Having contacts in multiple markets gives us resources to gain both perspective as well as leads. It is both fun and rewarding to experience our growth.
Owner
Smooth Transitions of St. Louis
Smooth Transitions of St. Louis
Having contacts in multiple markets gives us resources to gain both perspective as well as leads. It is both fun and rewarding to experience our growth.
The support I received from the Smooth Transitions family helped me turn my business around and become stronger than I could have ever imagined.
Despite entering a market with 11 other SMM companies, our exceptional training and brand strength has enabled us to become the preferred SMM in our area.
With Smooth Transitions impeccable reputation nationwide, the training, practices and ethics have helped me build a solid business.
Smooth Transitions gave me the training and tools to start my own business. Over five years later, the family members continue that support as we face different challenges in a growing industry.
Smooth Transitions business model was perfect, meeting me right where I was at that time in my life and offering everything I needed to be successful.
We distinguish ourselves by offering heart, expertise, and professionalism that is second to none in the Senior Move Management industry. We empower our licensees through our rigorous training, business planning, marketing support, software systems, and proven processes that are unmatched.
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The first step is to determine what, if any, training you need including certification through NASMM.
In addition to the NASMM’s training program, you will receive hands-on training at our Columbus Training Center, or virtually through Google Meet one-on-ones. You will learn how to estimate better, manage transitions, recruit and train your own staff, learn lead generation, and more.
We have made it even more accessible for you to join the Family:
$8,500 ONE TIME VIRTUAL TRAINING FEE FOR UP TO TWO INDIVIDUALS.
Our virtual option provides some cost savings for travel and meals while still giving the same one-on-one training experience. Any of the materials you need for the packing and sorting are shipped to you in advance.
$10,000 ONE TIME IN PERSON TRAINING FEE FOR UP TO TWO INDIVIDUALS.
If you prefer our in-person hands-on training, we would love to have you at our training center in Columbus Ohio. The in-person portion of your training will take up to 7 consecutive days including your shadowing of a consult and move.
If you did not prepay for your territory, you will only need to pay an annual license renewal fee. This will continue to provide you with all the benefits of the license as well as access to new materials and training. Your license renewal fee for your territory will remain locked at this rate and will not increase. You may opt to purchase a larger territory at the begining to lock in a lower renewal rate than if you purchase that territory later.
Training without the Smooth Transitions specific methodologies and continued support is available, but there are two requirements:
Keep more of your capital on hand and secure the minimum territory to become a licensee. Additional territory can be purchased at full price.
Please confer with your CPA on the tax implications of what you can deduct as this option is usually chosen for its potential tax benefits.
Of course, if you have any other questions, feel free to give us a call, and we will be happy to help you.
A good SMM is a person who posesses many qualities. They are calm, compassionate, professional, organized, and above all else... patient. In addition to these character traits, a SMM has many niche skills that are needed to guide and manage the move of someone's home of 30 years or more. And to be successful long term, they of course need excellent business skills.
SMMs find this line of work rewarding both financially and emotionally. SMMs often help people in times of emergency and stress. Lifting clients out of their bad situations can bring many hugs and happy tears. And, if managed well, it can be a very profitable business. SMMs annual revenues can range from $30,000 for easy going part timers, and soar to over $1,000,000 for those willing to scale their business. It simply depends on how well you overcome the four main challenges of becoming a SMM.
There are plenty of books, including one by our founder, on how to become a senior move manager. But the problem nearly all new SMMs face is gaining access to the tribal knowledge that is beyond what a book can convey. Many SMMs fail within their first or second years because they simply don't know how to make the business successful.
Profit is not a four letter word. It is the air your business needs to breathe so it can go on living. Without proper training and discipline many conflate reducing their profit with compassion.
This challenge applies more to those who want to grow beyond a $60-$100,000 a year revenue. To do so requires you to step aside and scale your business to have managers of the moves and a manager of your sales. The most financially successful SMMs have employees for both roles, though most start with them fulfilling at least one of those roles themselves. It simply is not possible to do all the roles yourself and maintain a high revenue.
While this is a growing industry, not every location is a good fit for a SMM business. There are several key factors and calculations that need to be considered to know if the market will support it now, and grow with it into the future. Some of the most profitable regions may surprise you.
Most entrepreneurs looking to start a SMM business usually believe they need to consider one of two choices. The first is to purchase a franchise and sacrifice as much as 23% of their profit (masked as a 7% franchise and marketing fee) in exchange for access to support and training. The second is to go it alone and try to figure it out through online trainings, books, and seminars.
The problem in both cases is that they make overcoming all the challenges difficult. On the franchise side, you will find it difficult to capitalize off your profit because such a large portion of it is going to the franchisor. Going it alone, however, requires you to learn many hard lessons on your own, and requires you to not only become proficient in being a SMM but also in marketing, advertising, web site development, print design, copy writing, search engine optimization, public relations, and more to be on par with your franchise competitors.
Unlike a franchise, we do not charge a percentage of gross revenues, instead you pay a nominal annual fee of $3,500 per year. In exchange, you receive all the same benefits of a franchise. The key difference is that you get to keep your profit. This empowers you to fully capitalize your business, attract better talent because you can afford to pay them more, and thus have a smoother running operation. And unlike a franchise, you have more autonomy. Plus because you have the support of the license, you save tens of thousands in marketing, advertising, and development fees. It is truly the best of both worlds. In fact, over 90% of our licensees continue their business to retirement, or they choose to sell it to the next generation. Check out the five year comparison of a license vs a franchise.
License Vs Franchise