At Two Marines Moving, private property matters.

A lot.

In fact, respecting private property is one of the most important responsibilities we have.

Think about what our clients are actually doing when they hire us.

They are inviting strangers into their home.

They are trusting us with their furniture.

Their heirlooms.

Their family photographs.

Their keepsakes.

Their valuables.

Their memories.

Their property.

That trust should never be taken lightly.

We Work With Private Property Every Day

Most businesses never enter a client's home.

We do.

Every day.

We walk through living rooms.

Bedrooms.

Garages.

Basements.

Storage units.

Attics.

We handle items that people have spent years, and sometimes decades, acquiring.

Sometimes we move items worth thousands of dollars.

Sometimes we move items that have almost no financial value but enormous sentimental value.

Private property deserves respect.

Always.

Being Invited Into A Home Is A Privilege

A client's home is not public property.

It is private property.

Nobody owes us access.

Nobody owes us entry.

The client is choosing to trust us.

That trust creates responsibility.

Show respect.

Be professional.

Handle belongings carefully.

Treat the home with care.

Act like a guest.

Act like a professional.

Because that is what we are supposed to be.

Nobody hires movers because they want strangers wandering around their house.

They hire us because they need professionals they can trust.

Ownership Matters

One thing I've noticed throughout life is that people generally understand the importance of their own property.

Most people don't want other people messing with their stuff.

That's normal.

In fact, that's healthy.

I am protective of my own property.

My flip-flops are my property.

My Jeep is my property.

My tools are my property.

My business is my property.

Two Marines Moving is a privately held company.

That means it is private property too.

Caring about your own property is the right thing to do.

Responsible people take ownership seriously.

Responsible people protect what belongs to them.

Responsible people maintain what belongs to them.

Responsible people care about what belongs to them.

That's part of ownership.

Protecting Property And Respecting Ownership Are Different Things

There is an important distinction that sometimes gets overlooked.

At Two Marines Moving, we spend our days protecting property that does not belong to us.

We protect client furniture with moving pads.

We protect client furniture with shrink wrap.

We carefully load trucks.

We carefully unload trucks.

We carefully place furniture.

We take steps every day to protect property we do not own.

That is part of the job.

In fact, that is part of the trust our clients place in us.

But protecting property and owning property are not the same thing.

We may protect the client's couch.

We do not own the couch.

We may protect the client's dining room table.

We do not own the table.

We may protect the client's home.

We do not own the home.

Those are two different concepts.

We Protect The Property. We Don't Own It.

When we arrive at a client's new home, we'll ask:

"Where would you like this couch?"

Or:

"Where would you like this dresser?"

Why?

Because it is not our furniture.

It is not our house.

It is not our floor plan.

It is not our decision.

We are there to protect the property.

We are there to transport the property.

We are there to place the property where the client wants it.

We are not there to take ownership of decisions that belong to the client.

Ownership and stewardship are different things.

A professional understands the difference.

Be Protective Of Your Property. Be Respectful Of Other People's Property.

There is a difference between being protective of something and acting as though it belongs to you.

It is perfectly reasonable to be protective of:

• Your home
• Your vehicle
• Your business
• Your possessions

It is also perfectly reasonable to be protective of client property that has been entrusted to you.

That's exactly what movers are supposed to do.

What's not reasonable is acting like somebody else's property belongs to you.

Respecting ownership means understanding that distinction.

What's mine is mine.

What's yours is yours.

Both deserve respect.

Working Somewhere Does Not Make It Yours

Another lesson that has been reinforced throughout my life is that access and ownership are two different things.

Just because you use something does not mean you own it.

Just because you're allowed on a piece of property does not mean it belongs to you.

Just because you're trusted with equipment does not mean it becomes your equipment.

The Marine Corps reinforced that lesson.

I carried an M4 rifle.

I was responsible for it.

I was accountable for it.

I was expected to maintain it.

I was expected to safeguard it.

But it wasn't my rifle.

It belonged to the United States Government and the United States Marine Corps.

I was entrusted with it.

That's different than ownership.

Being entrusted with property does not make you the owner of the property.

