Moving should be an adventure, not a chore

Transcript

Full transcript page · Interactive episode

============================================================
TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
============================================================

[00:00] SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Canada's Podcast.
[00:06] SPEAKER_02: Hello, I'm Mario Toniguchi with Calgary's Podcast on Canada's Podcast Network.
[00:10] SPEAKER_02: Joining me today is Addison Perfena, who is CEO of Two Small Men with Big Hearts Moving.
[00:18] SPEAKER_02: Thanks for joining us today, Addison.
[00:21] SPEAKER_01: Glad to be here.
[00:22] SPEAKER_02: Alright, let's start just give me a little history of the company and how you started it.
[00:29] SPEAKER_01: Sure, I actually didn't start it.
[00:32] SPEAKER_01: It's been around since 1982 and a couple of guys in Surrey, they bought a truck and they put an ad in the Vancouver Sun for their moving service and they didn't get many calls.
[00:46] SPEAKER_01: So I guess they tried a few different names, I don't know all the names that they tried, but eventually they tried Two Small Men with Big Hearts and the phone just rang off the hook.
[00:54] SPEAKER_01: Customers thought it was cute or funny and felt comfortable enough to give them a call and they were off to the races from there.
[01:02] SPEAKER_01: It's true today in a competitive ad space, Two Small Men with Big Hearts really stands out.
[01:09] SPEAKER_01: So from there, it grew as a franchise model and I think that's probably one of the best ways to grow a business in that time before technology.
[01:18] SPEAKER_01: The playbook for these guys was really to buy a truck and get Dennis was the name of the guy who painted all the trucks by hand.
[01:26] SPEAKER_01: You know, just we just free hand with the paintbrush and put an ad a half page or full page in the yellow pages and you got a business.
[01:35] SPEAKER_01: So you know, you got this entrepreneur that goes and starts in a new market, Calgary or Leithbridge or wherever.
[01:45] SPEAKER_01: And part of the result of that has been as we've kind of bought and consolidated more of the locations into our corporate model when I go to markets like Grand Prairie or Saskatoon, people say,
[01:59] SPEAKER_01: when I tell them one with Two Small Men with Big Hearts, they say that started here, right?
[02:02] SPEAKER_01: And I think that's it sort of did start there because an entrepreneur really started from scratch there, but really it started in Vancouver in the early 1980s.
[02:14] SPEAKER_01: How did you get involved and when?
[02:17] SPEAKER_01: In 2011, I came on the scene and my partner and I bought the Emerton franchise.
[02:23] SPEAKER_01: And so we had tried a couple of different moving businesses and different moving brands, but we got involved with these Two Small Men guys and we so we bought the Emerton franchise and the Emerton operator had retired and they had these, you know, some unbelievable furniture movers, many of them had worked from the previous operator or for other locations.
[02:43] SPEAKER_01: And we just followed that same little playbook and had a great little business in Emerton and the trouble was at that point.
[02:53] SPEAKER_01: Many of the franchise relationships were somewhat fragmented and the franchise is more really working. It really ran more like like 20 independent moving businesses that had the same name.
[03:06] SPEAKER_01: And so we kind of set out to get the offices working together. We thought this brand is incredible and it's so powerful and with this, we have this great little business name and imagine what this could be if everyone was working together.
[03:18] SPEAKER_01: We could grow our long haul business and grow grow grow our markets and still at this point, 2011, if you can imagine, 2012, 2013, the primary lead source for the business is the yellow pages book.
[03:31] SPEAKER_01: And so we thought we have to get everybody working together on on a new marketing strategy. You know, we have to have one consolidated website.
[03:38] SPEAKER_01: So we tried to work with some of the offices and get things going and eventually made sense for us to begin, begin buying the locations.
[03:47] SPEAKER_01: And one of the things we really wanted to work on was there's some of these stories from the early days where two small minute big hearts was really a community focused business.
[03:55] SPEAKER_01: And so even their stories about the flood in 97 in the red river in Winnipeg where you know, move us from across the country went out to Winnipeg to help the sandbagging efforts.
[04:06] SPEAKER_01: And we just thought, yeah, we didn't really be in the guys with the big hearts and we got to get everybody working together.
