Jesse Barnhart applied to Little Guys Movers the day after he graduated high school. Initially they told him he was too young, but then called him up and asked him to start the next day. They figured if he could cut it, then he could be a Little Guy regardless of his age.
“I was convinced they were trying to kill me the first week,” says Jesse, “but I kept coming back.”
And he’s still here to this day. Jesse climbed the Little Guys ladder to become Branch Manager of the Waco location. “We have this motto: Work Hard, Play Hard,” he says, “and we live by it. Little Guys feels like family.”
Q&A with Jesse Barnhart
How did you grow your career with Little Guys Movers?
I worked my way up from a mover to a Crew Leader and driver. I engulfed myself into the team mentality. Of course I consider myself one of the best movers ever for the best moving company in the country, however you can not move a 2,500 square foot house by yourself. I took pride in the ability to train anyone — regardless of experience — to be able to move items safely and efficiently. Eventually I became the Crew Leader that new guys worked with so they could learn the role of a Little Guy.
Today, the company has an employee self-promotion program that sets clear goals for every position from Noob up to Rangers. Employees now have a visual layout of how to grow within the company. It has proven to be extremely motivating and my employees love it.
Why should someone consider a career with Little Guys?
Employees have a say at each store. Between Crew Leader meetings and all-store meetings, everyone gets a voice. The ability to see set goals leading towards management is awesome. And the environment — when we say we are family, we mean it. Once you become a Little Guy, you will always feel like one — I keep in contact with 3/4 of the Little Guys I used to work with, and the other quarter still works at Little Guys!
What is your advice for someone who is interested in climbing the ladder at LGM?
Learn everything you can within your first month. Become someone that the Crew Leaders rely on and request to work with. When you think you are ready to drive a truck, go to the manager and ask to start your driver training and learn to be a Crew Leader. Once you become a full time Crew Leader, the sky’s the limit. Make yourself known as safe, efficient, and accurate with your contracts. From this point, you have a faster track to a management position than with any other company.
People who do well here have the ability to stay organized and maintain their character in an extremely fast-paced work environment; employees who lead by example even without trying. Lastly, most of our customers are in the midst of a very stressful transition in life, so the ability to be compassionate is key.