ON THE MOVE

The knack to a successful business can be as simple as recognizing a hole in the marketplace. That, and of course, a whole lot of work. At least that’s the case for Susan and Jim Saunders, owners of On Our Way Moving, based in Sydney.

“Owning my own business was something I’d been trying to get into for years,” said Jim.

Then in 2008 he noticed a gap in the market for a moving business.

“I had a pick-up truck so I started moving things for people and realized that if I had a cube van, I could do even more — and it grew from there.” Both Jim and Susan do all aspects of the business from driving the trucks to the finances and scheduling.

They now have seven trucks on the road. In addition to moving people between homes, they’ll also transport the “heavy garbage” people accrue and have contracts with big box stores and organizations like Efficiency Nova Scotia.

“There’s nothing we won’t move,” joked Susan.

In the beginning, they couldn’t get a bank loan. “Coastal Business CBDC is kind of like having that parent,” reasoned Jim.

“They believe in you and they give you all the tools that you need in order to do the job,” said Susan. Both attended courses offered by Coastal Business, which include financial and other practical business training.

“They’re very, very helpful,” said Susan. “They check in with you to see if you’re alright, if you need any additional support and a lot of places don’t do that sort of thing.”

Their favourite part of the job?

“It’s definitely the customers and our staff. The situation is always changing and there’s always lovely new people to meet,” said Susan. She said they often get calls from clients complimenting their staff and thanking them. “Our staff are always smiling and happy and joking, so it’s just nice to get that feedback,” said Susan. “And it’s nice to know that you did a job well.”

They have eight full-time staff, plus themselves, with plans to hire more.

Without Coastal Business they figure they wouldn’t have been able to start their own business.

Their home is also their office and the central location for their trucks. They say their next big business move will be to establish a separate work location.

“We’re running out of driveway,” they laughed, but mean it sincerely. “We have a lot of vehicles and a lot of tires,” explained Susan. “Lots of tools are needed to do the job we do.”

Their advice for other potential business owners?

“Go to Coastal Business before you even get to the next point,” Jim advised. “If you even have an idea, go there and let them put you in the right direction.”

“Yes, they’ll provide education and a stepby-step process to guide you along,” added Susan.

“We can’t say enough nice things about Coastal,” said Jim. “