Margit Novack on Spotting a Demographic Trend, Scaling a First-of-Its-Kind Business, and Letting Go

Episode SummaryMargit Novack left a 20-year career in healthcare and hospital administration and, when most people look for the next job doing what they already know, she did something completely different. She started a business helping older adults downsize and relocate — a service so new in 1996 that business advisors told her not to bother printing business cards because no one would pay for it. They were wrong.This episode is a practical roadmap for anyone considering entrepreneurship in midlife. Margit explains how she spotted a demographic trend and "skated to where the puck was going," why she built her business around benefits instead of features, how she discovered her real customers were senior living communities and realtors (B2B) rather than the older adults she was helping, and how she scaled by training teams who trained the next generation of leaders. She also founded the professional association that gave the senior move management industry its standards and certifications. Finally, she opens up about something rarely discussed on entrepreneurial podcasts: what it actually feels like to sell the business you built with your whole heart.Key TakeawaysSkate to where the puck is going. Margit chose to serve older adults because demographic trends supported it — not because of a pre-existing passion. Building on top of a real, growing trend means you are not "rowing upriver."The people who need your service and the people who can afford it are not always the same. Margit's insight was to sell to senior living communities and realtors (B2B) who could reliably reach and afford customers, rather than trying to market directly to the general public.Sell benefits, not features. Margit stopped describing what she did (packing, sorting, unpacking) and started describing outcomes for each audience: "I'll help you draw traffic, maintain engagement, close sales, and get people in the door faster."Take the training wheels off. Scaling required empowering employees before they felt ready, letting them risk mistakes, and building a culture where team leaders identified and groomed the next team leaders — top to bottom.Plan B and Plan C are often the best plans, because they're the ones that actually happen. Whether reframing a client's problem or abandoning a service idea that didn't pan out, Margit treated flexibility and honest pivoting as core entrepreneurial skills.About the Guest: Margit NovackMargit Novack (her first name rhymes with target) is widely recognized as the founder of the senior move management industry. After two decades in healthcare and hospital administration — including managing the Scheie Eye Institute and the Department of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania — she launched Moving Solutions in 1996 to help older adults downsize and relocate with dignity, care, and thoughtful logistics.In 1999, Moving Solutions was named Business of the Year by the American Society on Aging, drawing national coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Time. In 2002, Margit convened companies from across the country to found the National Association of Senior Move Managers (now the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers, NASMM), serving as its founding president for six years and creating many of its training and certification programs.She sold Moving Solutions in 2018. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic she wrote Squint: Re-visioning the Second Half of Life, a collection of stories and essays drawn from her career and personal life. Today she writes, speaks, and mentors entrepreneurs.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is senior move management?Senior move management is a service that helps older adults and their families through the entire downsizing and relocation process — sorting belongings, deciding what fits, packing with careful labeling, hiring and coordinating movers, and unpacking so the person can settle in the same day. It focuses on emotional support and creating a livable new home, not just moving boxes.What was Margit’s role in building the senior move management industry?Margit Novack founded Moving Solutions in 1996 in suburban Philadelphia, making her the recognized pioneer of the senior move management industry. Only a handful of similar businesses existed anywhere in the country at the time.How do you start a business in midlife?Margit's advice: look at demographic trends and pick a market that is growing; figure out who needs your service and who can afford it (they may differ); sell the benefits you deliver rather than your features; find B2B and co-marketing partners who already reach your ideal customer; and be willing to pivot when an idea doesn't work.Why did Margit Novack tell entrepreneurs to read Michael Gerber's The E-Myth?Because being passionate about a task is different from running a business built around it. If the business grows, you will spend your time managing rather than doing the work you love — and you need to be comfortable with that shift before you scale.What is Margit Novack's book Squint about?Squint is a collection of stories and essays reflecting on the second half of life. Many are personal, but each connects to a larger, shared human experience — including lessons Margit learned from her clients, such as the value of Plan B and Plan C.Resource StackNational Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers (NASMM)The E-Myth by Michael Gerber —the book Margit recommends for anyone starting a business.Squint: Re-visioning the Second Half of Life by Margit Novack Small Business Development Center (SBDC) — the mentoring and business-plan resources Margit used when starting out.Where to Find Margit NovackWebsite: margitnovack.comEmail: [email protected]: SquintAbout Build Your Own BoatBuild Your Own Boat is a podcast series hosted by Janine Vanderburg — award-winning three-time entrepreneur and anti-ageism advocate — featuring women who have launched new entrepreneurial ventures in midlife and beyond. The series is part of a larger storytelling project that includes a Substack publication and a forthcoming book, all built around one goal: changing the narrative about who entrepreneurs are and making women in midlife and beyond visible as builders of wealth, freedom, and possibility.