At the age of 20, Voyo Popovic, now the founder and CEO of Moving and saving the piece of the cakeimmigrated to the US from Montenegro and was employed in a McDonald's to make it through.
However, just a few months later, Popovic was already looking for his next opportunity, one that would allow him to work longer hours, have more control and earn more money. But he was still improving his English and had “no specifics skill set” at the time, so his options were limited, he says — until a friend and compatriot told him that moving companies always needed extra help.
So Popovic started working as a mover in New York City. “I fell in love with the job immediately,” says Popovic The entrepreneur. “It was so active, and from a commuter's perspective, you could see all these different lifestyles in New York City, which for someone coming from the outside, and I think for anyone, it's really fascinating.”
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After a year on the job, Popovic became a driver and crew chief; he liked to take care of his team and the position in general. But eventually, he became “too comfortable” and wanted another challenge. So Popovic moved to the company sales division. He read books, watched YouTube videos and worked on English to succeed in the role, which he also enjoyed.
“I loved the fact that I was able to really push myself. There was no limit.”
“I liked the fact that I was able to really push myself,” Popovic says. “It was there Unlimited. There were no special hours. It wasn't like an 8-hour shift and you're done. It was almost like you work as long as you need to, and you're responsible for the results.”
However, after a few years in sales, Popovic felt a familiar uneasiness; it was time to set another goal. By that point, Popovic's years of experience in the motion industry had given him an inside look at some of its inefficiencies. He knew he could do better. “The industry was very outdated, from communication to emails, customer service experience, operations – everything,” explains Popovic. “There was a lot of room for improvement. I saw my opportunity there.”
So in 2018, at age 24, Popovic bought a single moving truck for $20,000 and set to work developing a brand that would stand out from the competition — in more ways than one. This started with the company name and brand: “Piece of Cake” alongside hot pink and purple. The name was “unlike anything else on the market at the time,” Popovic recalls, and the bright colors would ensure the business trucks would draw attention “in a line of a hundred trucks.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of Cake Piece Moving and Storage
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“Having every single customer satisfied has always been at the core of our business.”
Popovic was also committed to doing things differently when it came to customer service, knowing that happy customers were the key word of mouth referrals and new business. “So every touchpoint is thoughtful,” says Popovic, “from the first time a customer calls to the email correspondence, to the day of the move, to the actual follow-up after the move, to having every single customer happy has always been at the core of our business”.
Piece of Cake also uses data, such as customer feedback, to improve its functioning and to help in decision-making. For example, if customers report more broken TVs than usual, Piece of Cake plans further training for crew members. Additionally, the company pays close attention to which zip codes customers see the most, analyzing why some may have lower numbers so it can address the discrepancy.
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of INNOVATIVE the approach has paid off. Today, Piece of Cake is a fast-growing company with headquarters in New York and centers in Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas. The company makes more than 100,000 moves annually in all 50 states and boasts 800 employees and 350 trucks – and has yet to take on any outside investment.
“Seeing that something that we started so small with a truck and a few employees (now) live and support hundreds and seeing that brand that we've sketched out on a notebook in every major city in the U.S. — that's definitely something that I it excites and inspires me to wake up every day and serve the company to the best of my ability,” says Popovic.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Cake Piece Moving and Storage
“How do we have enough knowledge to handle the next phase of the company?”
Still, Piece of Cake's burgeoning success hasn't been without some challenges, Popovic says, namely finding enough employees to support its expansion and quickly tracking their growth within the company, as most LEADER in the industry work their way to senior roles from the ground up. “How do we speed up the process?” says Popovic. “How do we have enough knowledge to handle the next phase of the company? Including me, how do I learn and grow to be able to do my CEO position to the best of my ability?”
The key is that it gives people a lot of options to learn and rise, Popovic says — and to make sure they get those chances early.
“So don't wait until someone says, 'Hey, I've been in this position. I feel trapped. I'm looking for improvement,”” – explains Popovic. “We approach the person and say, 'Hey, you're doing a really good job. Why not face another challenge?' (We are) constantly pushing people out of them comfort zoneand people (are) testifying to us that we are right.”
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Repeatedly coming out of his comfort zone it's what allowed Popovic to transform his dream into reality—and he suggests all aspiring entrepreneurs do the same.
“Think a lot and don't put any limits on your dream because it's possible if you have a good product and a good service,” says Popovic. “If you have a value that you're offering to consumers, it's (just) a matter of time (before) grows. It will get to the right people, and then when it all starts, it can get really big. So think a lot. Dream big”.