There’s no one clear cut path to franchise ownership with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, and new franchisee Mackenzie Kilgariff is a perfect example of this.
While a number of our franchisees started on the trucks as movers or drivers and worked their way up, a large chunk of our franchisee network carved out their own path in their professional careers. For Kilgariff, franchising with a moving company might not have seemed like something she’d ever do just five years ago when she was attending college for criminal justice, but a love for the brand and its people is what set her on the journey to business ownership.
“When I was about to finish up my freshman year of college, [franchisee] Brittany Ishman was actually the one to tell me the Philadelphia location was looking for a marketing intern to help with social media and grassroots, and I thought I would be a good fit,” Kilgariff said. “I had no idea what I was doing and hadn’t even heard of terms like ‘ad words’ and ‘SEO’. Once I jumped in, though, I immediately fell in love with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. I quickly switched my major to business management, and I knew I wanted to continue with the company. It was like I had an epiphany.”
This epiphany set off a domino effect for a rapid climb up the franchise system for Kilgariff, who went from marketing intern to working in sales as a customer service representative, before her transition to logistics manager and finally landing as the general manager at the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Princeton location.
Throughout this time, she quickly formed a bond with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Franchisee Brittany Ishman, and it paid off in a big way for Kilgariff after she participated in the Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward Scholarship program, which gave her the training and education to open the New Brunswick, N.J., franchise with Ishman at the end of 2021.
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for the young franchisee, but she’s taking it stride and doing everything she can to grow into the role.
“One of the things I love about TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is the sky is the limit. You can hold every single position, you can move to another state, you can work with other franchises, you can work at home office, and so on,” Kilgariff said. “If you love the brand, you can go anywhere with it. I also loved the idea of the scholarship program and that TWO MEN AND A TRUCK gives you the opportunity to grow as an individual. I love this brand and everything it has done for me, so becoming a franchisee was an easy decision.”
While it’s been an exciting time for Kilgariff, it’s also been a challenge to learn the intricacies of business ownership, and it’s something she’s working each day to take on and improve with.
“This job isn’t for the faint of heart,” Kilgariff said. “At first, it was a struggle for me to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. This is probably the most notable and important thing I’ve learned as a franchisee. A TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise has a lot of moving parts working together.”
Still, learning and all, it’s been a successful journey for Kilgariff already, and she’s just getting started. When asked what her goals are moving forward, she doesn’t hold back when saying she wants to be the “queen of moving” in the state of New Jersey, and wants TWO MEN AND A TRUCK to be the only name people care about when it comes to home moving in the state.
She also is extremely focused on making sure her New Brunswick location lives up to the company core values at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, specifically “inclusion”, and she hopes to build a diverse workplace culture.
The process of being a franchisee has just begun, but the options are endless for Kilgariff. At the end of the day, she would recommend TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchising to anyone who is interested.
“I experience something new and exciting every day,” Kilgariff said. “Owning a franchise never has a dull moment. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a lot of work, but the payoff is equally – if not better – than what you can imagine. Basically, what I’m trying to say is: there will always be a challenge and there will always be bad that comes with the good, but working at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK? The good is always great.”
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.
