The next business book we're reading ...

We saw a review for this title today and can't wait to read it:

"The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It" (Charles Duhigg)

What especially drew our attention was the mixing of psychology and business perspectives that explain why bad habits persist and how good habits can be formed. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

Lowe's Inman News Service Review

Bloomberg Business Week Review

This review sealed the deal: "For those who truly crave to change their habits, their teams' routines and their lives, this book offers well-founded hope and simple, concrete tools that have been proven to work, over and over again."

One more good one on the shelf .. Next to some perennial favorites from Zig Ziglar, Og Mandino and newer stuff like Jim Collins, Michael Gerber or the Heath Brothers. What's on your bookshelf?

PS - I realize that this post is a little ironic given the last one "Why We're in this Business" ... But actually it fits right in because we see the methods and success stories the author uses for "good examples" as being very much in keeping with how we have been able to achieve our high standards ... It's all habit!

Why we're in this business

An estimate we did this week reminded us of why we're in this business. The client we visited said that his friend booked a mover he was planning to use and while their estimate was $400, when they walked through the door they immediately said "this is going to be closer to $1,000."

Ouch! Needless to say he called and cancelled his reservation with them.

This story reminded me of why I started this business four years ago. Besides the usual reasons to go into business like being your own boss, we began Stronger to do moving the RIGHT way. As industry insiders, we had seen too much of the "ugly" side of this business: bait-and-switch estimates, sloppy work, overbooking, tardiness ...

Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them. — Stephen R. Covey

Rather than dwell on the negative though, we are focused on how positive our crews are on every job. Consistently for the past four years, we have been able to stick to our standards of estimating as fairly and accurately as possible, training crews well, delivering excellent customer service and constantly monitoring quality.

So not that we like to "toot our own horn" but we think this commitment speaks for itself:

• positive customer testimonials
• repeat customers and referrals
• accreditation by the Better Business Bureau

Our hope is that we can set a positive example of movers for everyone we come into contact with and they leave saying "I have heard a lot of nightmare stories, but this move was a dream." At the end of the day, that's what makes it worth it.

Green tips for moving

As we prepare to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this Saturday, we were thinking about GREEN in two ways - both the green, eco-friendly way to move and how to save some green (as in money!).

Here are our Lucky 7 tips:

1. Pack less stuff ... Sell, donate or recycle items you no longer need to reduce the amount of packing materials you will use. You may be ready to consider parting with books, movies or cd's in this new age of digital media). Warning: do not start this process a few days before the move, more like a few weeks to months before you plan to move.

2. Find used boxes ... Moving companies can give them to you or try local stores.
3. Use newspaper for packing materials ... Save a few weeks or ask a neighbor before their recycling goes out. Be careful of ink staining (especially avoiding any chance that the paper would get wet). Generally this is not an issue but if you have any concerns, just use the newspaper as padding rather than wrapping items with it.
4. Purchase biodegradable materials ... Packing peanuts and bubble wrap for your most delicate breakables is available in biodegradable formats.
5. Recycle/reuse your packing materials ... Give them to a friend who will be moving or post them online (for example: craigslist or freecycle).
6. Clean green ... Keep "green" in mind during the move-out / move-in cleaning process and use green products or hire a certified green cleaning company.
7. Hire movers ... Consider the "green" nature of using a moving company to move everything at once instead of making many small trips in a personal vehicle.

The next step is "greening" your new place. A move can be the best time to make lifestyle changes and upgrades to your new home, which will not only be helpful for the environment but usually save you money as well.

We believe that all of this green is not just a color we wear on St. Pat's day or a catch-phrase but really a mindset based on principles of doing the right thing. As a company, we encourage these kinds of initiatives in our clients, employees, vendors and require them of ourselves.

It takes a special kind of moving company for these homes

We came across this article today on Yahoo.com and thought it was too neat not to share:

"Homes made from wacky materials"

We could definitely do the moves for any of these homeowners, although maybe the "dumpster home" we would just pick up and move the whole house?

What homes have you seen in the Tampa Bay area made from unusual materials re-used in creative ways?

Start your New Year right ...

Some wait for Spring to do their deep cleaning. Since Florida doesn't have the traditional seasons, we got started this week! What has made the most difference for us is getting rid of stuff we no longer use or need.

Rather than letting perfectly good items go to waste, we always donate what is in good condition. Here are some of our favorite resources:

Furniture and household goods:

Manatee Habitat for Humanity 355-7082

Sarasota Habitat for Humanity 363-0777

South Sarasota Habitat 493-0529

Food:

All Faiths Food Bank (Sarasota) 379-6333

Food Bank of Manatee 747-FOOD (3662)

Clothing:

Goodwill 351-8945 (for home pick-up)

Salvation Army 1-800-958-7825

Of course there are many other places that welcome your donations and you may have your favorites already established. But if you have not, please look into these or do your own research because the charities who receive donations can turn the proceeds of sales into life-changing intervention programs.

Not only will you enjoy the benefits of cleaning out and making a fresh start in 2012 but also local nonprofits will be able to reach more families in need and do more good.

Got change?

