- Start Up Cost:
- Franchise Type:
- Sector Type:
- Investment Type:
- Market:
- £30,000
- Home Based, Office Based
- Haulage Logistics
- Start-up
- B2B
If you’ve experienced online shopping, you’ve probably experienced the value of the courier industry.
If you’re one of the countless millions who regularly shops online, you’ll have experienced for yourself, the power of a great delivery service.
With 160 parcels generated every second, in the UK ALONE, imagine what this could mean, if you were to start a business in this sector. However, you don’t need to imagine it, because a parcel is sent through InXpress, every 4 seconds, so we know what it means. In fact, according to specialist analysis group, Mintel, the courier industry is set to grow 92% by 2024, to £21bn. Now imagine your future prospects, and what you could achieve.
Discover more about our franchise opportunity on YouTube.
Since 1999, InXpress has been supporting people into successful business ownership, in the Courier and Express Services sector. With 440+ operating their franchises in 14 countries worldwide, we’re proud of our award-winning brand.
Our franchise offers you a low-overhead, start-up opportunity, so you benefit from high-earning potential. With InXpress, you’ll become the missing link between online retailers and their eCommerce customers, wherever they are in the world. This is because we’ve developed essential partnerships with the world’s most respected carriers, so you don’t have to.
And, as a tech-enabled business opportunity, we’ve developed world-class technology to support you as you support your customers’ shipping process; we’re positively disrupting the logistics sector.
When you join InXpress, you become part of a global network delivering on a promise. Which is why we have created a world-class training programme, to help give you the confidence from Day One. But the training doesn’t stop when you start operating – we’re with you at every step to guide you towards ticking off those business goals.
Fully supported
With low-overheads, you gain the advantage of growing your business with the support of your InXpress Business Coach behind you. We also have peer-to-peer mentoring and support, offered by franchisees who love what they do, and are building a successful business. Feel inspired, feel supported, achieve the dream future you deserve.
webship+
Our uniquely developed shipping platform offers you, and your customers, the opportunity to feel more in control of their shipments. As a customer management system, it’s second-to-none. We will show you how to make the most of the InXpress shipping platform, so you are comfortable showing it to your customers.
webship+ gives you effortless management of complex and tailored shipping requirements. webship+ has a number of time-saving features, including:
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Your InXpress franchise can be run from home, or from an office; alone, or with a team – though if you’re not comfortable in Sales, you’d benefit from hiring someone who is.
Giving back: The heart of who we are
Many of our franchisees are as passionate about giving back, as they are about building their businesses. InXpress Gives Back is a core value, with franchisees able to nominate others for charitable assistance, fundraise for causes close to their hearts, or gain the time to volunteer with charities, locally.
From Pet Therapy, to Community Defibrillators; Football kits and educational supplies to African orphanages and rescuing specialist wheelchairs; climbing mountains or running marathons, our franchisees are inspiring in their commitment to make life a little easier for others.
Interested? Download our free Factsheet
Taking back control of your working week. Avoiding the red-tape of corporate politics. Working without someone micro-managing you. The stuff of dreams. The myth of legends. Right?
This time last year, Steve was made redundant from a 32-year job, “I worked for a large corporation, primarily in sales, often travelling between the UK and the States.” He explains. “I genuinely loved my job, especially engaging with customers. But over time, the company altered as accountants with a priority for spreadsheets taking control! My role changed as red-tape and politics took over, making it an unenjoyable working environment.”
The New Year always seems to bring the ability for fresh focus, and fresh ideas, and for Steve, redundancy brought a freedom to re-think how he wanted to work. “I actually had a dream of running my own business. I wanted to be out there, around my own customers, doing what I loved to do most – sales!” Steve received advice as he began looking for a career which would actually fit him, instead of forcing him to fit the job.
“In January, I applied for a job,” Steve explains, “without having realised it was actually a franchise role! I had thought franchising was all fast food and coffee shops, or labour-intensive businesses, like pet services and home/gardening services, which was not what I wanted to do. Looking into franchising a bit deeper, I saw there was actually a huge spectrum of opportunity!”
