We brought together 14 moving company leaders in Boston for a night of conversation and connection. No slides. No canned speeches. Movers talking to movers about what’s really happening in their businesses.
And yes, the dinner and drinks at Legal Sea Foods were every bit as good as the insights. 🍤
Here’s what stood out.
Finding and keeping reliable crews came up again and again. Owners said thin staffing slows dispatch, adds stress, and caps growth. None of them want the compliance headache of CDL drivers, so they’ve drawn a hard line there.
The opportunity: better recruiting tools, better ways to keep teams engaged, and smarter processes to do more with fewer people.
Payroll eats too much time for some owners. Dispatch frustrates customers and crews when it breaks down. Clean systems and automation in these two areas are the difference between chaos and calm.
Some attendees have been in business for 20 years. Others barely a year. The mix sparked real cross-pollination: new ideas, fresh energy, and the wisdom of experience. These are the movers shaping the future in Boston and beyond.
One standout was Jeanie from New England Household Movers & Storage. She runs a multigenerational business and personally designed and built a four-story storage vault. She spoke about legacy, not as a buzzword, but as something you create brick by brick. Her story was a reminder that a successful moving company isn’t just about the next job, it’s about the next generation.
The room circled back to this over and over. Knowledge trapped in one owner’s head is a bottleneck. The companies that win are the ones that turn knowledge into systems that run without them. Technology is the bridge. Making the move is uncomfortable, like switching from flip phone to smartphone, but worth it.
Boston movers aren’t shy about pushing the envelope. Automation and AI came up as the next frontier. Even if it feels awkward, they know it’s where the industry is heading. Boston is living in the future, and if you aren’t at least experimenting, you risk becoming the business equivalent of someone still renting DVDs.
Local COD moves aren’t paying the bills right now. Movers said the same thing: fewer people are moving locally, so companies are shifting into commercial and FF&E work. Some are even winning city contracts for Section 8 moves or partnering with school systems to handle cafeteria food deliveries.
Storage is another bright spot. More operators are focusing there to drive revenue, but nobody in the room was happy with the storage software they use today.
And then there was Adrian from Stairhopper Movers With more than two decades in the business, he was quick to share gold on delivering an excellent customer experience. The kind of insights that make you stop, write them down, and think “people should be paying for this.” Adrian reminded everyone that while technology and systems are vital, excellence at the customer level is what sets the best companies apart.
Tim Krupp from MoveBees brought his killer expertise to the table. He led the hardest conversations with practical solutions from a multi-decade career in moving. When the questions got tough, Tim didn’t flinch. He answered with the kind of clarity that only comes from years in the trenches.
👉Be sure to join Tim and other juggernauts of moving at Built to Move in October. (We’ll be there, will you?)
Boston was the start. More Mover’s Inner Circle events are coming. Stay tuned, or better yet, tell us on social media (or email marketing@smartmoving.com) where we should head next. ✈️