Recent survey data we saw today showed that in 2011, 61% of moves in 2011 were for "life stage reasons." Our clientele definitely reflect this trend - getting married, having children, children moving out, job-related relocation and retirement - are common among the people we move.

No wonder moving can be so stressful! People are not only dealing with the logistics of the move but also these BIG life changes. No matter how joyful or welcome they may be, stress always accompanies change on this scale.

Add to it moving during the Holidays and WOW! So if you or someone you know is going through this all at once - moving, the holidays and a big life change - we welcome the chance to make at least one area of your or their life less stressful: the move!

How much do Americans move?

Happened to see these numbers on the website of the United States Postal Service:

17% of Americans change addresses annually.

45 million people move each year.

Approximately one out of every six families moves each year.

Wow! I have heard that the USA is a very mobile country in comparison to other countries around the world and these numbers seem to confirm it.

I wonder if our local rates in the Sarasota-Bradenton area are higher, lower or about the same? I suspect higher, which is good for us moving companies.

However, moving can be very chaotic and difficult if you're not prepared. Check out our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/strongermoving for short videos to help you pack and prepare like a pro.

Five ways to make packing not so SCARY

Where to start? Boxes? Packing materials? What if I pack it wrong and something breaks? What goes in which boxes? Yikes!

Packing can be a scary thing but as one of the most important components of the move, it is a critical part of a smooth move to your new place.

The Stronger crew was talking it over this weekend and came up with these five important tips for people getting ready to pack for a local move:

1. Make clean-out a priority and donate unwanted items to charity. This way you don't have to pay more to move your stuff than it would cost to replace them. Think canned goods for example or books.

2. Pack boxes full and seal them so they can be stacked. In any move using hired professionals, time is money. The more time spent carrying out unsealed boxes one-by-one because they can't be stacked, the more money the move will cost you. You may have a lot of boxes, but stacking them three or four per dolly and wheeling them out goes very quickly. Movers can only do that if they are properly packed and sealed.

3. As the stuff gets heavier, the box should get smaller. Book boxes, for example, are small because the contents are heavy. Large boxes full of books are practically un-lift-able, even for the pros.

4. Save lots of work, use wardrobe boxes. Stronger Moving rents large boxes with metal rods in them called wardrobe boxes for $5 a piece (or you can buy them for $15 each). You can squeeze together about 2 linear feet of hanging clothes to save the trouble of un-hanging and re-hanging. As a bonus, the space in the bottom of these boxes is great of non-breakable items like pillows or shoes.

5. Write the room name and contents on the SIDES of the boxes, not just the tops. This eliminates the need for movers to stop and ask "where do you want this?" If they can see right on the side of their stack of boxes which room they need to take them to, the job goes faster, saving you money.

Watch this short video on packing the items in your kitchen. It shows you how to pack those breakable items so they won't break and it explains the right way to open a box before packing it (most people get it wrong!).

Remember, honor and give thanks for our blessings

An Inspector from Southern Manatee Fire & Rescue came to do a routine inspection this week and he told us about the amazing monument they created at their Headquarters.

Located a few hundred yards from our office, we wanted to let everyone know about this special 9/11 memorial. The Bradenton Herald article covered this:

Crafted from a 12-foot, two-ton I beam salvaged from ground zero at the World Trade Center, and more than a year in the works, the memorial has elements representing the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa.

Read the full article here or see the photo gallery.

We are spending the weekend with our families and observing a moment of silence at 8:46 am. While we remember, honor and give gratitude to those whose lives were lost and since impacted in the wars that followed, we are hopeful about the future. As we look at our children, we feel optimistic about the world they will see and put our faith in the goodness we see in our daily lives. Today and every day we keep in mind the people we have to thank for this.

Stronger gets Better ... BBB Accreditation

We have long believed that "ethical business is good business" and now we have the seal to prove it! Today we are pleased to announce that Stronger Moving & Delivery Service, Inc. has met the requirements to be an Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau.

BBB Accreditation means a business adheres to very high ethical standards. People know they can trust a company that has made the commitment to live up to the BBB Principles for Trust:

Build Trust, Advertise Honestly, Tell the Truth, Be Transparent, Honor Promises, Be Responsive, Embody Integrity, Safeguard Privacy.

Second nature for us! While it was no stretch for us to achieve this designation, we are extremely proud of all the hard work that went into creating, growing and maintaining a company that delivers - not just your belongings in pristine condition but also a great experience.

Our mission is to make every customer’s move their best moving experience and set the standard for excellence in professional moving services. The BBB seal helps show that commitment to excellence. Thank you to our workers, families, clients, suppliers and the BBB for the support. Onward!

And we thought our warehouse was big ...

Wow. Just finished a tour of the Beall's Distribution Center this morning with the Manatee Association of Realtors. Everyone who visits our warehouse remarks about how LARGE it is but now we know what large really is!

In this tour, we walked through part of the 580,000 square-foot warehouse that is the Beall's Distribution Center. That's approximately 100 times the size of our warehouse!!! See picture from Mike Carter Construction.

