Episode Overview

Podcast: Your Next Move
Host: Inc. Magazine
Episode Title: Keeping up with the times
Date: November 11, 2025
Guest: Abel Horvath, Founder of Fulfillment Hub USA (#4493 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list)
Main Theme:
This episode spotlights Abel Horvath’s journey with Fulfillment Hub USA, a fast-growing logistics and fulfillment services provider. Horvath shares actionable insights on adapting to client needs, using technology for differentiation, scaling internationally, overcoming industry challenges, and thinking creatively about both acquisitions and productivity—all through candid stories and hard-earned lessons.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Differentiating in Logistics: Client Focus and Flexibility

[01:12] Abel Horvath:

• Fulfillment Hub USA stands out by offering tailored solutions and high adaptability for clients, across vastly different product types (from jewelry to hot tubs).
• The company leverages technology and a strong team to ensure consistently high support and flexibility, even as client requirements vary widely.

Quote:

“Unlike other companies in our industry, we are really focusing on our clients. We are also adaptive... tricky since every business is different, and we're supposed to create this standardized logistics solution for all companies equally... we managed that really well with technology, with our team.”
— Abel Horvath [01:12]

Navigating Unique Product Challenges

[01:45]

• Horvath recounts scrambling to adapt infrastructure when pandemic trends led to massive orders of hot tubs and jacuzzis, requiring last-minute warehouse expansion and system changes.
• Highlights the shift to B2C and the need to integrate with 47 different marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, and Whole Foods.

Quote:

“We work with anything from jewelry, but all the way to hot tubs, jacuzzis, things like that. So... it filled up the warehouse a lot faster than we had anticipated. Especially after Covid, everyone was ordering hot tubs and Jacuzzis for the house... we didn’t know where to put it.”
— Abel Horvath [01:52]

Transparency and Marketing Strategies

[03:04]

• The company's marketing focuses on real customer pain points, particularly around transparency in logistics and billing, which are typically unclear in the industry.
• Their solution: simplify and clarify all communication, providing peace of mind for clients.

The Power of Strategic Partnerships

[03:41]

• Key inflection point for growth was leveraging networks like Inc. 5000 for strategic partnerships in marketing and finance, enabling mutual referrals and shared opportunities.

Quote:

“Partnerships was a big one. We managed to generate or create really, really good partnerships through networks like Inc. 5000... they referred us customers, we referred them customers.”
— Abel Horvath [03:41]

Scaling: Cultural Lessons and Quality Control

[04:25]

• Scaling to new locations revealed the challenge of maintaining consistent quality as the company expanded from Miami to L.A., Europe, and India.
• Different regions required tailored approaches to maintain service standards across cultures.

Quote:

“It’s a lot harder to maintain the same level of quality at every location because we are dealing with different cultures, different mindsets... So we had to learn how to deliver the same level of service everywhere.”
— Abel Horvath [04:25]

Cash Flow Struggles and Physical Constraints

[05:09]

• Unlike software companies, scaling in logistics requires major investment in real estate and equipment, leading to cash flow constraints—especially during periods of rapid expansion.

Quote:

“We spread ourselves a little too thin at certain times and because we were expanding, we opened up new facilities... unlike in the software company, we cannot have suddenly thousand more customers. We need to invest into real estate.”
— Abel Horvath [05:09]

Productivity and Evolving Leadership

[06:01]

• Focus and correct prioritization are key. Horvath explains his transition from “moving boxes and sitting on a forklift” to overseeing acquisitions, as the company matured.

[06:39]

• Personal productivity hack: heavy reliance on calendaring (even if re-scheduling is frequent), with the flexibility to shift tasks as needed.

Building and Scaling Teams

Hiring Philosophy and International Growth

[07:17]

• Fulfillment Hub USA builds employee profiles to identify and fill missing skills or personalities, blending detail-oriented and creative hires.
• Offshore hiring (Colombia) for administrative roles allows agility during new acquisitions—deliberately staying “a little bit overstaffed” to smooth future transitions.

