Margaret Hirsch, executive director of Hirsch’s Homestores.
Wife, mother, grandmother, businesswoman, entrepreneur and champion of women’s empowerment, Margaret Hirsch’s positivity is something we could all learn from.
Q: You have been such an inspiration to people during this time in our history. How you do it? Where do you get that inner strength from? What motivates you?
We have undoubtedly been through one of the hardest times in our history with Covid, the looting, strikes, power cuts, etc. However, what we all need to do is just focus on the positive. I focus on what I am grateful for and the good things in my life. I have always been a strong person and realise that life is a journey, not a destination, and we just have to get over the bumps in the road.
Q: What challenges did you face this year and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was Covid – and as everything was coming right we were looted and our Springfield Park store trashed. That was devastating! It was like watching 20 years of hard work go down the drain in an hour. We are so grateful that although our building was burnt, some structures remained, so our entire team pulled together to help rebuild the store in just one week.
Yes, we had challenges, but we look for the silver lining in every single challenge, find it and capitalise on it – and that’s how we have grown back our business from strength to strength.
Q: Tell us about some of the virtual workshops you have put in place to help people through hard times.
Our virtual workshops – a positive to come out of Covid – range from cooking shows to mental health talks. We realised people were struggling with mental health issues and I was happy to team up with wellness counsellors, Jess Mostert and Stacey Spilsbury, to start wellness workshops which we call Margaret’s Motivational Mondays. Our listeners have been blown away by being able to spend time on themselves and improve their own psyche.
Transformational Tuesdays have seen image experts Megan and Fay Coleman transforming people and giving them that added glow. Women Working Wonders workshops host fantastic women, like Pearl Osa, who do amazing things. On Fridays our Entrepreneurs workshops, which I co-host with business coach Marlene Powell, reaches out to people who wouldn’t know who to speak to or what to do to transform their businesses.
Q: Your plans for next year? What does the future hold for you and Hirsch’s?
During 2021 we continued to open stores, and we start off 2022 by opening a new Midrand mega store on February 1. So Hirsch’s still continues to go from strength to strength. We feel that this country is a land of wealth and opportunity. It is ripe for entrepreneurs to start new businesses now and I do believe the entrepreneurs of the country are the reason why this country has been kept afloat through all these tough times.
It’s up to every one of us to start a business and to make sure we serve the needs of the community and to ensure this country goes from strength to strength.
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