Mischa Greenberg, 60, of Penn’s Landing, is Founder of Moves-Made-EZ. Greenberg started the business after being laid off as a sales rep for the pharmaceutical firm Novartis. The business assists people with the often daunting task of downsizing and relocating from larger to smaller homes. She started the business in 2015.
Q: How’d you come up with the idea?
A: I knew my career in the pharmaceutical business was winding down and I had given a lot of thought to what I would do after I got the golden handshake. I had been doing what I’m doing now for friends and family my whole life. There were three missions I wanted to achieve with a company: one, I wanted it to make a difference in people’s lives, two, I wanted to do something physical where I wasn’t tied to a desk, and three, I wanted to do something that would have a positive impact, even if small, on planet Earth.
Q: The startup money?
A: My next-door neighbor runs the Women’s Opportunities Resource Center and I took a course through the WORC and wrote a business plan. The startup costs were insignificant other than the insurance, car insurance, creating an LLC and becoming a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers. My business takes very little overhead, boxes and tape. It was probably about $6,000.
Q: What’s the biz do?
A: It’s residential downsizing, staging and repurposing for older adults and baby boomers. I go to people’s homes, help them sort out every cup, saucer, parachute, belt, piece of art. Then I figure out what goes to eBay, Craigslist, what’s donated to charity, what goes to the new home, what goes to children that live out of state. Then I get it sorted, packed, hire movers, oversee move day, unpack everything, make the bed and put the toothbrush in the toothbrush holder. So it’s complete relocation services although most clients choose segments of that, depending on what their need is. The moving is all subcontracted, so I don’t have movers, and I usually suggested taking three bids and the moving doesn’t run through my business at all. Depending on the client, I may also subcontract junk removal services, which doesn’t run through my business. I arrange all these things, handle the appointments, am there to meet these folks, but the costs of these services don’t flow through my business.
Q: How’s the biz model work?
A: I charge $50 an hour. A three-bedroom house not belonging to a hoarder would cost about $2,500 on average. I’ve had clients moving from 8,000-square-foot homes to 900 square feet of assisted living. Each move is unique but a big component in the time factor is the emotional adjustment. There are some people who want to tell me the story of every tsotchke or belt buckle or photo and while I work hard to focus on the tasks at hand I also think it’s important for me to listen and give them the respect because I think it’s cathartic for people who are seeing these heirlooms for the last time. They want to share the stories. Also, it’s not unusual for children to pay my fee and take care of the move and dispose of stuff they don’t want.
Q: The value prop? Competitors?
A: There’s significant competition in this area but I’m the only member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers in the city of Philadelphia. What differentiates me is my location, I’m the Center City person, and I also understand the particular needs of Center City, the narrow streets, the loading docks, how big a truck can turn from Delancey on to 2nd Street. I’ve also spent a lot more time marketing my services to the realtors of Center City who are learning about this option for their clients and are understanding how helpful I can be in getting them to the settlement table in an empty house. Also, a lot of my clients are moving into continuing care facilities and they’re dealing with morbidity and it’s very emotional and they really need someone who’s sensitive to that.
Q: Your customers?
A: A typical customer is middle-aged or older, mid-to-late 80s. The vast majority of my clients are moving from a larger space to a much smaller space, they can be singles or couples, and almost all of my clients don’t want stairs. Most of my referrals come from realtors, but I do a lot of marketing and networking. Last year, I had about 30 clients, although not all at the same time. I’ve had everybody from an elderly woman who went to her doctor from her home and was not well and was told she would have to go directly to assisted living right from the doctor’s appointment. So each client has a unique situation.
Q: The biggest challenge?
A: Keeping up with the demand. I have to plan and find staff and you have to have the right people for the job. I need people who understand the difference between an inexpensive piece of china and an expensive piece and how to handle it and have a level of sophistication.
Q: How big a biz?
A: I have three part-time employees at the moment but I expect to add more this year. It’s not always me sitting there in the client’s kitchen sorting through the forks and knives, although I manage and oversee every move. I’m not doing this for the money, I’m doing it out of passion.
Q: What’s next?
A: My business is growing fast and I foresee increasing it by 50 percent this year, in addition to adding staff. There’s a very large competitor on the Main Line who’s got 45 employees and 10 trucks and she’s tried to hire me many times. Most people who work in this business are part-time because it’s generally pretty seasonal or cyclical and you don’t necessarily have work until the work comes in.
Michael Hinkelman 