Steve has always been passionate about customer engagement, and enjoys the buzz of making the sale. There was something about InXpress which just clicked. “When I was introduced to InXpress I really liked the sound of it, but I wasn’t sure I could to do it, as didn’t know much about logistics. I was drawn to how the business is IT-based, and can be operated from literally anywhere. If I am being honest, I was also attracted by the residual income element InXpress offer.” Steve continues. “At first I thought it was too good to be true. But as I spoke with real InXpress franchisees, it was clear this was a real and valid income stream, achievable after the initial sale has ben sealed, and with on-going development of my client relationship.”
After his first year, Steve has enjoyed the challenge, not of trying to be better than others within the InXpress network, but in building his own business. “It’s been hard work,” He says. “But I have a huge sense of satisfaction! I love the fact I am no longer hindered or dragged down by bureaucracy and red tape – I deal with customers in my time, and in a way which suits both them and me. After the corporate world, I feel that InXpress has given me back the joy of engaging with my customers. Which is exactly where I wanted to be.”
Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth, a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, gave a Ted Talk in 2013. Having conducted studies of military cadets, students and people starting out in sales, she found the characteristic which determined success more than anything else, was grit and determination.
For Steve, this has proven true. “For the first time in my work-life memory, I was able to actually switch-off and enjoy Christmas and seeing in 2018 with my family! The holiday season used to be ‘business as usual’, but having wanted things to be different this year, I was determined to be ‘in the moment’ with my family, instead of dealing with work! To achieve this was a dream come true!”
Steve Lamb has been running his InXpress franchise in Edinburgh since 2009. Having been made redundant, Steve and his wife were looking for a new opportunity that would provide a more secure future for their family. Having researched a number of opportunities, he found InXpress and now enjoys the benefits and rewards that being his own boss brings.
Steve explains: “We moved to Scotland in 2001 when I started working for Scottish & Newcastle. Prior to this, I’d held senior sales positions with both Pepsico and GlaxoSmithKline. After being made redundant, I wanted to avoid uprooting my family again to move back to England. I decided to look at my redundancy as an opportunity to secure and control my future by working for myself.
“I considered a number of options but felt that the InXpress model and nature of the business best suited both my own and my wife, Alison’s, existing skills and competencies. Alison had previously managed a telesales team for both a national and regional newspaper.”
Although Steve and Alison already had previous experience in sales, they still found that they benefitted from the training and support on offer at InXpress. All InXpress franchisees undertake a week of training to learn how the InXpress model works and the ins and outs of the business. The ongoing support provided to the network also helps to keep franchisees updated with new technology, systems and processes and helps them to regularly meet with other franchisees and to share ideas and best practice.
“For our training, we undertook a five-day sales and motivational course followed by a two-day software and administrational workshop,” confirms Steve. “In terms of ongoing support, we attend three regional meetings and a national conference annually. We also attend a sales conference once a year where relevant topical training is provided.”
As for daily life, Steve continues: “Typically, we start the day with a short briefing with our sales assistants, Gillian and Candice, during which we cover targets, new systems and processes, issues and opportunities. We all have our own individual objectives for the day with Gillian, Candice and Allison focused on managing our existing customer’s needs whilst looking to increase the breadth and depth of the business we do with them.
“My primary role is to secure new business so I’ll either be meeting with potential new clients or in the office cold calling.”
Starting any business can be a challenging time and a time to learn and face new skills and experiences. Steve’s business was no different but he found the back-up and support of the InXpress brand and team helped him to overcome them much more easily than if he had decided to go it alone.
“Owning a business has given us a degree of control of our own destiny and it has also given us financial freedom and a more secure future for our family. My advice to anyone looking into franchising would be to ensure that you have a robust business plan in place and ensure that you get experts to look at and critique it. This will help you to set-up and run your business successfully in the future.
“I would also recommend that you are someone who has a good work ethic, a ‘can-do’ attitude and are self-sufficient. Although you are part of a franchise and, to some extent, the work is done for you, you still have to work hard to make your business successful.”
And in coming years the husband and wife team have big plans. “For the future, we’re looking to purchase a franchise in the USA whilst still maintaining our current UK franchise. The UK franchise will either be managed by staff or our children once they have finished university.”
