Top South African businesswoman now selling houses in America

After four decades of creating the largest independently owned Appliance and Electronics retail outlet in Southern Africa with her family, Margaret Hirsch decided it was time for a change.

Today, she works as a real estate agent in Florida, United States, helping South African expats move to and invest in the American luxury property market.

Zimbabwean-born Margaret Hirsch didn’t have an easy childhood. At the young age of 11, her father passed away. She was subsequently placed into foster care while her mother improved her circumstances.

Fortunately, her upbringing prepared her for the challenges she would face later in life and helped her build a business empire.

Even though she went on to become a successful businesswoman, her entrepreneurial journey only started because she, a secretary, and her husband, Allan Hirsch, an appliance repairman, both lost their jobs at the same time.

With two children to care for, they decided to pool all of their resources, which were only R900 at the time (about R32,600 today), and set up their first business, an appliance and electronics repair store.

In 1979, Margaret and Allan set up their first shop in a tiny showroom, no bigger than a bathroom, in Umhlanga Rocks Drive.

Early on, Allan’s expertise was recognised by Miele, a brand renowned for its top-tier appliances. Miele valued skilled artisans for handling their products, and they identified Allan, first as a technician and later as a trusted salesperson.

Another key partnership formed during these early years was with Defy. The very first product Allan sold was a Defy appliance, and the brand became Hirsch’s first official supplier.

Defy also provided the spare parts Allan needed to keep his repair business thriving. Over the years spent building the business, Margaret regarded herself as a true ‘jack of all trades’.

Building the business

Margaret did everything: selling goods, invoicing, demonstrating new products on the shop floors, delivering goods on the trucks, and installing and demonstrating new equipment in customers’ homes.

Additionally, she oversaw the company’s day-to-day operations as it grew from a mom-and-pop store to a household name.

Their children would later join the business as well. Richard and Luci worked their way up through the company and now play pivotal roles—Richard as CEO and Luci as Brand Manager.

Under the family’s leadership, the business has grown into a chain of mega appliance and home furnishing stores in KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Town, and Gauteng.

Today, the retailer has 19 branches and concept stores nationwide and is the largest independently owned Appliance and Electronics retail outlet in Southern Africa.

Apart from building the family business, Margaret has dedicated herself to women’s empowerment and uplifting her community.

She has aided schools in poorer communities around South Africa, providing desks, chairs, and mattresses for preschool children to rest on during the midday hours.

She has been widely recognised for her business achievements and has received many international and local awards for her business, social, and charitable work.

This includes the SANLAM 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award in Entrepreneurship and the CEO GLOBAL Award for the Most Influential Woman in the Retail and Wholesale Industry for the African Continent.

From appliances to property

Despite the business’s success, Margaret’s first love has always been property. Her passion for real estate is reflected in her extensive portfolio, which includes homes in South Africa, Zanzibar, Florida, and the United Kingdom.

“I have been in the appliance business for over 45 years and have loved every minute. However, I have always had a secret desire to work in property,” she said.

“To make the change in South Africa would be difficult, but not impossible. But I thought it was time for an adventure. So, I headed off to the USA.”

While she found that it was a four-year degree in the United States, she found that a crash course was possible, which she did and passed.

She had to take the state exam at Florida Atlantic University, which was no easy feat. Hirsch struggled with numerous technical difficulties, including her computer blacking out after she finished the test.

She passed, and once she did, she was met with a whopping 250 job offers, which she managed to narrow down to three companies.

The first was the biggest agency in Florida and offered excellent training. However, she thought she would get lost in the crowd with so many realtors.

The second was a boutique agency run by an experienced broker. While Hirsch thought she would be taught well here, she ultimately chose another.

She settled on a new, dynamic agency headed by a 27-year-old self-made millionaire. Hirsch and her boss had two important things in common.

He, too, had immigrated to the United States as a 14-year-old who couldn’t speak English. Her boss had also initially pursued something different by studying Sports Science before pivoting into the real estate business.

“So, I embarked on the journey I had been thinking about for years,” Hirsch said. There was only one problem: there were over 250,000 other realtors in Florida.

Worse yet, many came from a long line of property agents and were well-connected. Hirsch realised that she had to specialise to make her mark in Florida’s property sphere.

She decided to specialise in helping South Africans who wish to emigrate to or invest in property in the United States. The properties under her management range from inexpensive houses and condos to super-luxurious ones.

“If you feel your cup is not being filled in your current organisation, or that time is running out and you may never accomplish that amazing dream you had as a child/young person/pre-corporate worker, then decide to take the plunge and give it a try.”

“Whatever it is, you will never know unless you try. There are no failures – either you win or you learn,” Hirsch said.

---

Hirsch’s

---