Hirsch’s co-founder shares her tips to get to the top

In this episode of the “Making SMEs Matter” podcast, sponsored by Investec Business Cash Solutions, Hirsch discusses how she built the business up from a small appliance repair shop to the largest privately-owned home appliance store in the country, and stands by the adage: “You can work for a business and make a living, or you can work for yourself and make a fortune.”

1.    Start small and don’t borrow

It’s easy to get funding or a loan, but you’ll have to pay it back with interest. Rather sell your skills and build up slowly. “That’s the way you start. You sell your skills and you don’t spend the money, you keep it and put it back into the business.” 

2.    Think big and stay positive

It takes just as much effort to make R1 as it takes to make R1-million, but you have to remain positive and stay the course. “You just have to carry on in life. There’s no 'stop the bus, I’m getting off',” says Hirsch.

“Keep a positive attitude. Be happy in yourself and help other people to be happy.”

3.    Start with the end in mind

Most people don’t get what they want in life, because most people don’t know what they want.

“Where most people go wrong is that they start from today and think they can climb up the ladder. You have to start with the end in mind,” says Hirsch. “When you call an uber, you can’t just say ‘drive around a bit until I decide where I’m going’. You’ve got to know where you’re going.”

4.    Hire the right people

You’re only as strong as your team, so hire talented, enthusiastic, energetic people.

5.    Dare to be different

Regardless of the product or platform you offer, you need to find a differentiator. “You have to be unique. There is so much of the same old, same old. You don’t want to be the same and that’s why our stores are unique in the world. We are unique in that we fix everything we sell.”

Hirsch believes that there are two reasons people don’t succeed. The first is they don’t have the confidence to believe in themselves and the second is that anybody can do it, but you have to work hard, and you have to have a good attitude. You can train skills, but you can’t train attitude.