With a career in recruitment behind him, Neil Hatt was looking for something that would offer him a little more progression. He bought his Birmingham South InXpress franchise in 2006 and has worked his way up to the top 20 in the global InXpress franchise. With plans to keep growing his business even further, Neil is certain it will give him the freedom, rewards and flexibility he was looking for.
He explained: “I left my last job because I wanted to take the opportunity with InXpress. It’s fantastic and I couldn’t see any progression in my previous role because the whole industry was saturated. It was perfect timing for me and franchising is a great step into self-employment so it was a no-brainer for me to give it a go.
“With franchising a large portion of the business is looked after by the franchisor so you’re not on your own and have assistance and guidance. If you can follow the model you can make a success of it – it’s like a halfway house. I just had to take the opportunity and go for it.”
Neil chose InXpress because he could see how much potential the business could have if he added his skills and motivation to a successful and proven business model. He has made a huge success of his business so far and is still looking to push it even further.
“InXpress has completely exceeded my expectations. When I first started I had a figure in mind and thought it would be good to hit it but now I’m five times above it. We’ve just rocketed past where we thought we’d go. The market is extremely lucrative at the moment and I can’t see an end to it. I do keep some money aside for backup but I love the business to the degree that, unless something happened to InXpress, I wouldn’t do anything else.
“With this business, the income is residual which was something that really attracted me to the business. You’re not selling the same thing every month so every time you bring in a new customer who ships more, you build on the income you already have. InXpress gives you the opportunity to build margins quickly and securely – it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever seen.
“I set myself a target of what I wanted to achieve in the business and when we surpassed it, I pushed it higher. I’ve got a very comfortable life with a lot of money coming in and, before my young son came along, the business had got to a point where we had so much freedom. We had a few holidays a year and went to the Caribbean, Africa and Dubai, we could go where we wanted! We put our targets up each year and hit them.”
Aside from the financial rewards and freedom, to his surprise, Neil has also found other rewards within the business. Is there anything better than seeing someone you have trained and help develop also reap the reward of their own hard work?
“It’s been great to train my sales rep up and see him and his life improve, I enjoy that more than I could have imagined. Helping someone else grow and develop has given me two levels of enjoyment from my business. The business is rewarding because we often deal with clients who are just starting up a business and they can’t get the rates they need so we give them better rates and it helps them to grow their business.”
With support in setting up his business and training in the products and service on offer at InXpress, Neil was ready and raring to go with his business. Having got over the initial doubts of going it alone, it only took one customer to help Neil find his stride and he hasn’t looked back since!
“Before I started my business, InXpress gave me sales and product training to learn about the carriers and how to sell their products. When I started we only had three carriers but every time a new carrier or system is introduced, we receive new training but it’s easy to pick up because it’s just in addition to what you already know.
“I was terrified when I first started and I sat at my desk and panicked! However, by the end of the first week I’d managed to sign my first account. Once I’d got the first one I knew the business would work. Now I absolutely adore my business. It’s given me and my family a great life and freedom and I really enjoy it. I’ve had some clients for over nine years now and I’ve built good friendships.”
Although he’s made a success of his business so far, Neil is still looking to achieve even more and help more people share his rewards and benefit from his InXpress business.
“My plans for the future are to keep growing. We’re doing well at the moment but we’re online in the top 10 of the UK leaderboard and we’re 17th globally. We want to double what we’re achieving, take more staff on. I’ve got a vision of the business being 2-3 times the size it is now. If we hit that then I might go and live on a beach somewhere!”
When change comes, feeling supported can help manage it
For Carlene Pyke, it’s been a year of change, stepping into new roles within her InXpress franchise. But having felt the support of the InXpress network, she’s excited about what the future holds.
For Carlene Pyke, a young woman in her 30s, running her own shipping and logistics business is exciting, challenging, but highly rewarding. Especially since she became sole owner of InXpress Swansea, when her business partner moved on earlier this year. “We’ve gone through many changes, as an office. With Covid, we actually ended-up being busier than normal, when customers moved into eCommerce. And at the same time, I was in the process of arranging the buyout of my partner’s half of the business. So, we’ve undergone major staff changes as well. It’s truly been a crazy, busy year!”
