Franchise FAQ
We’ve been moving families and offices since 2006, and we’ve learned that the same things that make a move go right also make a franchise go right: a clear plan, honest numbers, and a crew that shows up accountable. If you’re considering joining Milestone, here are the questions we hear most.
Common Questions
Do I need moving industry experience to open a Milestone franchise?
No. Most of our franchise partners come from operations, sales, or management backgrounds outside moving. What matters more is that you’ve run something - a team, a territory, a P&L - and you understand that the customer remembers the crew’s punctuality long after they’ve forgotten the hourly rate. We teach the moving business. You bring the discipline to run it.
Our ideal candidate has hired and fired, handled an upset customer without passing the buck, and knows that a binding written quote only works if the person giving it has the authority to stand behind it. If you’ve done that in any service business, the transition to moving is straightforward.
What is the total investment range to open a Milestone franchise?
The total initial investment typically falls between $150,000 and $350,000, depending on your market size, whether you lease or buy trucks, and your facility needs. That range covers the franchise fee, branded trucks, equipment, initial marketing, and working capital to carry you through your first few months of operations.
We don’t quote the low end to get you in the door and then stack requirements later. The number we give you after our mutual evaluation is the number we expect you to need. Some markets cost more. Some cost less. Either way, you’ll know before you sign.
Does Milestone offer financing assistance?
We don’t finance franchises directly, but we maintain relationships with third-party lenders who understand our model and have funded Milestone partners before. Many franchisees combine SBA-backed loans with personal investment. We also offer a discount on the initial franchise fee for qualified veterans.
What we do provide is a clear itemization of what the money buys, so when you sit down with a lender, you’re presenting real numbers attached to real equipment and real territory rights. A lender who can see where every dollar goes writes a cleaner term sheet.
What kind of territory and exclusivity do I get?
Each franchisee receives an exclusive territory defined by population density and move volume, not arbitrary lines on a map. A typical Milestone territory covers 250,000 to 500,000 people in a defined metro area or submarket.
We don’t sell overlapping territories. If your trucks are garaged in Fort Lauderdale, no other Milestone franchisee is marketing to Fort Lauderdale customers. That said, long-distance moves originating in your territory and delivering elsewhere are yours to book, and we have clear protocols for coordinating with the destination franchise when both ends are Milestone operations.
How long is the initial training, and where does it happen?
Initial training runs four weeks: two weeks at our Hollywood, Florida headquarters, followed by two weeks in your own market with our opening support team riding along. At headquarters, you’ll train on the M.O.V.E. system - Measured quotes, On-time windows, Vetted crews, Everything protected - and work alongside active crews on real moves.
The second two weeks happen in your territory, where we help you hire your first crew, survey your first homes, and deliver your first binding quotes. By the time we step back, you’ve already handled a customer complaint and a scheduling conflict, because those don’t wait for month two.
What ongoing fees or royalties does Milestone charge?
Franchisees pay a monthly royalty based on gross revenue, plus contribute to a national marketing fund that supports brand awareness, digital presence, and lead generation in every market we serve. There are no hidden technology fees, no mandatory software upgrades billed separately, and no penalty for growing fast.
The marketing fund is pooled across the system, which means a franchisee in a smaller market benefits from the same professional creative and search investment as a major metro. We negotiate vendor relationships at system scale, and those savings flow through to your operating costs on trucks, equipment, and supplies.
How long does it take to open after I sign?
Most franchisees are operational within 90 to 120 days of signing. The first 30 days are site selection, truck procurement, and local licensing. The next 30 are buildout, hiring, and headquarters training. The final 30 to 60 days are soft launch and local marketing activation.
Delays usually come from local permitting or commercial lease negotiation, not from our end. We’ve opened enough locations to know where the bottlenecks hide, and we flag them early. If your market requires a warehouse for storage services, that adds time. If you’re running labor-only from a small depot, it shortens.
What ongoing support does Milestone provide after opening?
You get a dedicated franchise business coach, weekly operating reports benchmarked against the system, and 24/7 access to our dispatch and claims support line. We run regional meetings twice yearly and an annual conference where franchisees swap what works.
Our call center answers every customer inquiry live, 24 hours a day, which means your phones ring at 10 PM on Saturday and someone with Milestone training is on the line booking the job into your schedule. The claims desk is staffed by our people, not a third party, so when a customer calls worried about a scratched table, they reach someone who can dispatch a crew or cut a check without routing through four voicemail boxes.
We also handle national digital marketing, SEO, and reputation management, so your trucks show up when someone searches “movers near me” at 2 AM.
What does the ideal Milestone franchisee look like?
Someone who winces at the phrase “we’ll figure it out on move day.” Someone who has fired a person who deserved it and kept a person who didn’t deserve to be fired, and can explain the difference. Someone who understands that a binding written quote is a promise, and that breaking it costs more than the revenue from one job.
We do well with former military officers, multi-unit service business operators, and people who started in the trucks and worked up to running the office. What they share is a bias for showing up in the window they gave you, and a belief that the customer who remembers your name is worth more than the one who forgot it because nothing went wrong.
What’s my next step if I’m interested?
Call our franchise development line at (855) 890-3455. You’ll speak with a real person, not a qualification bot, and we’ll schedule a conversation about your background, your market, and whether the fit goes both ways. If it does, we’ll send you our Franchise Disclosure Document and arrange a discovery day in Hollywood, Florida, where you’ll meet Dale, tour headquarters, and ride along with a working crew.
There’s no fee to start the conversation, and no pressure to move faster than your own due diligence allows. We’ve been at this since 2006. We’re not racing to sell territories. We’re building a network of owners who run their markets the way we’d run them ourselves.
Still Have Questions?
Every franchise story starts with one phone call. Ours is (855) 890-3455, answered by a live person any hour of the day. Or fill out the form below and we’ll call you back within one business day with straight answers and no recruitment theater.
Written by Dale Whitmore, Owner & Crew Chief, Milestone Moving Co., serving local communities since 2006.