Killen Logistics and Owner Michael Killen
Need to move technical equipment across the country, send high-value gear to a client, or sensitive materials to a manufacturer? Consider hiring Killen Logistics, the company founded by this month’s gig worker, Michael Killen. He has a wealth of experience to share building up a successful logistics company and some important advice for our readers.
What is your side-Gig? What made you decide to do a side-Gig? How long have you been doing it?
Killen Logistics is the result of over 25 years of working in the logistics industry. I started working in logistics under household goods as a mover at the young age of 18. I moved mostly military households who were based out of Fort Irwin near Barstow, California. I worked as a mover for 10 years and I learned the ins and outs of the moving industry. I eventually left moving household goods due to an on-the-job injury.
Since I was exposed to logistics at a very young age, it became second nature to me to continue working in this industry. Through life's twists and turns, I have worked in other sectors but I eventually returned to logistics to work on the sales side. No more back breaking hard labor!
Working in sales came naturally to me. Along the way, I had some great mentors who took me under their wing to teach me their sales and business development skills. I like to pride myself that I learned from old school successful business owners who taught me to always place the customer first. When I have networked with other logistic companies and have told them who mentored me in logistics, it typically elicits a positive response from people who have been their competitors in the past. In fact, I landed a job because they respected my mentor so much, they knew I would be the right fit for their company.
My logistics expertise is in special commodities. Special commodities are electronics and anything high value that may have special requirements. I have worked with clients who ship tanning beds to celebrities, Las Vegas slot machines, cars for the PGA Golf Tour, and high value medical equipment such as MRI machines. Working in logistics you have to work under a tight schedule to ensure the item arrives on-time and in one piece. My clients place their trust in the fact that their product will arrive to their destination with no issues.
As I got older, I no longer wanted to work for someone else. I wanted to work for myself and reap the benefits of being my own boss. I started Killen Logistics as a 3rd Party Logistics (3PL) provider. Basically this is a company that does not have their own trucks, but rather, they work with specialized applications and services to book loads and provide quotes to new and existing clients. As a one person show, I am responsible to myself and no one else.
What training or education did you have? How did this inform your career path and/or your side-Gig?
Working in logistics at a young age prepared me get me to this point. While I did attend a few classes at the local community college, I did not have the support of anyone around to keep me in school. Rather, I used life to teach me and maturity to get me to this point. Starting a family changes your focus in life and so I started to look for ways where I could become my own boss and find opportunities that could align with the time I had available. I also have to add that technology has changed so much in the last 25 years that it has facilitated the ability to work from home.
What is the best part about doing a side-Gig?
Freedom. When I was young, I didn't think about being the boss, I just wanted to earn money to buy cool things and have a car. As I aged and started a family, becoming my own boss became I goal I started to pursue because it represented freedom and the ability to work as hard as I wanted to.
When you work for someone else, they have expectations that may or may not benefit you in the long run. When you are working for someone else, you are often made promises that your boss or company won't or can't keep. Unfortunately, I have had the experience of working for respectable business owners but when they passed away, the company went under because there was not a strong person in line to take over. It has actually happened to me twice. I learned from those experiences and I want to work for myself so I don't have to worry about layoffs or changes in management.
What was the hardest part about starting a side-Gig? How would you advise others to address this?
Logistics is a very competitive industry. Companies need to ship their products but they want to do it cheaply. In the past, I would call on companies and provided them a quote but they told me I am too expensive. Once they tell me their price range, it sometimes blows my mind how low their quote is. When that happens, I typically explain to them that they get what they pay for.
In logistics, you are moving high value goods that need to get from point A to point B in one piece. I explain to them the higher quote is paying for the service of having an experienced driver who will handle their load with care and follow any special instructions at the point of delivery. In addition, I explain to them they will have access to me anytime time from pick-up to delivery. From my experience, those same people who wanted cheap rates, reach out to me after they have had a bad experience with another carrier.
I typically spend more time looking for new business to partner with. For me, evenings and weekends are not breaks, but rather they are opportunities to reach out to new customers. Spending this extra time takes me away from my family but my wife is very understanding because she knows this will benefit our little family.
How have you leveraged social media and the web to grow your side-Gig?
LinkedIn is a gold mine. I can not stress how valuable LinkedIn is for business. I am actively on LinkedIn and utilize my contacts to find new customers. I also follow online pioneers Grant Cardone and I read Zig Zigler's books which have guided me along my sales career. My education has been my life experience. I am always open to learning and networking with people who I can learn from. I am also active on Twitter and I also started an Instagram account for Killen Logistics.
Many people start a side-Gig to reach financial freedom. Is doing a side-Gig profitable?
Extra income is always welcomed. My wife and I have plans to move out of the state when our son finishes high school. I don't know where we are moving too but we need to be financially prepared to live in an area where salaries are not high. It would be nice to have financial freedom for once in our life. Both my wife and I have always worked. My wife and I started working in our teens, so it would be nice to have income from a steady business. I understand that a business is like growing a tree. You have to continually tend to it or it will die without water and care. The fruits of my labor will eventually pay off.
How do you balance your side-Gig with your personal life (family, vacations, leisure-time, etc.)?
I tend to work a lot and my wife knows it. However, I do know when to stop and spend time with my 13 year old son and my wife. My son will be the one to remind me that he wants to spend time with me. I sometimes have to take a step back and remind myself that life is short and we can not take ourselves too seriously. My son is growing very fast and before I know it, he will be in college. I cannot rewind time so it is very important that I spend time with him before he grows up.
What is your goal in the next 5-10 years?
My goal in the next 5 -10 years is to be able to earn enough income so my wife doesn't have to work or only part time doing something she loves like teaching. She has agreed to come on board but I have to pay her really well in order for her to stop working full-time. We also want to build up our life savings so we can purchase a retirement property in the middle of nowhere away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
To find out more about Michael Killen and his company:
Email: mike@killenlogistics.com
