When Mark Hirschi was nine, he told his father that a friend got $5 a week for allowance and asked if he could have an allowance, too.
But Bob Hirschi is an old-school, self-made businessman who doesn’t believe in debt financing or handouts, so he put young Mark to work in his Vancouver Island window-covering business.
Mark earned $1 for each blind he put up in people’s homes. He earned $25 his first day on the job, and an entrepreneurial seed was planted.
“I learned a lot about customers and customer service,” said the 28-year-old entrepreneur.
The lessons he learned working with his father would come in handy later in life when, at the age of 25, he became general manager and co-owner of a moving company – Action Movers.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own,” he said. “Take his experience and my drive; it kind of works hand-in-hand.”
Born and raised in Switzerland, Bob Hirschi was apprenticed as a pastry chef and immigrated to Canada in 1968 at the age of 23. His first business was a bakery he bought in 1971 in Victoria. He started with one store and three employees, and, by 1978, it had become a small chain – the Little Giant Bakery – with 10 stores and 100 employees.
He sold the business in 1981 to go to Papua, New Guinea, with his young family to do missionary work (he is a minister for the New Apostolic Church). When it became apparent he’d have a hard time getting a decent education for his son and daughter in New Guinea, he moved his family back to Canada and went into the car restoration business.
In 1986, he sold that business, left Vancouver Island for Vancouver and was involved in a variety of businesses. In 2006, he tried to retire, but was soon back in business – this time with his son.
After studying marketing and graphic design at CDI College and BCIT, Mark Hirschi worked as an art director for a marketing company. He was later hired to help manage Action Movers. He ended up running much of the day-to-day business, and managed to increase sales by 15%.
“I could see, if it was run properly, it could make money,” he said.
Some moving companies do not present well, the Hirschis said, so Mark went to work cleaning up the company’s image and building its brand.
“I want guys clean-cut because they’re representing our company and they’re going in the home,” Mark said. “So I did start firing a lot of people and hiring a lot more college students, hiring guys with more experience, paying them maybe a little bit more.”
In 2008, Bob Hirschi sold a couple of condos (“I’ve always invested in real estate,” he said) and bought the business outright.
Bob owns 51% of the company and is president, although he refers to himself as the company’s “gofer.” He handles the accounting and makes sure the fleet of trucks is maintained. Mark owns 21% and is the general manager.
Although he cleaned house, Bob Hirschi kept the name, Action Movers, he said, because his efforts to improve the company’s brand and reputation were already paying dividends. Moving companies typically experience lulls, especially at the end of each month, so Mark expanded into providing its trucks and movers to home staging companies.
Mark relied on his marketing and design background to improve the company’s branding through the company’s website, which he designed himself, as well as through social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and homestars.com, where consumers can post rants and reviews.
Since buying Action Movers, the Hirschis have expanded the fleet of trucks from six to 11 and now employ 40 workers. They have increased sales by 120% since taking over three years ago. In 2010, the company won the Consumers Choice Award for business excellence.
Like many family-run businesses, the father-son combo says one of the biggest advantages of working with family is the trust factor.
“It’s nice to have somebody you can trust,” Bob Hirschi said. “We have a good relationship. We all trust each other and love each other. We work for each one’s benefit.”
Another benefit is that – unlike so many empty-nesters who rarely get to see their children once they retire – Bob Hirschi gets to see his son every day.
“Plus I can pass on my knowledge and my experience, because experience you cannot buy.”
“When we bought this company, and especially in the last two years, our relationship has gotten a lot more tender, because we see each other ever day,” Mark said.
Now 66, Bob said he will stick around for three more years, then plans to retire – this time for good.