Company Property Is Company Property

The same principle applies in business.

When somebody works at Two Marines Moving, they may have access to:

• Company trucks
• Company equipment
• Company moving pads
• Company tools
• Company facilities

But access does not equal ownership.

The truck is company property.

The moving pads are company property.

The equipment is company property.

The facility is company property.

Two Marines Moving is company property.

A person may be invited onto that property.

A person may work on that property.

A person may use company equipment.

None of that changes ownership.

Employees are trusted with company property.

That trust is important.

But trust and ownership are not the same thing.

When someone is on Two Marines Moving property, they are on company property.

When someone is operating a company truck, they are operating company property.

When someone is using company moving pads, they are using company property.

Working somewhere does not make that property yours.

It means you have been entrusted with it.

There is a difference.

"Your Office" Isn't Really Your Office

People will sometimes casually refer to:

"My office."

And depending on the context, that's fine.

But let's be precise.

If the office is located on company property, then it is company property.

An employee may work there.

An employee may spend all day there.

An employee may be assigned that office.

But assignment is not ownership.

If someone truly wants their own office, there is a very straightforward process.

Call a commercial realtor.

Find an office.

Negotiate a lease.

Sign the lease.

Pay the rent.

Then it is actually your office.

Until then, you're using office space that belongs to somebody else.

There is nothing wrong with that.

That's how most businesses operate.

But access and ownership remain two different things.

Being Invited In Does Not Mean Ownership Changed

I've personally never invited someone into my home or my office and said:

"Make yourself at home."

That's never really been my philosophy.

My home is my home.

Your home is your home.

My office is my office.

Your office is your office.

Being welcomed somewhere does not mean ownership changed.

It means you've been invited.

Those are very different concepts.

Common Sense Still Matters

Let's use a humorous example.

Suppose somebody walks into my office.

They take off their boots.

Then they take off their socks.

Then they sit down in the middle of the office and start clipping their toenails.

We now have a problem.

Not because of the toenail clippers.

Because that person has confused access with ownership.

They have confused:

"I am welcome here."

With:

"This is my property."

Those are not the same thing.

The issue isn't the toenails.

The issue is boundaries.

Most people understand that there are things you might do in your own home that you do not do in somebody else's office.

Professional adults understand the difference.

Property And Boundaries

In many ways, private property is a physical expression of boundaries.

A person's home is a boundary.

A person's vehicle is a boundary.

A person's business is a boundary.

A person's possessions are a boundary.

One reason I value private property so highly is because I value boundaries.

Healthy people respect boundaries.

Professional people respect boundaries.

Trustworthy people respect boundaries.

The same principle applies whether you're discussing a client's dining room table or somebody else's personal business.

Respect what belongs to other people.

Ownership Creates Responsibility

Ownership is not just privilege.

Ownership is responsibility.

If something belongs to you, it is your responsibility to maintain it.

Your home.

Your vehicle.

Your business.

Your possessions.

That responsibility is part of ownership.

At Two Marines Moving, we often become temporary stewards of client property.

For a brief period of time, we are responsible for things that belong to somebody else.

That's a responsibility we take seriously.

The Mission

At its core, moving is really about trust.

Clients trust us inside their homes.

Clients trust us around their families.

Clients trust us with property they have spent years working to acquire.

Trust and respect go hand in hand.

And respect starts with understanding a simple principle:

Private property matters.

Final Thoughts

At Two Marines Moving, we believe private property deserves respect.

Client property.

Employee property.

Company property.

Personal property.

Ownership matters.

Responsibility matters.

Boundaries matter.

Protect property that is entrusted to you.

Respect ownership.

Understand the difference between protecting something and owning something.

Be protective of what belongs to you.

Be respectful of what belongs to others.

It's a simple principle.

But an awful lot of professionalism, trust, responsibility, and civilization rests on that foundation.

Semper Fidelis,
Nicholas Edmond Baucom
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Two Marines Moving

Marine Combat Veteran Founded & Owned Since 2008. Industry Leading Pay. Moving Done Right. Join the Mission.