From the Founder
By Nicholas Edmond Baucom — Founder & Commander, Two Marines Moving
In August of 2009, less than a year after Two Marines Moving was founded, a business writer published an article about the company.
At the time, the company was still young.
- —There was no seventeen-year operating history.
- —There was no large content library.
- —There were no decades of lessons learned.
There was simply a business trying to earn trust one client at a time.
What caught my attention when I recently revisited that article was the author's description of the Marine Corps influence behind the company.
He called it a force multiplier.
As a Marine, that phrase stuck with me. Because Marines understand exactly what a force multiplier is.
A force multiplier is something that makes everything around it more effective.
Looking back today, I think the writer was right. But perhaps not entirely for the reasons he described.
The Company Didn't Start With a Move
When people hear the story of Two Marines Moving, they often focus on the first move. That's not where the story starts.
- —Before there was a move, there was a company.
- —Before there was a company, there was a website.
- —Before there was a website, there was a name.
- —Before there was a client, there was a founder trying to build something that did not yet exist.
When Two Marines Moving was founded on November 10, 2008, there weren't two Marines. There was one.
Me.
- —I created the company.
- —I built the website.
- —I generated the leads.
- —I booked the first client.
- —Then I had to figure out who was going to execute the mission with me.
That's entrepreneurship.
The First Mission
The day before our first scheduled move, I interviewed and hired another Marine.
- —Like me, he was an infantryman.
- —Like me, he was a Sergeant.
- —Like me, he had served as an Infantry Squad Leader.
The following day, we loaded a client's rental truck in the snow. I served as the Team Leader. He served as the second mover.
No fleets of trucks.
Just one rental.
No awards.
Just the mission.
No recognition programs.
Just the standard.
There was a client. A mission. Two Marines. And a commitment to execute professionally.
Looking back, it seems simple. At the time, it felt important. Because it was.
Leadership Was Present From the Beginning
One thing I've learned over the years is that company culture often appears long before people recognize it.
Two Marines Moving was not built by people avoiding responsibility. It was built by people accepting it.
- —The first mover I hired was an Infantry Squad Leader.
- —The founder was an Infantry Squad Leader.
- —Leadership wasn't a future goal.
- —Leadership was present on the first mission.
Those experiences brought expectations with them: accountability, professionalism, teamwork, preparation, mission accomplishment.
We weren't talking about culture. We were living it.
The First Real Force Multipliers
The Examiner writer suggested that the Marine Corps brand itself was a force multiplier. Perhaps it was.
But when I think about force multipliers, I think about people.
One of the earliest force multipliers in company history was an active-duty Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. No kidding.
He wasn't my first hire. But he became one of the earliest people to strengthen the organization. He worked weekends while continuing his military career. Like many military families, he had real-world responsibilities, including three daughters attending college. Additional income mattered.
But there was something else. He genuinely enjoyed being around Marines. He enjoyed the culture. He enjoyed the standards. He enjoyed being part of a team.
Years later, while assigned to the Pentagon, he continued working with Two Marines Moving.
- —What stood out wasn't his rank. It was his leadership.
- —He reinforced professionalism.
- —He reinforced accountability.
- —He reinforced standards.
- —Most importantly, he was a good man.
To this day, I consider him one of the superstars in company history.
The Real Force Multiplier Was Never the Name
The writer believed the Marine Corps name served as a force multiplier. I understand the argument. Clients see the word "Marine" and immediately associate it with certain qualities: discipline, reliability, accountability, professionalism.
That has always been true.
But after all these years, I've come to a different conclusion.
The real force multiplier was never the name. It was the people.
- —The Infantry Squad Leader on the first move.
- —The Lieutenant Colonel working weekends.
- —The Marines. The Soldiers. The Reservists.
- —The veterans.
- —The civilians who embraced the standards.
Those people created the reputation. Those people earned the trust. Those people built the company.
The logo mattered. The name mattered. But people were the real force multipliers.
A Final Thought
When I read that article now, I don't see an old business article. I see an early snapshot of a company finding its footing.
More importantly, I see a writer recognizing something that still matters today.
He called it a force multiplier. I agree.
But the force multiplier was never the logo. The force multiplier was the people who chose to uphold the standard.
Brands attract attention. People build companies. Standards make them endure.
Original Examiner.com Article — August 31, 2009
Primary Source — Reproduced in Full
By Stephen Jackson
Examiner.com, August 31, 2009
Borrowing rightfully a powerful brand helps a small local company grow. This is an article about Two Marine Moving, a small moving company in Alexandria VA that since opening its doors in November of last year, has grown from two persons (former marines) to 35 employees with 6 trucks despite the recession. They have several hundred moves under their belt. In a time when other moving companies in the area are closing up shop, Two Marines Moving has steadily grown. There is an extra cache to their name and logo. The "sweat equity" has Marine written all over it.
The military is always in the lookout for force multipliers, something that gives firepower a multiplier, or supply delivery massiveness or whatever is needed in manifold amounts. The use of the word and the effect of the Marines in the company name is a force multiplier. It acts on a prospective customer the minute they see the company name. If you have a "hump" relocation mission on your horizon, getting a crew of former Marines to assist you in getting over that hump is a no-brainer. You know and are comforted in the knowledge that they have faced tougher missions in the past than your current move.
Two Marines Moving provides local and long-distance moving to residential and business customers in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Nick Baucom, founder, started the company to satisfy demand for a quality moving experience and create opportunities to continue working with Marines after his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps.
Baucom hires military veterans who take pride in their punctuality, professionalism, and proficiency. On any given day, diesel moving trucks loaded with veterans depart their motor pool to satisfy customers throughout the region.
Baucom was smart to use a powerful brand within his business model. Branding is now part of the common language of marketing. At its core, branding goes far beyond slogans or logos. It means creating promises with customers and then delivering on those promises. Strong brands are reflected in loyalty, consistency, integrated operations, and strong relationships. If you read the testimonials at the Two Marines Moving website, you will find evidence that those promises are being kept and referral relationships are expanding.
Semper Fidelis.
"Mission First. Team Always."
Nicholas Baucom — Founder, Two Marines Moving
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