Far from feeling overwhelmed, Carlene felt uplifted by the all-encompassing support of her InXpress family. “I’ve definitely been pushed out of my comfort zone,” she says, “as I’ve stepped into other roles within the business, and thrived! Having the support of InXpress Head Office, and other franchisees, made it achievable. Even with things like, not knowing how to arrange additional funding – Ben Kirby, at Head Office, guided me through my options. There are also franchisees in the network with whom I have a close connection, and they’ve been there for me, throughout.”
Carlene is excited for the future, having a sense of pride in retaining customers through the turbulence of this year, and is ready to grow. So when InXpress held their first-ever woman’s conference in September, it couldn’t have come at a better time. “For me, as a franchise owner, it was a positive step to be able to focus on what we needed for the future of our businesses. I found Olympic champion, Anna Hemmingway’s session the most relatable for where I am at the moment, and can’t wait to implement her practical advice, as I increase sales and watch grow my business.”
With vast experience in the transport industry, specifically freight and third party logistics, David Murray was ready to take on a new challenge and build something for himself. David knew his skills would lend themselves perfectly to an InXpress franchise and, having decided to do something for himself, he’s been running his own business in Coventry since May 2008.
He said: “When I went back to university the second time to complete my master’s degree, I felt as though I wanted to start something on my own. I had the opportunity to take redundancy from my previous job so I took it and started working as a consultant for a couple of years advising companies on how to manage their supply chains. While I was doing that it occurred to me that I could make more money doing the physical operations so I started to look at franchise opportunities.
“I chose to go into franchising because with the way this industry works, franchising was the only way we could get the backing of the big carriers. You also have the backing of a brand so you’re not starting from scratch. You can turn to other franchisees for help because you are part of a network. InXpress had everything I needed at the time. It fitted with my expertise in the industry and the only bit I needed was the backup of the carriers – that was the final piece in the jigsaw.”
Although David was well paid in his previous job, it just wasn’t providing him with the rewards and flexibility he was looking for. Working for himself has provided all this and more…
He explained: “My previous job was well paid so my initial goal was to get to that level as quickly as possible. A typical consultant only works six months of the year and the other six months is spent looking for new opportunities. InXpress gave me the additional security of being able to work all year round.
“I knew I could make a success of the business because of my previous industry background. I’ve always dealt with customers in this context. In terms of work/life balance, in my previous job I was travelling a lot and now my commute to the office is less than 15 minutes! I can go and see my son’s music concerts because it gives me the flexibility to take time off when I need it.”
Although David had previous experience in the industry he knew that he would need added support to help him push his business in the right direction. Being a bit more forward thinking, he decided he would start his business to give him a head start in the business.
“My training consisted of sales training at a one-week boot camp. However, I had decided to start the business prior to the training because I needed to find out everything I didn’t know so that I could ask the right questions. It was a massive help for me and I think the training has now moved on even more.
“Ongoing, the support has been pretty good. InXpress have even more resources allocated to support now and there are more franchisees so even more people to turn to. I’m also now in a positon to offer my own support to new franchisees.”
Of his initial launch, he added: “When I first started the business I was scared! It was hard work to get it started but it would be unusual if you didn’t find it difficult at first. InXpress now partner with more carriers than before and they’re investing more into the franchise system.
“I’ve never looked back since opening my business. I was doing well before but now I have the flexibility to go and see my son play in his music concerts.”
As for his thoughts on others looking to follow in his footsteps?
“My key advice to anyone looking into franchising would be to research thoroughly and make sure you understand what the franchise is all about. Talk to existing franchisees and find out what a day in the life is like. Don’t underestimate the time it could take you to establish your business and make sure you’ve got living costs put aside.
“My plans for the future are to continue growing. We set up an apprentice scheme and have now recruited our first apprentice which is going really well. We’re now number seven or eight in the league tables and I want to be in the top five. With apprentices we can be more creative with how we market the business and we’re looking to raise our profile even more to attract more customers.”
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