist to create daily, weekly, and monthly checklists. These systems ensure consistency and prevent dependency on one “Jeffrey” in the company who holds all the knowledge.
Brian referenced The Checklist Manifesto as inspiration: “If surgeons can use checklists to save lives, movers can use them to run better operations.”
Lessons from Burnout and Balance
All three shared candid stories about burnout. Brian admitted working 10+ years without vacations. Steven confessed he overpromoted friends beyond readiness, burning them out. Mark shared how early dating with his wife involved abandoning dinners to cover truck shifts.
The turning point? Family and balance. Brian hit pause after kids were born; Steven restructured with VAs when his wife became ill; Mark realized he had to prioritize time to keep his marriage strong.
Managing Claims and Dispatch Without Losing Control
As companies scale, claims management and dispatching become critical functions. Steven explained how early mistakes in promoting unprepared staff cost him valuable employees. Brian highlighted how a dedicated claims person can pay for themselves many times over — not just by reducing payouts, but by handling issues efficiently and keeping clients happy.
Owners should resist the urge to centralize every problem. Instead, build checklists and workflows so office managers and operations staff can handle claims, HR, and scheduling independently. This protects the owner from micromanagement and ensures continuity when staff inevitably turn over.
Why Choose Movified
Movified gives you insider access to real movers sharing real stories. Hosted by Mark Hirschi, owner of Salmon’s Moving & Storage (since 1913), every episode uncovers lessons from operators across North America.
Whether you’re a startup mover or a $10M+ operator, Movified connects you with peers who’ve already solved the problems you’re facing.
Conclusion
Scaling a moving company isn’t about choosing between a GM, Ops Manager, or Office Manager too early. It’s about building systems, making the right first hires, and protecting your time as the owner. The office manager often proves to be the unsung hero before bigger leadership roles make sense.
Take action today: document your systems, hire the right support at the right time, and listen to peers who’ve done it before you.
“True entrepreneurs have a DNA that keeps them obsessed — but balance and systems are what sustain success.” — Brian Slater
Meet The Host
Mark Hirschi is the founder and host of Movified. With over a decade in the moving and storage industry, Mark combines real-world leadership experience with a passion for mentorship and elevating industry standards.
