Move over, moving business: Serial franchisor Brian Scudamore jumpstarts another business (original) (raw)

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Move over, moving business: Serial franchisor Brian Scudamore jumpstarts another business

Franchise Focus: Knowing the ropes allowed Brian Scudamore, founder of 1-800-JUNK and WOW 1 DAY Painting, launch 26 You Move Me moving franchises on the same day

Published Jul 26, 2013 • 3 minute read

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Ben Nelms for National Post

Ben Nelms for National Post

Vancouver franchise builder Brian Scudamore has added to his rapidly-growing home services franchise group with a novel and unique launch of a new franchised service.

In May, Mr. Scudamore and franchisees made a spectacular entrance into the North American moving industry by launching 26 You Move Me moving franchises on the same day. The franchises are in Vancouver and Toronto in Canada and most major cities in the United States.

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The You Move Me system makes three that Mr. Scudamore now operates. The original was 1-800-GOT-JUNK? which he began as a student in 1989 and now has more than 175 franchises in Canada, the U.S. and Australia, generating more than $100-million a year. The system used its iconic trucks for advertising and even managed to become the most commonly used junk removal company on the A&E television show Hoarders.

His second business was the WOW 1 DAY Painting franchise which launched in 2012 and, as it says, promises to paint a house in one day (through a “surge” technique — putting a team on the job instead of a single painter or duo).

Both systems feature clean, uniformed and well-organized workers, a strong local management system, and the electronic management, marketing and call centre system Mr. Scudamore built in the “Junkhouse,” his Vancouver headquarters.

You Move Me mirrors the other systems in that it will use the same back end to create efficiencies, and provide clean, trained crews who arrive in well-marked trucks and work under a system that emphasizes professionalism. It’s a hallmark of Mr. Scudamore’s franchises.

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“I hired someone to move me from my house,” he says, recalling the generation of the moving franchise system. “There was nothing professional or organized about it. Then I realized that every moving experience I’ve had has been bad and I saw an opportunity.”

Since it’s his third franchise system, Mr. Scudamore knew how to get it going quickly. He talked about it with existing Got Junk franchisees and the group, which included one man with a moving business, planned the system and the launch for the next year.

James Alisch, who co-owns the Vancouver-area franchise with Mr. Scudamore, worked as an operations manager for 1-800-Got-Junk? for many years before starting his own flooring business. He said Mr. Scudamore ran the idea by him one day over lunch and he was hooked instantly.

Ben Nelms for National Post

Ben Nelms for National Post

“I’ve been on the other side with my own business (which he still operates) so I had perspective,” he said. “When you’re on your own, there is no leveraging of systems, no sharing of best practices. This is taking something simple and creating a system around it. Now I’ve seen all three sides of it. ”

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Paul Guy, who owns the Ontario Move Me franchise and opened the original 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchise in Toronto, called the new franchise “an amazing business.”

“It’s a difficult time in people’s lives, so we try to make it as least stressful as possible,” explained Mr. Guy, who booked 50 moves in May, the business’s second month. “People have a lot of trepidation at moving day. But with us, there are no hidden fees, we’re on time and that creates a palpable sense of relief that people understand. We make people’s lives easier and that creates a lot of referrals.”

Consultants in the franchise industry suggest Mr. Scudamore’s latest move is another example of organizing and professionalizing basic service industries that have generally been the purview of small operators, and doing it with branding panache.

For example, Wayne Maillet, of Franchise Specialists in Coquitlam, B.C., said You Move Me’s entry into a “tired industry that hadn’t had anything fresh for some time” was a spectacular piece of branding.

“Most people in the industry lack personality, but You Move Me stands out because it does have personality,” he said.

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Pat Parker, president of Vancouver’s Parker and Associates franchise development firm, pointed out that all of Scudamore’s franchises are in “very unsophisticated businesses that are basically bull work,” and the segment responds very well to better service.

“What he’s doing makes sense because on a local level you really need the branding,” he said. “The big issue he’s going to face is around pricing. People will pay for better service, but there will always be pricing pressure.”

Mr. Parker added that the multiple launch was a “novel approach but a good one” because it created a distinct identity for You Move Me.

Mr. Scudamore plans to open more franchises later this year after the initial shakeout period.

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