Twenty two years ago with just $200 in the bank and one trusty ute Mike O'Hagan established MiniMovers. Today, there are over 130 vehicles in the company fleet and over 500 employees in three states. Each week his teams in Southeast Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne help 1200 people move house or office.
Mike O'Hagan is described as one of Queensland's most innovative businessmen.
"Success in any business is about the mindset of the person," O'Hagan says. "If people are positive and remain that way, they will do well."
His passion stems from wanting to help other people grow their business. He has devoted countless hours mentoring people, often highlighting the need to experiment rather than follow a strict business plan.
For O'Hagan, the business idea of MiniMovers grew from his small scale pick-up and drop-off service before he realised there was a bigger picture, namely the demand for house and office removals.
Committee work takes another slab of his time and life. He is a Commissioner for the Australian Fair Pay Commission, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Director of the Heart Research Institute Association (Qld), and a member of the Small Business Advisory Panel to the Reserve Bank of Australia.
O'Hagan has picked up many business awards along the way, Telstra and Queensland Government Small Business of the Year (2003), Ernst & Young Australia Northern Region Finalist Entrepreneur of the Year (2004) and Queensland Government Office of Fair Trading - Inaugural TradeSmart Consumer Award (2005). O'Hagan was also named as a finalist in the 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
