https://www.viddler.com/embed/f2bbf906/?f=1&autoplay=0&player=full&disablebranding=0

The moving and storage Industry has been revolutionized over the last 10 years by Pods. The company was begun by firefighters who saw a need for temporary storage units to hold people's personal belongings after a fire damaged their home. The concept evolved to having portable containers delivered to a customer's home, where they pack it at their convenience. The container is then picked up, put into storage or moved anywhere in the country. The company has serviced over 240 million customers, facilitated 250,000 long-distance relocations, exceeded 1 million deliveries of container units and has over 140,000 containers in service. It has 132 franchise markets in the United States, Canada and Australia, along with corporate operations in larger markets.

Questions:

1. The company began as a sole proprietorship, evolved into a corporation, and then expanded into its current franchise model. What level of planning was likely involved in this evolution?

2. Consider what a SWOT analysis might look like for Pods. What threats and opportunities in the external environment can you readily identify?

3. How would you describe Pods' business strategy: low-cost or differentiation, or a combination of the two? Why do you believe this is so?

4. What common decisions do start-up companies like Pods often face? Are these typically programmed or nonprogrammed decisions?