Learning from Nearly 40 Years
of Experience
Thirty-eight years ago, in a garage in Newhall, California…
Camelot Movers was launched! As an independent contractor for Bekins, I was not new to managing resources, a schedule, and expenses. Nor was I new to the moving industry. Nonetheless, the leap to entrepreneur and employer was a big one. Over the past 4 decades, I have learned a lot, including that wisdom is not just accumulated—it is shared. So please join us in celebrating 38 years of Camelot Moving & Storage as we reflect on the lessons learned and wisdom (hopefully) gained over our (almost) four decades of service.
Like it or not, things change, generally for the better. Be ready and willing to build a better mousetrap, as the adage goes.
Adaptability is key, and I learned early on that it is essential to be willing to evolve with changing market dynamics. For instance, when we first got started, local movers typically used only 26-foot straight trucks, just a bit larger than a U-Haul truck. Meanwhile, houses got bigger!
We had an idea: what if we sent out an 18-wheeler (typically used only for long-distance moves) on large local moves? We could handle more for a better price. We did! Some competitors followed suit. Others grumbled.
1986 to 1996
Deliver your product. Not someone else’s.
Every business fills a specific spot in its marketplace. For instance, some tables are designed to last many lifetimes. I know, I have moved them! They cost more, weigh a ton, and will likely never need to be replaced. Other tables that cost a lot less require assembly and are not designed to be moved from one home to another. I know, I have (cautiously) moved them, too! Each table fills an important place in the table marketplace.
As a service provider, we needed to decide and find our place in the moving industry. Are we the cheapest? The fastest? The most careful? The most reliable? Once you know your unique identity in your marketplace, deliver what you promise.
1996 to 2006
Don’t take customer satisfaction
for granted .
Don't squander the work you put into building your brand identity by not continuing to deliver on its promise. Humility is important. If you fell short on your promise, be willing to admit it, learn what went wrong, and address the problem. Dissatisfied customers are key to growth and improvement.
Of course, the satisfied ones are a reminder that you’re doing things right! In response to an invitation we had painted on the backs of our trucks, “Billy wants to know how I’m driving,” a sweet elderly lady once gave me a call to let me know personally how courteously our driver was driving, keeping in the speed limit and using his turn signals. Not even a customer yet, and we had already delivered on our promise!
2006 to 2016
A company’s best sales team is right under its nose.
In Camelot’s formative years, in addition to creating our product, forming our team, and delivering that product, I was also working tirelessly to sow seeds and build our customer base. (Yes, I was way younger then and my stamina was quite different.) Somewhere around the 10-year mark, I realized I no longer needed to hustle nearly as hard to reach new clients. The fact is, our early hard work of delivering on what we had promised began to return in the way of referrals: neighbors, relatives, co-workers, etc. Customers referred us to their workplace for commercial relocations. Customers came from meeting our moving teams on their lunch breaks at McDonald’s and the like. Customers came from family members of the previous generation. Today, we are working on the third generation of Camelot customers! Yes, a time or two I’ve said, “I moved your grandparents!”
2016 to 2024
Delegate and see what happens.
Once we added the offering of out-of-state deliveries around 1989, I handled each one myself—unsustainably limiting our out-of-state availability. As members of our local team showed promise, I delegated more and watched how individuals performed. Finally, the day came when it was time to expand or forgo growth. So, I handed the keys to an 18-wheeler, by far the biggest and most expensive piece of equipment we had, to a qualified driver, giving him the opportunity to deliver on his promise. He successfully delivered a repeat client to their new home 1,000 miles away. I was up all night waiting for updates from my driver, but I had not needed to lose any sleep at all. He shined just like his prior performances indicated he would.
And we kept on growing.
Keep informed.
There have been times I didn’t have the patience to read an article on what’s next, and there have been times I wish I had! Perhaps it is the speed of change that has increased, or perhaps I’m slowing down to a turtle’s pace and everything just seems to be whizzing by at lightning speed. Either way, staying informed and moving forward is vital for a business and business owner. Presently, I’m watching the progress of trucks that run on anything other than that expensive diesel fossil fuel, and I also dream about relocations by drone!
What lessons have you learned in your journey, whether in business or life? Share your insights and experiences with us!
With appreciation from the whole happy team at Camelot,