[04:13] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, so we started we started buying out the locations.
[04:20] SPEAKER_02: So when you look at the company right now, Addison, what's your reach? How many locations they have and from where to where in the country?
[04:30] SPEAKER_01: There's locations from Ottawa to Victoria and we own, we own most of them in Western Canada. There's a couple of great franchises that still operate, we giant an avid's for it, but, but in most locations in Western Canada, we run, we run corporate locations.
[04:45] SPEAKER_01: And that's one of the kind of the most fun things about my journey has been actually going and buying these operations.
[04:53] SPEAKER_01: You know, we, you know, we, you know, we, you know, we can negotiate the deal with the with the operating who's been there for 20 years and it's his baby and that sort of exciting in itself.
[05:01] SPEAKER_01: And then in every example over the years, I've actually moved to the city for, you know, three, six months or a year, depending on how big the office was, figured out the trucks, you know, brought the bookings into our system, usually from a paper binder into our operating system and got to meet the movers, the talent, which is what we, what we bought the place for in the in the first place and they have such interesting stories and such a unique experience with our brand and in the history.
[05:30] SPEAKER_01: And, you know, a niche strategy for loading a truck or for servicing the customer and, and in every case, they're scared of a new buyer and of change, but, you know, they're willing to kind of give us give us a shot.
[05:46] SPEAKER_01: So that's been really exciting over years.
[05:48] SPEAKER_01: So how many total locations they have right now?
[05:52] SPEAKER_01: Okay, I, we own 10 locations and there are six or seven others that are franchise.
[05:58] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, okay.
[06:01] SPEAKER_02: Obviously a planning for future growth, more locations coming.
[06:08] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's a couple of locations that were that were that we're looking at for sure.
[06:12] SPEAKER_02: Okay, then tell me a little bit about, you know, the business itself, you know, I like, I like the tagline on the website, moving should be an adventure, not a chore.
[06:25] SPEAKER_02: Can you talk a little bit about that? And, and like, I guess what, what your guys in terms of your purpose and mission and what you're doing.
[06:35] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's, it's for us, it's in the industry, it's a lot about the labor, the movers are the labor, but in our company, the movers are the talent and it's a very different mindset.
[06:48] SPEAKER_01: And we've gone as far as as outlawing the word labor and, and, you know, it's about safety, prioritizing safety.
[06:57] SPEAKER_01: It's about recognition and, and, and, you know, there's, there's prizes for quality of service and for safety and for so many other things, but, but, you know, it's just sort of the, the, the movers care and they're good, conscientious people.
[07:12] SPEAKER_01: And they want to do a great job because they care it, it comes through in our, in our service and it, and it puts our customers at ease.
[07:20] SPEAKER_02: Are you finding it, you know, you don't talk about labor, but are you finding it difficult like everybody else out there, finding people these days?
[07:29] SPEAKER_01: More and more. Yeah, I mean, it's been an adventure through, through COVID with, with low interest rates and with all this stimulus.
[07:38] SPEAKER_01: The housing market was on fire and so moving companies have been drinking through the fire hose and so, you know, the battle, you know, to have the best labor has been, has been real for us, but we really, you know, our differentiators, we're trying to be the employer of choice.
[07:53] SPEAKER_01: And we think that's the best strategy to win. There's a lot of, a lot of market share for us to, to take on and is all about having the best people.
[08:02] SPEAKER_02: So, so Addison, when you, when you started this, this journey in the entrepreneurship world, what, just curious, what were you doing before you got into this?
[08:17] SPEAKER_01: Well, I had a landscaping business and a small moving business when I was in high school, really.
[08:24] SPEAKER_01: And, and then I was working for a company out of, I'm from Winnipeg, originally, and I was a property manager.
[08:33] SPEAKER_01: And anyway, a lot of the tenants needed moving service and that's how I kind of got into the, into the moving industry.
[08:39] SPEAKER_01: And then my former business partner, who just retired earlier this year, Stu Starkey, he had gone involved in these guys with two small men and invited me along for the ride.
[08:49] SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay, then. What do you enjoy about being an entrepreneur?
