Freedom is the best thing about being an Aramex courier franchisee, says newbie business owner Grant Field.
Just two months in to his Newcastle, New South Wales business, and he’s already loving the flexibility that comes with the courier run.
There are early starts to his Monday to Friday business, but he’s usually home by 4pm and if the day isn’t super busy, he can find time during the day to take a longer break.
“I live right near my run, just 10 minutes away from the area, so it is really convenient,” he says.
“In the morning I come to the depot, parcels are already in my bay, so I sort them out and start the delivery run. About 1pm I start to do pick-ups.
Freedom and flexibility
“I’m getting to know my regular retailers – there are four or five that I drop in to every day because I know there will be packages to pick up.”
Grant operates in a primarily residential area and picks up regular deliveries from Westfield at Kotara.
The hub-and-spoke logistics and courier delivery model requires couriers to pick up, drop off, and pick up parcels and packages from the central depot. All the operations are streamlined, with couriers utilising high tech tools to optimise the efficiencies of their daily runs.
“Time management is key,” explains Grant. “You have to work out how many deliveries you can manage before you start pick-ups. It only takes 5-10 minutes from a customer placing an order for it to show up on the scanner telling you there’s a parcel to pick up.
“Aramex do a lot of the marketing for you. They ask you how many customers you think you might get, and give you tips on what is the best way to build your business. You set your own goals for the next six months.”
A measured approach for Aramex franchisee
It’s still early days for Grant, so he’s taking a measured approach to the business.
“I am only paying myself the minimum for the first year. I want to see how business goes in the first year before I decide how much more I can pay myself.”
It’s a new experience for Grant to be managing a business, but he’s embracing it with enthusiasm.
“I had an accident in 2015 as a boilermaker and spent a bit of time recovering, trying to get back into the workforce. I had some physical restrictions (I couldn’t lift over 25kilos and couldn’t stay too long in one position.”
Grant decided buying his own business was the best option.
“I’d seen the Aramex vans around and I knew I wanted to do courier driving. I kept taking little peeks at the Aramex website, checking out the options.”
The search heated up in February and with help from Aramex, he was able to step into the established business earlier than expected.
Building the business
“It was an existing business that the franchisee had split into two and I bought half. It was a win-win. I’m in and out of the van, and I have light packages or flatpacks to deliver, so I can manage the physical aspects.”
Once he’d bought the business Grant started training, spending time with other franchisees in the first two weeks, including some time learning his own routes.
When he started up a supervisor joined him for the first few days.
“I was confident, and they were confident in me, so I was soon doing runs by myself,” he says.
The courier role is a perfect mix of working for himself, by himself, and meeting customers.
“I’ve always had a job working by myself, even as a boilermaker. I like it. I love the freedom.”
The Monday to Friday structure is a bonus too, allowing Grant to spend valuable family time with his young daughter at the weekend.
“I may do some weekend work nearer Christmas when it gets very busy, but for now I clear my bay every day so I’m on top of the workload.
“Buying an Aramex courier franchise was an easy option. It’s given me back my freedom and put me in charge of my future.”