There are some people in life who have always dreamed of doing the job that they are in now. Singers and actors who were rehearsing lines before they could even read and fantasising about what their life of fame would look like when they grew up. Then there are people like Andy Holloway - a larger-than-life character who, as a child, never could have imagined that in his late 20s, he would be granted an opportunity that would forever alter the course of his life.
The opportunity in question? Simply to help a friend move house.
With vision, dedication, and unwavering support from his partner Celine, Andy turned that one move into a nationally accredited company, known now as Holloway Removals & Storage.
Built from the ground up in their home in Bondi Junction, we sit with Andy and Celine as they reminisce on the early days of Holloway when the company “was real start-up vibes”, as Andy puts it.
“It was a 24-hour rotation of people coming through the apartment, working in the office, working in the bedrooms. They would be here till 10 o'clock at night”, Celine explains.
“And we would run seven days a week back then and were getting no sleep”, adds Andy, “I think at one stage for probably a year or two I just slept in my uniform, and would get changed everyday just living and breathing in my Holloway uniform”.
It’s clear that although the couple dedicated everything (including their two-bed unit in Bondi) to the business, they share nothing but fond memories of that time as they laugh and recall those early stories.
From that first apartment, Andy and Celine grew both their own family and the Holloway name but despite the company's growth and expansion across Australia, their hearts always remained in the Eastern Suburbs where it had all first begun. “You kind of feel like a little village here”, Celine explains, “the beaches, the coffee, the food, being close to family, being close to friends….this place is really magical”.
In search of their forever home in the Eastern Suburbs, Celine and Andy have moved multiple times within the area, most recently putting down roots just last November in their new residence, with the help of the Holloway team.
With 8 years since their last move and 13 years since starting the business, it’s apparent that a lot has been learnt since those early days of moving madness.
“We’ve moved a few times with Holloway but in my personal opinion this is the best move we’ve had”, states Celine. “The way they set up makes you feel like the house is ready to move in” she adds. An appreciated quality for busy working families, like themselves, who often get little time to pack and organise.
It’s clear, however, that it's more than just professionalism and organisation that makes Holloway so successful within the Eastern suburbs.
With a clear sense of pride, Andy beams, “When the Holloway team turns up and the boys say ‘Dad the Holloway truck is here’ and we’ve got our great guys all in uniform, you can see they do this day in and day out, so you feel like you’ve gone with the right company”.
Having the opportunity to witness the team in action during their move, Celine is quick to share her admiration for the movers and packers that they worked with -
“They do it with heart, they do it with love, they do it with professionalism, they’re really amazing, they’re smart, they know what to do”
Despite having mastered the moving process, for Andy, this relocation was also an opportunity to see where the company could grow. “My business hat was on”, Andy explains, “I wasn’t moving, I was actually developing our business”.
Turning their own setbacks into a business goal, Andy shares how struggling to get Wi-Fi set up on the day of moving ignited an idea of building a network with internet technicians and handyman services.
With excited eyes he states, “I was like right I’m gonna contact these guys and we’re gonna network and set up a mutual referral service, so that they can also refer us, cause other guys that do that (internet set-up) must be working with moving guys”
The consistently positive can-do attitude that Andy displays, even when faced with obstacles, is clearly a key factor in how he has transformed the company into what it is today. Yet, it is his Holloway team that he credits so much of the business success to -
“When you’ve got a great team, you let the team be part of the journey”, he explains.
“We're all building (the company) together, it's not a one or two man show.”
While the company may have grown and their family home got slightly larger, Andy’s enthusiasm and Celine’s care for the business have remained ever-constant throughout the last 13 years. Who knows where exactly the business will be in 5 years' time, but as always, one thing is for certain, wherever Andy is headed, he’s taking his team of 150 and counting with him -
“I want to give away as much of the pie as possible because I think people try to keep a lot of the pie for themselves, but instead of making a pie, I’m building a 10 layer cake”
