|
RESULTS WITH SMARTMOVING $5.5M in revenue | 20% net profit margin | 46% conversion rate |
Before opening Swamp Rabbit Moving & Storage in 2020, Chris Sweet was a mover with a dream of turning his side hustle into a thriving business.
Since then, he’s grown Swamp Rabbit to 17 trucks and $5.5M in revenue—all while donating 3% to local charities. But Chris’s journey to profitable business owner wasn’t always smooth sailing.
“At first, you want complete control because you want everything to go perfectly. But once I realized the power of delegation, that's where I really saw a trend in upward growth,” says Chris.
Chris knew he needed strong backend systems from the get-go to support the team and the causes he cares about. That’s why he chose SmartMoving as the moving software and CRM to power his business.
Chris shared how he's stayed profitable while extremely growing fast. Watch his fireside chat here 👇
For Chris, one of the biggest perks of entrepreneurship is the ability to choose where to invest your time and resources. From day one, he knew he wanted to give back.
Swamp Rabbit is a big supporter of organizations like Fire Pit Ranch and Habitat for Humanity. They not only offer free moves for all Habitat for Humanity Homes, they also donate 3% of revenue to charitable organizations throughout South Carolina.
But running a community-centered business on the philosophy of cashflow-led growth comes with some unique challenges.
“It’s easy to give when you’re making money, but it’s a lot harder when you’re in the negative,” says Chris.
In 2022, he partnered with business coach Winston Davis from MoveUp Consulting to help him get his house in order so he could scale his business strategically–and quickly.
“He had all the backend office knowledge that I needed, and I had the moving experience. I knew if I brought him on, he would help me bridge the gap. Then once I realized the power of having a coach, that was it. I've had a coach ever since,” Chris explains.
Chris founded his business with a vision of giving back: "If you don't do anything good with the money you're making it, what's the point?"
It’s a commitment Chris now lives by—rain, shine, or slow season.
He gives his allocated 3%, even during down months. Knowing that local charities are counting on him gives Chris more reason to closely watch his KPIs and fix issues as soon as they arise.
Instead of making decisions based on instincts, he uses real data to improve sales and operations.
“In the beginning, I was wearing multiple hats. I was dispatch, I was sales, I was mover, I was driver. I was doing all these things. And what I was finding is that the old method of adding jobs to the schedule via Google Docs was biting me in the butt,” says Chris.
Many movers go years without a CRM, but when Chris’ coach recommended SmartMoving, he didn’t hesitate.
Before SmartMoving, Chris and his team were missing important details and opportunities. “You don't want that dreaded phone call the morning of a move like, ‘hey, where are you?’ and have to scramble to make it happen,” says Chris. “That was part of the reason we integrated a CRM so early on in the business.”
Chris uses data from SmartMoving to make confident decisions about how to grow both revenue and profitability. Decisions that have led to a profit margin of 20% on $5.5M in revenue.
At Swamp Rabbit, the formula to team success is simple: empowerment + accountability = thriving culture.
“We want to make sure that the person as a whole is empowered before we hold them accountable to the action. If you mix those two together, you'll wind up with a positive culture,” says Chris.
He’s confident that his team culture is the best in the area, but that doesn’t mean he can kick back and let it happen on its own. With a streamlined system for dispatch, crew management, and reporting, Chris can track the things that matter to keep his team motivated and on-track.
Chris created a strong hiring process consisting of “multiple hoops” candidates have to jump through to ensure that they align with team values.
He’s also a strong believer that, as the owner, you set the example of what a successful entrepreneur looks like: “I always like to look at it as, am I somebody that I would want to work for?”
Chris lays a strong foundation during the orientation process. After that, it’s all about staying in tune with the team to make sure they're following standard procedures.
“We make sure that we stay in touch with what's happening in the field and then when we find somebody that's not a core value fit, we let them go quickly. It only takes one person to put a damper on the whole culture,” he explains.
It’s an approach that works. One of Chris’ original hires is still with the team. Even in the winter months when hours are low, the majority of his crew stays by his side.
“We have a lot of guys that started out with us in the beginning and stayed with us through the years. That’s cool to see because back then, I was a brand-new business owner,” explains Chris. “They were willing to stick it out through all the hiccups.”
Despite early growing pains, Chris’ passion for working smart and giving back has inspired his best people to stay with him. Of course, his incentive program doesn’t hurt either.
To build a little healthy competition among the team, Chris offers a 5-star review bonus, available to supervisors only.
“The reason we do only supervisors is because we don't want our movers getting too comfortable to where they don't see any growth trajectory in the business. It's an incentive to move up into a supervisor role,” he explains.
The bonus includes a monthly spiff of $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place, and $500 for third place. To make sure they’re rewarding the right behaviors, Chris accounts for any damages as well as other performance issues, like not showing up in uniform.
The result is a 5.0 rating on Google from over 1,200 reviews. And he’s not stopping there.
Chris sees an average of 35 reviews per week and is aiming for 60 to 70% reviews on all jobs. To help get there, he encourages his crew not to count anyone out.
“Anybody on the move—mom, dad, brother, sister—as long as they experience the value that your crew provided, their review is just as legitimate as anybody else's,” says Chris. “Don’t be afraid to ask for multiple reviews from multiple people.”
Chris uses the real-time reports in SmartMoving to keep his finger on the pulse of every crucial success metric.
Like many movers, he assumed long distance moves were Swamp Rabbit’s most profitable jobs, simply because they had the highest revenue. But the numbers told a different story.
“It's an easy mistake to make because you see a $35,000 long distance job and you're like, ‘I have to be making a lot of money on this’. Then you start crunching numbers and you're like, ‘holy smokes, I'd have been better off staying local.”
As the old saying goes, “revenue is vanity and profit is sanity.” That’s why Chris loves the profitability management features in SmartMoving.
“The Profitability tab has been my absolute favorite. It's so insightful and easy to use. It's just a couple clicks of a button and it takes all the guesswork out of it. Now you know what you're really making on each job. It's just such a huge benefit to have that,” he says.
The way he sees it: “There's no point in making or having a high revenue if you're not making any money out of it.”
With a clear window into what is and isn’t generating profits, Chris can be more selective about which jobs to take on and how to adjust pricing and tariffs.
But there’s an art to striking the right balance. Chris keeps a close eye on his sales reports, booked totals, and cancellations so he always knows which levers to pull when it’s time to increase revenue.
“I like to look at each individual survey type and its conversion rate. That way we know what to capitalize on when we need to get more revenue on the books.”
Given his focus on maintaining a positive team culture, it’s no surprise that Chris actively tracks his turnover rates. “If we start seeing a change, we know that there's an issue out there, and can deep dive into it to figure out what it is,” he explains.
The goal is to make sure that each opportunity benefits his team, his community, and his bottom line.
“We don't want to be greedy. We don't even price shop. We know we want to hit 20-25% net profit, so we base our rates off what we want to make, then focus on making sure we get it. It's not about what anybody else around you is charging, it's about the value you provide and what you want to make,” says Chris.
Because Chris and team have become such a positive force in their community, they’re able to charge $30-40 per hour more than other movers in their area. And they know just what to do with every penny.
“I didn’t start giving for the PR, but no good deed goes unseen. Whether you market it or not, there's a ripple effect and people want to do business with you. It makes them feel like they’re giving their money to a good place,” says Chris.
His advice for other entrepreneurs who want to achieve the same success? “Find something that tugs at your heartstrings. The growth journey feels so much better knowing that you're in a position to give back.”