Cabby and Lee Payne move furniture for Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and St. Vincent de Paul. They do the work of four men in seamless harmony.
“You pull this side; I’ll do this one,” Cabby said to her husband.
With a strategic tug, a full-sized couch slots into place.
“There you go,” Lee answered.
The couple has been married 12 years, and they have six children. The pair works in a calibrated ballet with great communication, despite long hours. Between the two of them, they lift from 4,000 to 6,000 pounds a day loading household goods.
Their journey to entrepreneurship wasn’t straight forward. “My brother-in-law kept telling me to get into junk removal,” Lee said, “but at the time I was an investment financial counselor.”
Open to other opportunities and eager to get on the road, Lee pursued a commercial driver’s license. “I studied for my CDL during COVID, but found out that insurance to drive my own rig would cost $16,000.”
Instead, with an investment in a $350 aluminum trailer, the Paynes launched into a new direction. “Before, Lee had his career, and I stayed home with the children,” Cabby said. “Now we work together. It’s not ‘my’ role or ‘yours.’ We do everything together.”
She said one Bible verse guided their efforts: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,” (Matt 6:33 KJV).
Lee’s customer service experience comes into play navigating around people frustrated and tired due to upheaval. “As long as your first impression is one of kindness, you can break through barriers of customers’ frustration,” Lee said. “You can win people over, and eventually, they will mirror your love.”
He reflects how their lives have changed in a few years. “A lot of people start on one path, but end up somewhere else,” he said. “Although I got my CDL to drive rigs, God used that effort and made it work out in a new outcome where I’d be able to drive the trailer for our own business.”
When we seek to be faithful where God sends us, doors open.
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Resource from the Small Business Administration for steps to consider when starting your own business:
https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/10-steps-start-your-business
