153: How ‘Two Men and a Truck' moved from a Family Business to a Franchise Business (w/ 340+ Locations)

Background on Brig Sorber of Two Men & a Truck:

Brig Sorber is the Chief Brand Officer or CBO at Two Men and a Truck. Brig is one of the original two men along with younger brother Jon Sorber. The two started the business in the early 1980s in Okemos, Mich. to earn spending money. Using a 1966 pickup truck, the brothers placed an ad in a local shopping guide that read “Men At Work Movers…Two Men and A Truck.” The ad also included a stick figure logo designed by their mother, Mary Ellen Sheets. This logo remains the corporate symbol for the now TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®/INTERNATIONAL, Inc.

After he left home to attend Northern Michigan University, Sheets decided to keep the business rolling. Upon graduation, Sorber worked as an insurance agent in Michigan’s upper peninsula. He also operated his own TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchise in Marquette with his wife, Francine.

In September 1996, the Sorbers sold their franchise to come home to Lansing so they could help Sheets and sister, Melanie Bergeron, restructure the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK system. Sorber then served as a field consultant and was also in charge of franchise recruitment. Brig assumed the role of president in 2007, and became president and CEO in 2009. After serving as Co-CEO with Jon Nobis, Sorber transitioned to Chief Brand Officer in June 2018.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[1:59] Brig Sorber is still somewhat shocked that their business has grown to this size. They have 360 locations in the US and others are in Canada, UK, and Ireland.
[4:41] According to Brig, starting a business is not always about the money. It is about the people that you bring along in your business.
[7:40] Brig tells the story of how Two Men and a Truck started back in the early days.
[10:25] Old memorabilia can be found in their corporate office to remind themselves of where they came from.
[12:15] In the early days of their business, Brig and his brother were learning how to communicate and read their customers.
[18:50] After college, Brig ended up as a franchisee for Two Men and a Truck when they decided to franchise the business.
[22:27] When Brig was in his twenties and went full time on the moving business, it was a tough time for him and his wife.
[28:22] Brig talks about his role as a franchise business consultant and the things he did within the company during the early days.
[30:30] Brig believes that franchisees, in general, are not entrepreneurial.
[32:08] Two Men and a Truck decided to implement a new operating system that brought all the franchises on a single platform. It was a difficult time for Brig but it worked out so well for the company.
[36:08] Hiring a third-party to provide a full assessment on the operations of the business proved to be an eye-opening experience for Brig.
[42:55] As the recession hit the economy, Brig had to tell all the franchisees that the company will start to evolve and move forward whether they like it or not.
[46:00] Brig offers some key tips that a business could do in order to thrive and grow during a recession.
[53:08] More tips and suggestions for growing the business, avoiding burnout, and using necessarily tools to fix certain problems within the company.
[58:37] Brig emphasizes on the importance of taking care of his employees and customers, instead of focusing on the money.

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Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖 📚 Favorite Book(s)? History books. Just read John Adams and Harry S. Truman
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? My wife said, “Mouth wash“! I use Amazon a lot from broadheads for hunting to trash bags!
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? Movers who care software system we built in house. All of our franchise locations are a a single platform.
💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? WE have had growth for 11 consecutive years. Biggest issues we have is the seasonality of our business. We are maxed in the summer and business drops in the winter. We are closing in on the issue.

Key Point from the Interview:

“Make sure work is an adventurous place. Take care of those people; make sure you’re having them learning things, growing along with you, sharing the adventure of the business. “

Resources Mentioned:

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