[08:56] SPEAKER_01: You know, it's, it's the, it's the challenge of it. It's, it's, it's about learning and developing my skills and, and learning and reading from others that have been here before.
[09:12] SPEAKER_01: And I just find it very energizing, you know, looking inward and, and trying to do better all the time and, and growing a company, it's the adventure of it.
[09:21] SPEAKER_02: What about, what about the flip side of things? What don't you enjoy about being an entrepreneur?
[09:29] SPEAKER_01: Well, at the start, at the start, you have to be this generalist, you have to do everything and you have to do stuff you're great at and, and stuff you're no good at all at.
[09:39] SPEAKER_01: And, and that's one of the things I love most now about about this part of my career is that, you know, you can, you can hire great people to do that stuff that you're not so great at.
[09:47] SPEAKER_01: You know, it's, I'm more on the idea and the deal and, and the strategy, but in compliance and, and these different things, that's not my, not my skills and I'm sure many, many entrepreneurs would, would align with that.
[10:01] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so as you look back, well, maybe not even look back, but even now on your, this journey, what are, what are the kind of things that helped you along the way in terms of people, I don't, books you read, any mentors, you talk a little bit about that.
[10:22] SPEAKER_01: Absolutely. There's been a lot, a couple of great books, good to great Jim Collins, drive Daniel Pink, but the thing that comes to mind most of all is the entrepreneurs organization.
[10:34] SPEAKER_01: So it's a global organization of entrepreneurs and I'm a Calvary chapter member and I'm part of a forum there with seven other guys and, and you know, seven other people, seven other entrepreneurs on their own journey and, and making mistakes and, and, and, and having successes and learning from their experience.
[10:50] SPEAKER_01: That's been a major differentiator for me for sure, the Calvary.
[10:56] SPEAKER_02: Okay, what have you learned in the past? Obviously we've gone through a couple of difficult years with the pandemic and, and subsequent impact on everything in our lives, but what did you learn to through that period of time?
[11:14] SPEAKER_02: Did you have to change business at all in any way?
[11:21] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, in, in, in, in, in, in many ways, I guess the big lesson is that there's, there's good years and, and, and bad years and you got to make, hey, well, the, well, the sun shining and, and, and conserve and prepare. I mean, we, you know, now we're on the other side of it.
[11:37] SPEAKER_01: You know, I said earlier, we're drinking through the fire hose for those years. Well, now the Bank of Canada is increasing, increasing rates and, and, and, and real estate activity has slowed down tremendously.
[11:47] SPEAKER_01: You know, so you, you got to conserve those good times to, to, to be ready to take on the bad ones.
[11:54] SPEAKER_02: And I, I guess when in your industry, obviously, as you mentioned, the real estate market really fuels everything, right? And, and, and that real estate market can be different, you know,
[12:07] SPEAKER_02: if you're in Calgary or, you're in Toronto or whatever, right? So activity may be high in Calgary, that is certain time, but it may not be so in, Regina type, for instance, right?
[12:18] SPEAKER_01: No, well, that's really the beauty of how the multi location, you know, in the last couple of months, Winnipeg has been the highest grossing market somehow, you know, you know, beating over Vancouver and, and Calgary, the market has just been super, super hot there.
[12:31] SPEAKER_01: And, and so, yeah, that's absolutely true.
[12:34] SPEAKER_02: So, I just thought came to mind. So do you just deal with residential or do you do commercial moves as well?
[12:42] SPEAKER_01: We do some, we do some commercial too, but we, we, the residential is, is really our bread and butter, and we started as a local mover and we're breaking meaningfully into, into, long home moving as well.
[12:54] SPEAKER_01: We have in our market are many of our competitors.
[12:59] SPEAKER_01: It's hard to find a guaranteed price, and, and it's really stressful for the customer to not understand what the final price is going to be.
[13:07] SPEAKER_01: And so, we're trying to offer, you can find out in the market at a real premium, a guaranteed price, we're trying to offer more of a, a value guaranteed price.
[13:15] SPEAKER_01: And, and it's been, it's been a really a winning, winning strategy for, so we're breaking meaningfully into the, into the, long haul business and in regional hauling from Winnipeg to Victoria.
[13:26] SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay, and wonderful. So obviously being an entrepreneur takes a lot of time out of your day.
