At TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, we live by a set of core values which were created to guide us each day as we work to exceed our customers’ expectations.
These aren’t just marketing taglines we use in our ads. Our Core Values guide the way we manage our business and treat each customer and employee. In this list of Core Values, there is one that stands out and summarizes how we strive to run our business and live our lives- THE GRANDMA RULE®.
THE GRANDMA RULE embodies who we are as a company and was inspired by the early days of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® and the people who helped created it. Throughout every TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise from the US, to Canada, to Europe, you’ll find mentions of The Grandma Rule® and see our teams living up to it as best as they can.
What is THE GRANDMA RULE®?
THE GRANDMA RULE is To treat everyone the way you would want your own Grandma to be treated.
This goes for everything from how our teams treat customers, to how we work with and treat our coworkers, and how our franchise locations support their communities. Treating everyone we meet the same way we want our own grandmas to be treated ensures we give others the care, compassion, and respect they deserve.
THE History of The GRANDMA RULE®
To understand the history of THE GRANDMA RULE, we need to go back to the very beginning of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, in the mid-1980's, when Founder Mary Ellen Sheet’s two sons – Brig and Jon– began moving people in Lansing, Michigan as a way to make a little extra spending money for University.
As both sons went off to University, Mary Ellen kept receiving calls about the business and decided to keep it going by hiring a few local movers. Doing this while also juggling a full-time job proved difficult, but luckily her mother was there to help with her new business. “Grandma Eb” offered up her backyard as a place to park the trucks and allowed her small barn to be used as an “office” of sorts, providing a home base for the growing operation.
Her support and dedication to the brand in these early days was instrumental in getting TWO MEN AND A TRUCK up and running, and she even took it upon herself to help with small tasks involved with the business. She cared for each and every member of the team and even coined the nickname the “yard boss”. Her care and compassion not only for the moving team but for the company’s customers is a great reminder that strong customer service and how we treat people goes a long way. This is how THE GRANDMA RULE came to be.