Explore

Plan

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MONTH 1 — SETUP + FIRST JOBS (Proof of Concept)

1. Legal & Basics (Week 1)

Keep this lean.

Do immediately:

LLC (or sole prop if testing)

Business bank account

Insurance:

General liability ($1M)

U-Haul already covers truck liability, but NOT your labor

Simple service agreement (1 page)

Pricing mindset: You’re a pickup & delivery service, not movers.

⁠

2. U-Haul Strategy (Critical)

Don’t rent daily unless booked.

Best rentals to start:

10’ box truck

Cargo van (cheapest, best ROI)

Rental cost (avg):

$19.95/day + mileage

Build this into pricing

Rule: ✔ Only rent after deposit is paid ✔ Book truck early morning → stack jobs same day

⁠

3. Lead Sources (Activate All Immediately)

Thumbtack (Primary)

This will be your main pipeline early on.

Profile setup tips:

Category:

“Furniture Delivery”

“Appliance Delivery”

“Local Delivery”

NOT “Moving Company” at first

Headline:

“Same-Day Pickup & Delivery – Furniture, Appliances, Store Runs”

Photos:

U-Haul truck

Straps, dolly, blankets

Clean, professional look

Bid strategy:

Respond within 5 minutes

Underbid slightly for first 10–15 jobs

Overdeliver → collect reviews fast

⁠

Facebook Marketplace + Groups

Join:

“Local Buy Sell Trade”

“Moving & Delivery Services”

“Apartment Community Groups”

Post weekly:

“Bought furniture but don’t have a truck? Same-day pickup & delivery available. Appliances, couches, Home Depot runs. DM me.”

⁠

Store Pickups (Manual Outreach)

Walk into:

Local Home Depot

Furniture outlets

Appliance stores

Ask:

“Who do customers usually call when they need delivery today?”

Leave a simple card or flyer.

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4. Pricing (Simple & Profitable)

Base pricing model:

Pickup + delivery (local): $120–$180

Store runs: $150 flat

Extra items: +$30–$50

Stairs: +$25 per flight

Waiting time: $30/hr

Never quote hourly early. Flat rates = less arguing.

⁠

5. Month 1 Target

8–15 jobs

$1,200–$3,000 revenue

5+ reviews on Thumbtack

⁠

MONTH 2 — SYSTEMIZE + RAISE PRICES

1. Stack Jobs (Key Profit Move)

Instead of 1 job/day:

Schedule pickups in same area

Same-day multiple deliveries

Example:

Morning: Costco pickup

Afternoon: FB Marketplace couch

Evening: Small apartment move

1 truck → 3 jobs → same rental.

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2. Refine Offer

Now brand yourself as:

“Small Load & Same-Day Delivery Specialist”

This filters out nightmare clients.

Add exclusions:

No packing

No pianos

No full house moves

⁠

3. Pricing Increase

After 10+ reviews:

Raise base to $150–$220

Minimum charge always applies

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4. Add Upsells

Easy money:

Mattress bag: $20

Furniture wrap: $25

Assembly/disassembly: $50+

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5. Month 2 Target

15–25 jobs

$3,500–$6,000 revenue

Repeat customers start

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MONTH 3 — BRAND + SCALE WITHOUT BUYING A TRUCK

1. Hire On-Call Help

Don’t hire full-time yet.

Pay helper: $18–$22/hr

Call only when needed

Helps with heavy items & speed

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2. Build Direct Bookings

Create:

Google Business Profile

Simple website or Carrd

QR code on truck/flyers

Start collecting:

Phone numbers

Repeat clients

Realtors, landlords, property managers

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3. Lock In Recurring Clients

Target:

Apartment managers

Furniture resellers

Flippers

Storage facilities

Offer:

“Flat-rate weekly delivery support”

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4. Decide Next Step

By end of Month 3, you’ll know:

Best job types

Average profit per day

Whether buying your own truck makes sense

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REALITY CHECK (Why This Works)

✔ Low startup cost ✔ No long-term truck debt ✔ Flexible scheduling ✔ Fast cash flow ✔ Easy to pivot into:

Moving company

Courier fleet

Appliance delivery

Amazon relay / contract routes

⁠

If you want, next I can:

Write your Thumbtack profile word-for-word

Build a pricing calculator

Create a customer intake script

Help you decide when buying your own truck makes sense

Just tell me which one you want first.

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