I recently sat down with Brent Stone, one of the co-owners of Good Stuff Moving to learn more about their company.
They consistently get rave reviews from my clients and I wanted to know what they do to generate all those great compliments. Here’s some tips from Brent on how to leave a make and great impression.
The guys from Good Stuff were awesome to work with! - Katy and Xul P
When and how did you get started in the business?
My partner, Paul Harvieux, and I started this company 16 years ago with one 20’ truck.
Now we’ve grown to 17 trucks and 40 employees.
Most successful companies have a “key ingredient” that attributes to their success. What is your key? What is it that gives your company its personality?
Our personnel. This is a people business and our guys are directly involved with and helping customers with a very important part of their lives…moving all their personal belongings. We knew the trick to success was to hire good help. That was our focus when we started. Guys that were clean cut and well-spoken with a strong back and willing to listen to instructions.
Since your workers are the core of your company, how do you find such talent?
First, our philosophy is to hire good people and pay them well. Our hiring process starts from the pool of referrals within our company. Friends of Friends…people that know you and can vouch for you. When you have like-minded employees, we can all help each other to work at our best. This culture of excellence is consistent and the backbone of our service.
What do you do to keep your team members performing at their peak?
It starts with the attitude we have impressed upon them from day one.
“We Will Show Up….We Will Work Hard”. Team members are all thoroughly trained to do the work, but it is the attitude ingrained in each of them to want to do their best that makes it happen.
Do you advertise…or where does most of your business come from?
95% of our moves are for houses and apartments. We do get some walk-in business, but over 50% of our work comes from repeat or referrals. Google, Yelp and internet connections are an easy way to find us. Realtors, like yourself, are always a prime source of customers.
That’s a very high repeat/referral percentage. Why do you think your customers continue to come back? What about your service brings them back?
We’ve really worked at covering all their needs and truly providing customer care. We offer free boxes in all different sizes…we even deliver them in the winter for free. We use carpet shields…clean ones. We can do some or all of the packing for them. We can just do the load and unload if they have their own truck. We want to accommodate them any way we can throughout the process and really offer customizable service. And, we show up and we work hard!
Obviously the company’s work ethic has proven a big hit since your company continually gets very high accolades from all review sources.
We are very proud of our A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau. In addition, we have received the “Super Service Award” for the past 12 years from Angie’s List and earned a five-star rating on Yelp. Most of all, the amazing reviews and postings on social media from our clients is our biggest and best award.
What do you see in the future for Good Stuff Moving?
Right now, we are in the process of acquiring more trailers and space to help with extended storage needs here locally. We are licensed to move in the Lower 48 States and we see that business continuing to grow. One thing that sets us apart in cross state lines deliveries is that we have binding estimates AND we can coordinate the deliver and unload date to meet the customer’s schedule. We want to remain a leader in environmental conscious moves and rated top in client satisfaction.
Many hours are spent running a successful business. Where and how do you find peace, fun and relaxation?
I love this business, so devoting time to it is both fun and rewarding. My hours start around 6:30 and end around 5:30. After that, spending time with my family and 7 year old is a great way to unwind and bring me to another place. I also have a passion for golf and fishing and manage to enjoy time with friends in both of these sports.