How to Start a Moving Box Rental Business: $1000/mo on the Side

Sometimes the simplest ideas can lead to remarkable success.

That’s certainly the case for Gary Grewal, founder of Cal Box Rental, a moving box rental service that has grown from a college student’s brainstorm to a successful side hustle generating $1,000 in monthly recurring revenue.

For the last 10 years, he has been renting out moving boxes with a low start-up cost, consistent and increasing demand, and only a few hours per week to run on the side of his day job.

Tune in to Ep 635 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:

how Gary turned a college idea into a thriving box rental business
the tactics that helped him gain his first customers
how strategic partnerships fueled his success in the moving industry

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How Gary Launched His Box Rental Hustle

It all started when Gary was in college at UCLA. It’s move-in day, and there are mountains of cardboard boxes everywhere. Being sustainability-focused, Gary thought of a way to make things better.

So he does what any aspiring entrepreneur would do—he googles “rent moving boxes.” He found a company in Canada called Frogbox doing exactly that. Gary took the idea to California instead of getting discouraged that someone beat him to the punch.

Now, he had to source the actual boxes. After a false start with some oversized Tupperware from Lowe’s, Gary discovered a company called Reusable Transport Packaging that sells heavy-duty plastic crates in bulk. He paid about $2,000 to have 50 boxes delivered.

“I didn’t know if people would actually rent these from me,” he admitted.

Gary rented a storage unit for $80 a month to start. A bit of overhead, but necessary to keep the inventory secure and accessible.

He didn’t do extensive market research or customer surveys. He just ordered some boxes and put himself out there. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get the ball rolling on a side hustle.

Pricing and First Customers

Getting those first few customers is always a challenge, whether you’re renting out hot tubs like Steve Nadramia (Episode 428) or setting up a scooter fleet like Lenny Tim (Episode 564).

For Gary, he hit up Craigslist. Remember, this was about 10 years ago. Craigslist was still a go-to spot for local services. It was free, easy, and hey — it worked.

For pricing, Gary did what any smart entrepreneur does — he looked at the competition. He landed on about $199 per week for 50 boxes.

For his first delivery, Gary rented a truck from Home Depot for $19.99.

As the business grew, Gary got creative with partnerships and reached out to a Sacramento moving company to handle deliveries. He got logistics handled; they get an extra service to offer their customers.

Fast forward to today, and Gary’s got close to 1000 boxes in his inventory.

Repeat Customers and Diverse Clients

Repeat customers are the holy grail for any business. Gary’s found that once people try the eco-friendly box rental option, they often come back for their next move.

It’s a testament to the service and the product. Plus, it’s way easier (and cheaper) to keep existing customers than to constantly chase new ones.

But Gary also started thinking about who else might need his services. Here’s where it gets interesting:

Interior designers: They often need to pack up entire rooms for renovations.
Offices: When a company moves or renovates, they’ve got tons of stuff to pack.
Retail stores: Gary mentioned a cool example of an auto parts store that needed to pack everything up while they redid their floors.

Local SEO and Online Presence

Gary’s not out there spending big bucks on ads. Instead, he’s focusing on local SEO. He’s using Wix for his website, which might not be the first platform you’d think of for SEO.

But in any case, Gary’s making it work by following their SEO checklist and focusing on local keywords.

He’s also been proactive about building partnerships with moving companies, interior designers, and other local businesses. He’s even got custom promo codes for some partners.

This isn’t just about getting referrals (though that’s great). It’s about becoming part of the local business ecosystem.

So don’t just wait for customers to come to you. Your next big customer segment might be one you haven’t even thought of yet.

Legal and Financial Safeguards

When you have a business, liability insurance is always a smart move. When you’re dealing with physical products that people are using to move their stuff, you want to be covered if something goes sideways.

What if someone claims they cut their hand on a box? Or tripped over one? It might seem unlikely, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

It’s also a must to have a rental agreement (like most rental businesses require). Gary turned to Nolo, which offers legal templates for all sorts of situations.

Payment Processing Solutions

Gary’s got a few options in his toolbox:

Square: This was his go-to in the early days.
Venmo for Business: As Venmo has grown up, so has Gary’s business. This is now his preferred method.
PayPal: Another solid option, especially if you’re dealing with businesses who prefer it.
Credit cards over the phone: Sometimes, especially with business clients, you’ve gotta go old school and take card info over the phone.

Gary doesn’t keep credit card info on file. Once the rental is complete and everything’s squared away, he discards the info. This is to protect his customers’ data and limit his liability.

Building Their Online Reputation

At the heart of Gary’s approach is making it easy for satisfied customers to leave reviews. He’s added links to his Google Business and Yelp pages in his email signature—a subtle yet effective reminder that pops up with every interaction.

It’s not pushy, but it makes it easy for satisfied customers to sing your praises.

Building on this passive approach, Gary is also proactive in seeking out reviews. He’s using a tool called NiceJob, which automates the process by sending text messages to customers after the job is done.

It’s a great way to strike while the iron is hot—right when the customer is (hopefully) feeling good about the service they just received.

Gary also mentioned that he’d sometimes pick up the phone and call customers directly. If a customer had a great experience, a quick, friendly call can be just the nudge they need to leave a nice review.

A Day in the Life

Gary’s running the whole operation in just about 3 hours a week. That’s the dream—a business that brings in cash without eating up all your free time.

Running the business doesn’t take much time. Gary runs the whole operation in about 3 hours a week by answering emails, scheduling deliveries, and managing customer requests.

Everything is tracked in a simple spreadsheet, and he also stays engaged with the industry, building relationships with interior designers and other potential referral sources.

This networking has led to partnerships, collaborations, and even features in local magazines like Style Magazine and on shows like Good Day Sacramento.

Any Mistakes or Surprises Along the Way?

When you’re in the rental business, you’ve got to think about what condition your stuff comes back in. In this type of business, people don’t always return boxes in pristine condition.

We’re talking pet hair, human hair, even sprinkles! So Gary always factors in cleaning time and costs.

Sometimes boxes come back cracked or unusable. The challenge is deciding when to charge customers for damages and when to just chalk it up as a cost of doing business.

So he has built these considerations into his rental agreement to make sure customers are held accountable for the boxes they rent.

What’s Next for Cal Box Rental?

Gary isn’t planning on scaling his business nationally—he’s content knowing he’s making a positive impact on the environment.

His business is a reminder that sometimes a side hustle can be about more than just the bottom line. “If renting boxes becomes the norm over buying cardboard, then I’ll know I succeeded,” Gary shared.

If you want to know more about Gary’s story, visit calboxrental.com to see what services he has going on. And if you’re curious about other unique rental businesses, check out Financial Fives, his book on sustainable living and finance.

Gary’s #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation

“Just start.”

Episode Links

Cal Box Rental
Frogbox
Reusable Transport Packaging
Steve Nadramia
Lenny Tim
Craigslist
Wix
Google Business
Yelp pages
NiceJob
Financial Fives

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