[13:33] SPEAKER_02: You know, a lot of people talk about it being 24 or 7, always on the go.
[13:39] SPEAKER_02: What do you do to, to relax, or what do you do to kind of de-stress, I guess?
[13:48] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I mean, I, I think, I think a lot, a lot would agree, like, I really like all the action all the time.
[13:54] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[13:55] SPEAKER_01: And, and you know, we were always growing the business and renovating the house and doing all kinds of things.
[14:01] SPEAKER_01: But now we have, now we have kids, I have a 20-month-old daughter, Ella, and a seven-week-old son, Henry.
[14:07] SPEAKER_01: And, you know, every day is really about getting, getting things done so I can carve out that dedicated time.
[14:14] SPEAKER_01: One of the strategies has been we bought a cottage last year at Lake of the Woods and, and just the, which is just two hours from, from Winnipeg.
[14:22] SPEAKER_01: There's lots of beautiful cottage country outside, outside Winnipeg.
[14:25] SPEAKER_01: And so, yeah, we get out there as a family, we got our first summer down there.
[14:30] SPEAKER_01: We can have the grant, you know, the, the, the, the grant parents out in my parents and Alexis parents out on the weekends and just be together.
[14:38] SPEAKER_01: I can work from old now and I can, I can work from anywhere.
[14:41] SPEAKER_01: So that's, you know, it's all about getting that, that quality time in and that's one way, one thing we really leverage to, to support that is the cottage.
[14:49] SPEAKER_02: You have any interest, like in terms of hobbies or passions that you do?
[14:54] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, I mean, I'm an avid skier.
[14:59] SPEAKER_01: And, and I loved, I loved to be on the mountain and, and, you know, I spent a lot of time with, with my EO buddies supporting each other and, and, yeah.
[15:10] SPEAKER_01: But, but, you know, being a dad and especially having this, the, the, the second one now it's, it's, it's the best thing ever, but there's no question.
[15:17] SPEAKER_01: It's a, it's a challenge. So it's certainly, it's certainly taken a lot of my energy these days.
[15:21] SPEAKER_02: So we're all just go back a little bit here to, I talking about your, as you said, your EO buddies.
[15:28] SPEAKER_02: What do you think it takes to be an entrepreneur?
[15:36] SPEAKER_01: You know, I, I think the big thing is to understand that it doesn't all happen at once, you know, to, to, to set a vision and, and set a course and look, look out there 10 years, 15 years.
[15:50] SPEAKER_01: And, and give it down into smaller steps. I've been guilty before in the past of just waiting for something to happen. There's going to be some windfall that's going to make or change everything.
[15:58] SPEAKER_01: But really it's about breaking things down into smaller steps. Where do I have to be at the end of this year to be there in 10 years?
[16:05] SPEAKER_01: Where do I have to be at the end of this quarter to be there at the end of the year? What do I have to do today in order to achieve that goal?
[16:12] SPEAKER_01: And so I think it's all about, it's understanding, it's all about incremental projects or progress and, and breaking it down into smaller steps.
[16:21] SPEAKER_02: Yeah. And, you know, it is a, a journey isn't it, right? It's, it's, it's not something I think a lot of people are, are, you know, like a talent, you know, say, you know, hockey player or whatever basketball player in your God given talent, right?
[16:38] SPEAKER_02: This is really takes hard work, doesn't it?
[16:41] SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely. And you have to be able to do that introspection, look in the mirror and understand where he went wrong and, and did better.
[16:50] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[16:52] SPEAKER_02: And, if you weren't doing this, what do you think you would be doing as a career?
[16:58] SPEAKER_00: Well, this is the only thing.
[17:01] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no entrepreneur. It's, it's, it's been, it's been an exciting ride and I can't imagine doing anything else.
[17:09] SPEAKER_02: Okay, so wonderful. Thanks, Addison, for joining us today.
[17:14] SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much, Mario.
[17:15] SPEAKER_02: All right. That was Addison Perfennak, who is CEO of two small men with big hearts moving.
[17:21] SPEAKER_02: I'm Mario Tonoguzi with Calgary's podcast on Canada's podcast network. Thanks for joining us today.