Foldable, re-usable, stackable: New Charlotte business takes out moving stress
Multitasking is something many people struggle with, but for Joseph Smith, it’s where he thrives.
In late 2023, in the midst of chaotic wedding planning, Smith’s difficulties organizing all of his wedding-related moving parts sparked an idea that became his business: Bento Move.
“From paying for rentals for our wedding, I was like, these people are buying things, and then they’re getting reused over and over again,” he said. “So I was like, okay, I gotta get into the rental business.”
Starting with 200 boxes, Smith said he didn’t spend too much time stressing over whether the idea would fail. He just decided to try it and deal with the outcome later.
“There’s always a risk in business,” he said. “I don’t know if this is gonna work. My goal was: I’ll buy 200 of them. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, I’ll just sell them for a loss on Facebook.”
Today, Bento Move’s inventory has grown to 600 boxes.
How Bento Move works
“We try to make it as simple as possible to eliminate barriers to purchase,” Smith said.
Most of the process happens online. If you’re looking for hands-on help relocating your belongings, Bento Move isn’t offering that yet. For now, the company focuses on providing reusable containers to help customers transport items from one place to another.
Customers choose a package based on the number of rooms in their home. Options include a studio/student package, as well as one, two, three and four-bedroom packages. “You would select the number of rooms that you have,” Smith said. “We do everything by our packages, by room. Our studio/student package starts at 12 boxes for $139 for two weeks’ rental.”
After the move, customers unpack, clean the boxes and return them.
For now, Smith said Bento Move is limited to local moves, but he hopes to expand. The company’s team is small with just Smith and his brother-in-law as its employees, but growth is part of a multiphase plan.
“Phase one right now is building out our rental product and getting our name out there,” he said. “Phase two is actually offering full-blown moving services. So you’ll be able to get your boxes from us.”
Marketing for the company is also a major focus that Smith juggles. It also aligns with his undergraduate major.
“It’s also just understanding how to actually get in contact with people,” he said. “It’s one of those things where, until you see it, you don’t miss it. You’re like, ‘Oh, I never thought of that. I would totally use that,’ but you would never have thought about Googling it.”
Even labeling the help provided is an issue because when people are looking to move, what is it exactly they are looking for?
“Do we call them totes? Do we call them crates? Do we call them bins?” he questioned out loud. “Trying to find and meet people where they’re at.”
The next ‘move’
Although Smith said he and his wife are still on the fence about having children, he hopes to build Bento Move into a long-lasting family business.
“We’re definitely building it to last for a while,” he said.
“I think the coolest part of this business, the unexpected part, was being, even in a small way, a part of somebody’s typically new beginning. Somebody is moving into a new apartment, a fresh start. It’s really cool when somebody moves from an apartment into their first home, or from a smaller home to a bigger home.
“The feel-good factor for me is being part of somebody’s fresh start.”