Leadership & Company Culture

[09:50]

• Leaders should resist micromanaging and instead let employees “swim” on their own—empowering staff to take initiative yields faster learning and greater satisfaction.

Quote:

“Giving employees the space to explore and learn on their own... sometimes just throwing them in the deep water and learn to swim, I learned that’s a really good way for them to learn quickly.”
— Abel Horvath [09:50]

Industry Challenges and the Future

Keeping Up with Change

[09:10]

• Labor and efficiency are the sector’s biggest hurdles. Outdated operations (e.g., Excel-based logistics) cannot keep pace.
• Robotics are on the horizon; once costs decrease, automation will become far more accessible for all players in logistics.

Quote:

“Tesla just introduced the humanoid robots a few days ago. I think that's going to be quite a game changer in our industry... We are really hoping that once robotics becomes more of a mainstream, then it’s going to make it more accessible for others as well.”
— Abel Horvath [09:10]

Lessons, Strategies, and Memorable Stories

Coping with Uncertainty & Business Cycles

[10:46]

• Best advice: “Control what you can, accept what you can’t.” Revenue is tied to client success, which can’t always be controlled—so focus on optimizing controllable factors like efficiency and profitability.

Balancing Seasonal Revenue

[12:25]

• Serve a diverse client base (e.g., bikinis for summer, skis for winter) to smooth seasonal swings and keep warehousing consistently busy.
• Spreading slow-moving inventory (like hot tubs) across locations minimizes warehouse congestion and ensures space is used profitably.

Bold Beginnings

[13:34]

• Horvath’s first customer committed before Fulfillment Hub USA even had a warehouse or a team. A last-minute scramble resulted in finding a warehouse on Sunday, moving in on Monday, and hiring anyone available off the street. Raw hustle was essential in the early days.

Quote:

“I had no warehouse. I had no team, I had no employees. I had nothing. ...I was calling real estate brokers in Miami, I'm like, I need a warehouse where I can move in on Monday. Everyone's like, nope, that's impossible... I ended up finding a sublease on Sunday.”
— Abel Horvath [13:36]

Acquisition Strategy

[15:02]

• The company seeks to acquire underperforming fulfillment businesses, using their scale to rapidly cut costs and turn losses into profits.

Quote:

“We are looking for fulfillment companies who are not profitable. So ideally losing quite a bit... in most cases... eliminate some of the administrative staff they have, so we can really quickly turn a company profitable... in a month, we make it profitable.”
— Abel Horvath [15:02]

Notable Quotes & Moments With Timestamps

• Adapting Through Adversity:

  “We didn’t know where to put it... we definitely did had to do some tricky moving around, opening up new warehouses on last minute.”
  — Abel Horvath [01:52]

• Transparency as Core Value:

  “Transparency is a big deal. Customers are concerned that, for example, billing is unclear. Logistics is a complex business. So... we try to make that as simple as possible.”
  — Abel Horvath [03:04]

• Letting Go as a Leader:

  “Because in many cases when you micromanage, you're gonna have to keep micromanaging... once they learn to have more responsibility, take ownership... just throwing them in the deep water and learn to swim, I learned that's a really good way for them to learn quickly.”
  — Abel Horvath [09:50]

• Perspective and Prioritization:

  “Try to control the things you can and just accept what you cannot control the way it is... focus on the things we can actually improve...”
  — Abel Horvath [10:46]

• Startup Hustle:

  “I had no warehouse. I had no team, I had no employees. I had nothing... ended up finding a sublease on Sunday. Monday, I was sitting there with a forklift moving...”
  — Abel Horvath [13:36]

Takeaways

• Fulfillment Hub USA’s success hinges on relentless adaptability, technology investment, and customer-centric culture.
• Strategic partnerships and acquisitions are critical levers for growth.
• Embracing uncertainty, scaling company culture, and empowering employees have been key leadership lessons.
• The logistics industry remains ripe for technological transformation, with automation and AI on the horizon.

For entrepreneurs and business leaders, this episode is a candid, practical portrait of what it takes to survive—and thrive—“keeping up with the times” in a rapidly changing landscape.