I recently caught up with some young entrepreneurs working in Santa Monica, California. These 4 young guys are trying to solve one of the worlds worst problems, “Who with a truck is willing to help me move my stuff?”

Check out how they are revolutionizing the moving industry…

 

 Why did you start Buddytruk?

Brian Foley: All I needed was a buddy with a truck to help me move my mattress. There was no service like Lyft or Uber, so I rented a Uhaul for the mattress. While I was parking on National Blvd, I hit the car behind me while trying to park, the car happened to be my new roommate. It wasn’t the best way to start our roommate situation. I got insurance, but it didn’t cover the accident, so I had to pay that out of pocket.

I was working in the finance industry and on my fashion line. Then I started the company, because I knew there was this huge need. That’s when I partnered with russell, he was the first investor. He was the first to come on board. Then we brought on Adam and Tim on to build and audience and community around what we are doing.

 

When did you guys launch Buddytruk?

We launched Aug. 1st been up 3 months now. We plan on going to NY soon. Launched in LA first from Westwood to the beach, now we are from Sunset to Los Feliz down to the 101.

 

How does it work as a driver?

We wanted to have our drivers that are “on call”. So, anyone with a truck can apply to be a driver, they can apply on the app or on the website. We run background check, DMV background check, and a criminal background check. Through our research we found out that 88% of companies don’t do any background checks in the moving industry.

 

Why do you think Buddytruk will be successful?

Most people hate moving. It is the most complained about industry in American, it is the worst. There are only so many options to move… Move with a friend, move with a UHaul. Moving is something that is a intimate relationship that people overlook. There is a lot of trust involved in moving. There is something special about having a normal personal that has been vetted with a background check. What we do builds that trust. So that’s basically how it works. After they pass the background check we meet our drivers, we inspect the vehicle. We make sure they can lift 50 pounds, as we walk them through the process.

 

 

How has the response been since the launch?

Right now we launched in Aug 3 months 1,500 downloads, we have a couple hundred transactions. We are starting to grow to a couple transactions a day. Currently we are looking to grow to a couple hundred per month so that the service is providing an easier way to move. While we are adding trust to the moving process. Just like Uber, you know your not going to get over charged.

 

How do you compare to companies like Uber and other moving companies?

Uber did a ton of things we learned a lot from them they were in the same office as were are at now. Same price, no hidden fees. No 2 hour minimum. A lot of companies quote you at $600 then charge you more on the side. We don’t charge extra for weight.

How does it work for the person moving?

You say where you’re going, take a picture of what you’re moving, then the driver decides if they can help you move it. We have insurance licensed bonded, for all of our users.

How much demand is there?

Drivers wish there was more demand, we are working to give them more transactions. We have a lot of demand, but still not enough demand where the drivers are busy 24 hours a day. We want to be able to give them a living wage. 20-40 per hour for our movers. Stay busy. The prices is good for them, the service is really easy because we are utilizing the sharing economy, a lot of our users are young.

What have been some challenges that you’ve had to overcome?

Clearly define the vision and experience to our users. We know what we’re doing. How much is this going to cost. We are always educating the user base. It all goes back to marketing and to the brand. In the beginning. We wanted to do scheduling and people don’t expect on demand help. Changing the idea, re-education the market has been the biggest challenge. The fist time experience can be un-natural to people who use and get them use to how we function.

 

 

 

 

What is a piece of advice you can share with people wanting to start a startup? 

Having a clear vision, education to the marketplace. Communicate your vision in a short and sweet way, instead of going into a longer dialog each time.

What are your passions about what your working on?

I like to think that I’m anyones buddy. I wanted to link people with a buddy with a truck. It’s really awkward for both parties when people are moving. The person with the truck doesn’t want to say no. I had an explorer in college. All of my friends asked me to help them move. It sucked! I felt the pain and got paid in pizza and beer. We wanted to be the buddy

 

What is next for buddytruk?

An andriod app we want to make sure that anyone with a phone can access our app. And more cities. are asking to use our app.

What’s one pice of advice for someone who wants to start a startup?

The most basic advice I can give any one is to,  ”Just start it.” Your going to make a thousand mistakes and that tends stops people from starting. So many people are scared to start so I say, “just start it!” Embrace that you’ll be wrong all the time. People hate being wrong that mentality. Entrepreneurs love failing, we love making mistakes. The only mistake you make in life is the mistake you make twice.

 

 How can people learn more about Buddytruk and use your services?

Download our App from the App Store >>> HERE

Check out our website at buddytruk.com

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