If there’s one man who can reflect on the positive changes that have streamlined a courier franchisee’s life, it is Aramex’s longest-serving courier franchisee, Scott Marks.
Scott joined the courier business 30 years ago after spotting a local newspaper ad in Port Macquarie, on the New South Wales mid-north coast.
“My accountant wasn’t convinced that buying a brand new territory was a good idea but my wife Ange said ‘give it a crack’!” Scott says.
He can laugh about it now, but he admits that operating a vast territory which is now manned by 10 courier franchisees was a major challenge.
Aramex operates a hub and spoke model, with courier franchisees picking up and dropping off parcels at a central hub for delivery to other couriers and regions.
Back when Scott entered the business, which was then trading under the Fastway banner, the nearest office was Newcastle. A shuttle van would drive the two and a half hours between Newcastle and Port Macquarie to deliver and pick up freight, then do the return journey.
“We used an old Coca Cola depot out of town to do pick-ups,” Scott explains. “We would exchange freight on the side of the road.”
In inclement weather however, the shuttle van had to make the journey to Scott’s home, where the parcels were stacked up in the front room.
“When we started out Ange used to do part of the run too, delivering parcels with our daughters in the back of the car while I was driving the van to multiple locations.”
Building up the business
In the early days while Scott was building up the business through cold calling, dropping off brochures at businesses and explaining the order and payment process to new customers, he would clock off at 6pm and head to his second job at a bar.
“You do what you do because it’s your business, and you get out what you put in,” he says.
Word spread about the national courier network that was going places. Within two years Scott was able to focus solely on the courier business.
One of the benefits open to an Aramex courier franchisee is the opportunity to realise a capital gain while still operating a successful business, by selling off some of the territory – something you can’t do with a fast food business! So over time Scott split the territory, selling off two areas. He kept the most productive – the local industrial area with multiple pick-ups over a small territory.
“I used to average 1200 to 1400 kms a week, now I am down to 500kms,” he says.
“I would travel to Hat Head, 30 kms away, to deliver one parcel. Then the Newcastle office suggested I outsourced to a local bus company. I would meet up with King’s Buses at a central location in South West Rocks, hand over the parcels, and at the end of the month the company would send an invoice. They charged me $2 to drop off a parcel.
“They used to put parcels under the luggage, and let the customer know they could pick up their package at the Caltex service station!”
Technology has streamlined processes
It’s very different from the streamlined service that’s become part of the ecommerce delivery landscape today.
Back in the day customers purchased pre-paid labels for their parcels; now everything is booked, managed, and calculated through an electronic scanner reading a bar code.
“It’s a big improvement. I used to have 20 or 30 phone calls a day from customers booking a pick-up,” Scott says.
Today he will deliver between 90 and 120 parcels daily, and pick up between 50 and 80 parcels, all managed seamlessly.
“I’ve delivered everything from the macabre, to the beautiful – flowers and chocolates for anniversaries, for instance. I’ve learned not to ask what the flowers are for though; you just deliver them and keep a smile on your face,” he says.
Scott has some other tips for business success.
It’s important to organise the route in the morning, ensuring the pick-ups are strategic so there’s no criss-crossing of the territory.
“Every day I’m up at 4.15am leaving for the depot at 5.30am. I’m in and out of the van at least 80 times a day before I finish at 4pm.
“You need the support of a partner as well, although Aramex’s systems make it much easier now. In the early days we had to do all our commission and sales paperwork.
“Now there is no bookwork for me. It’s all calculated through the scanner, it’s fantastic.”
The benefits of being your own boss
After three decades of hard graft and commitment to his business, retirement looms. However Scott isn’t quite ready to park his courier van for the last time.
“It’s probably two or three years away,” he says. “For now, I’m going to start having time off. I haven’t taken much holiday over the years, and my regional franchisee is encouraging me to take some leave!” he says.
“This business has been good to me. I’ve put two girls through uni, it’s a good feeling. And we’ve seen the growth of Port Macquarie over those years, it’s no longer a small town.
“I like meeting and speaking with people, and some of the business owners I’ve had as customers have become good friends, and our businesses have grown alongside each other.
“I’d recommend this as a franchise business if you want to work for yourself. It takes a certain temperament, but at Aramex all the processes are there to support you,” Scott says.