Avoiding the sale from hell

Street-wise advice on how not to sell your moving company

In this 45-minute audio file, IOMI’s® Ed Katz candidly shares with Mark Gray of MoverRecruiter.com his experience of selling the company he founded, owned, and operated for 26 years. Atlanta’s Peachtree Movers sold in 2000.

January 22, 1997
Wall Street Journal

Can I Put You on Hold? We’re Moving Our Offices

ATLANTA–Office moves without boxes? Ed Katz’ inventions are making that a possibility.

The 52-year-old head of Peachtree Movers Inc. several years ago was almost driven out of business by larger competitors. So, he puzzled over customers’ most common complaint–the packing and unpacking of boxes and the disruption they bring, even for a move of only a few miles.

Soon Mr. Katz had invented the “space gobbler” and “spider crane,” products that eliminate the need to pack and unload. “Businesses can work up until the time of the move,” says Mr. Katz, “and come to work after the move with everything in place.”
Here’s how the machines work: The spider crane moves lateral file cabinets fully loaded by lifting the files high enough with suction to roll a specially designed steel dolly underneath. Cabinets lifted straight up by suction suffer no torque damage and eliminate the possibility of mixing up or losing files.

Office-furniture giant Steelcase Inc., which voids file-cabinet warranties if they are moved loaded, is making an exception for files moved with the spider crane after testing it with a fully loaded five-drawer cabinet weighting 1,000 pounds. “It’s almost impossible to drop the file or damage it with the spider crane,” says Frank Doezema, Steelcase product manager.

The space gobbler, meanwhile, offers similar relief from loading and unloading desks. Using plastic air bags inflated at the office with portable blowers, movers can essentially shrink-wrap a desk–and its belongings–keeping all the contents in place.
MCI Communications’ Atlanta-area office uses Peachtree Movers weekly. “We can’t afford the downtime,” says Greg Mueller, MCI project coordinator. “Moves that took two or three days are now done in one day.”

— Monica Langley

Building Business Value

When you’re ready to sell, will there be anything of value to sell?

Welcome to Building Value: What’s Your Business Worth, our online newsletter to help you get your company in saleable condition and keep it that way . . . because some day you will want to sell.

Click on the links below for our PDF newsletters designed to build your company value.

• Buy-Sell Agreement: Pay Now or Pay Later…Dearly
• Ax-grinder and the EEOC didn’t win this one
• Ex-worker leaves, taking the business with him
• Your Sales Contract & the Miracle of Getting Paid

Sell Your Moving Company

Every moving company owner will want to — or need to — sell some day, even if they just want to transfer the business to the kids. Will there be anything of value to sell? The biggest shock sellers face is underestimating the value of their business.

What’s your business worth?

Business value is highly structured, takes in a lot of territory, and is built over time. Our exclusive online newsletter is designed to help owners build value in their moving company, so when they want to sell there will be something to sell.