Here's a quick rundown of the numbers:

446 - Beall's stores supplied by this one Distribution Center (DC)
16 - the number of states they deliver to (soon to be 18!)
1,600 - employees in our area, the largest employer (private sector)
500,000 - average units per day of merchandise moved through the DC
50% - portion of those units that are apparel

In addition to this impressive logistical operation, we have always been very impressed by their humanitarian operations. Beall's Inc. gives to a great many community and charitable organizations, including the United Way, March of Dimes, Police Athletic League, and Palmetto Youth Center as well as college scholarships to hundreds of employees and their dependents, students in Criminal Justice education at the State College of Florida and the Manatee Technical Institute through the R. M. Beall Foundation (read the whole story here).

I am running out of space here to talk about their extensive recycling program, so you'll just have to take the tour for yourself some time. Thank you Beall's for all you do and for the inside peak at your operations, truly an inspiration!

Hooray!!! We're 3-years old this week!

We are so thrilled to be THREE this week. That's right, this week three years ago we got our truck, incorporated, printed tee-shirts, established our online presence and everything else you have to do when you open a business. Stay tuned for more musings, happenings and celebrations from Stronger's Third Birthday Celebration Extravaganza!!!

8 things we WANT you to know!

This little slideshow is great information although incorrectly titled in our opinion:

8 Things Your Mover Doesn't Want You to Know (www.mainstreet.com)

These are all thing we WANT our customers to know and do. This slide show features helpful tips about what to look for, how to save you money and our personal favorite "Get an in-home quote." We love doing these and can best give our customers a flat rate "not-to-exceed" price.

Foreclosure crystal ball looks murky

While most of our residential moves happen between houses and apartments, we as amateur real estate market watchers can't help but follow the foreclosure saga. This huge story in South Florida real estate has been a game-changer home owners, lenders, real estate agents, neighborhoods and gee, just about everyone here!

"Manatee County Foreclosure Stats: A Closer Look" (Wendy Herndon for Bradenton Patch)

"Foreclosures in Manatee Plunge" (Duane Marstellar, Bradenton Herald)

These recent articles had us at first optimistic that the devastation was over ... 55% drop in foreclosures since last year ... but then unsure (experts say foreclosure filings are artificially low due to bureaucratic backlogs in the courts).

It also just so happens that we're sponsoring the snack tomorrow for the Manatee Association of realtor's class on "Short Sales & REO's: What You Need to Know in Today's Market" with Bob McManus. If we learn anything new tomorrow during the class, we'll post it here.

We ♥ YouTube

Busy month in April ... with moving, networking and making new videos to add to our YouTube channel. Here's the latest:

Good news!

Congrats Pat on the good news, we're experiencing much of the same:

Is the recession moving out of town? (Gulf Coast Business Review)

Looking forward to the busy season this summer!

It's official - We're on YouTube!

The first two of many short, informative videos are now on our YuoTube Channel! Check it out:



And let us know what you'd like to see, we'll cover it in the videos to come. Thanks as always for your support!

Not surprised ...

Saw this tidbit in this morning's Biz941 e-news:

Florida Realtors reported Monday that realtors sold 886 existing homes in Sarasota-Bradenton in February, a 19 percent increase over February 2010. The median price dropped 11 percent to $137,700. Existing condo sales jumped 26 percent to 325, while the year-over-year median price dropped 11 percent to $126,100.

What we hear from our realtor friends is that this is the case here in the Sarasota-Manatee area.

The ART of moving ...

We have moved hundreds if not thousands of homes and of course we enjoy this business or we wouldn't be in it ... But last week was a treat because we got to move an artist's studio.

Need a brain break today? Take a look at the sights and sounds of Michael and Carol Fenzl.

Carol is a visual artist whose custom art had graced the walls of places like Walt Disney World, Celine Dion's home, Bank of America and Dick Vitale's homes. You may have sen her work in publications like Bette Homes and Gardens or Southern Living. As big fans of Sarasota's outdoor exhibit "Embracing Our Differences," we were thrilled to see her work there in 2006.

Michael Fenzl is a classically trained guitarist who not only makes sublime music but makes his own instruments, too! Originally from Austria by way of the tobacco fields of New England, the frozen tundra of northern Canada and now the sunny shores of Florida's West Coast, Michael brings his unique perspective and experience to his soulful original compositions.

We had the supreme pleasure to meet them and help with a recent move. Thank you Michael and Carol for your business and for your creative contribution to this community!

In appreciation

As new members of the Manatee Association of Realtors, we sometimes feel like the new kid in class. So, it is very much appreciated when we receive a warm welcome and and support from fellow members.

One such friendly face at a recent Realtor Business Hour was Cindy Greco of Greco and Monroe Real Estate Professionals.  Cindy offered to list our company on their resources page and we were thrilled.  A few short e-mails exchanged with her and Lisa and we were set!

Thank you!!  We are glad to be part of such a comprehensive website with so many tools to offer.  We were particularly impressed with the Buyer's and Seller's Toolkit and wish we would have had something like that when we bought our homes years ago.  In any case, thank you Lisa and Cindy for your support and helping a "new kid on the block" feel welcome!