Today we’d like to introduce you to Wade Lombard.
Wade, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
2007 will forever mark the turning point in our lives. Not just me but my entire family. My sister and brother in law were planning to move to Texas to plant a church. At the same time, my career was at a crossroads. Strangely, my dad and younger sister’s husband were in the same spot. I would describe us as risk adverse, mostly. However, in an effort to pull the family together we decided to leave our homes in Alabama and move to Texas. Our goal was to unite our family (which now includes 13 grand-kids between my sisters and I) and start a family business.
We began researching different companies, industries, and economic trends. We were not limited to any particular service or product. We set meetings, we scanned franchise agreements and we picked the brains of successful entrepreneurs. Eventually, we landed in the living room of a friend of a friend who owned 2-3 moving companies in the Deep South. He was kind enough to give us nitty gritty details of his businesses. The good, the bad and the ugly…there was plenty ugly. However, without much discussion, we immediately felt like this was the right fit for us.
What do you need to start a moving company? You need a truck and a strong back. Not much else is required. Low barriers to entry sounded good to us. We ordered two trucks and started working on our brand. In an effort to create a memorable name I called my college roommate, a super creative type. I told him we were starting a moving company and we liked the idea of adding an “O” to “movers” and having a cow themed corporate brand. Two weeks later he called me back with “Square Cow Moovers”. We were in business.
March 1, 2008 we officially launched our business. What we didn’t anticipate was the economic crisis of 2008. Little did we know, this was the worst possible time to start a business, especially a business directly tied to housing. Regardless, we had mouths to feed so we went to work…and work we did. I lost 45 pounds moving furniture in 2008. When we weren’t moving furniture in the Texas heat, we were begging people to give us a chance. We lived out “guerilla marketing” to its fullest.
By the end of our second year we had grown very little. We had bought a third truck but we didn’t use it as much as we would like. It just sat there, collecting dust. We kept pounding the pavement. The most important thing we did those first few years was develop a strong culture of serving. No one could out-serve Square Cow. We showed up early, stayed late, and did it all with a smile on our faces. We only hired movers willing to serve from their heart and look our clients in the eye. We create marketing campaigns around “Moovers with Manners” and the back of everyone’s shirt said “Yes Ma’am, Yes Sir, No Problem, My Pleasure”. The “serve at all cost” culture defined us from the very beginning.
Towards the end of our 3 year we started to see a major shift. Instead of being able to track where every client came from the phone started ringing with less effort, the flywheel was spinning faster. 3 trucks turned into 6 trucks and 6 trucks turned into 12 trucks. We started opening other branches in other cities. We continued to hire staff members with strong character and a commitment to serve.
Presently, we have four locations in Houston, two locations in Austin, two locations in Dallas, two locations in Denver, and our newest location was just launched in Nashville, TN. Those 11 branches represent 55 trucks, 340 employees and nearly 10,000 moves per year.
We are incredibly grateful for the results but also the journey. As we’ve expanded so has our ability to support our local churches, schools, and communities. We are looking forward to seeing where the next 10 years takes us.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
1. We are hiring team members willing to perform an extremely physical job, unstructured hours, with seasonal demands…and do it all for $10-$14 an hour. Hiring, training, and retaining excellent staff members will always be one of our most daunting tasks.
2. Moving is stressful. I read an article stating that the three most stressful things people go through are 1. Divorce, 2. Starting a new job, 3. Moving. We got lumped in with divorce! Consequently, we’re meeting people at a very vulnerable state. Being tasked with taking a super stressful event and making it smooth…and prayerfully, enjoyable is challenging.
3. Building from nothing. No brand, no money, no experience. I always say that it was tougher to go from 1 to 6 trucks than it was to go from 6 to 55. The beginning is excruciating. But it’s also when you gain resolve, grit, tenacity, and stick-to-it-iveness.
4. Working with family can be tough. We try to avoid discussing business at family events and we often avoid talking about family at work. Regardless, the two get mixed from time to time.
Please tell us about Square Cow Moovers.
Our bread and butter is local residential household goods movers. We do out of state moves and we do commercial moves…but that’s not typically our target audience.
We think we move families best. Why? Because we are a family, we understand family dynamics and challenges.
We do moving, packing, fine art, antiques, pool tables, pianos, etc…
We’re known for providing first class service, regardless of the circumstances. Studio apartment, first class service. Million dollar home, first class service.
We’re most proud of our team’s willingness to serve from the heart, from the soul. It’s a deep affection for the word “serve’ and how to live it out.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I grew up with a learning disability. I struggled through my first couple of years of school, reading and math were especially difficult. I had a 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Jackson. She was determined to see me succeed. Despite my learning challenges Mrs. Jackson helped me excel academically.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4707 Yale St.
Houston TX 77018 - Website: http://squarecowmovers.com/
- Phone: 832.956.1999
- Email: ckersey@squarecowmoovers.com (this is the Houston city manager)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarecowmoovers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SquareCowMovers/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SquareCowMoover
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/square-cow-moovers-houston?osq=square+cow+moovers
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