entrepreneurs 15


Pictures by Angus Thomas


me to at last complete my education, gaining a first class BSc Hons in International Studies from the Open University.


Tell us more about NetDespatch


We’re a leading Software as a Service (SaaS) business, and recently we were voted one of the top independent cloud computing providers in the UK. We provide an outsourced parcel data management system for postal and parcel carriers, integrating different systems to make the process as simple as possible – ensuring they deliver the right parcels at the right time to the right customers.


Carriers like Royal Mail, New Zealand Post, APC Overnight and Yodel are our customers; they use our software platform to enable their customers to ship and track online. Our platform takes care of printing labels, customs documentation, manifests etc for them, and seamlessly integrates systems to make the process quicker, cheaper and easier.


We also work with e-commerce partners; people like ChannelAdvisor, Volo Commerce and StoreFeeder, enabling more than 100,000 e-tailers, omni-channel catalogues, marketplace sellers and manufacturers world-wide to produce the right documentation for their chosen carriers.


The market is evolving all the time; currently there is increasing demand for Click and Collect, while locker boxes are also becoming more popular. A lot of people talk to us about new ideas because we understand the market, and we are often involved in early planning for new businesses like Collect+.


Were there moments when you thought you wouldn’t succeed?


There were certainly knockbacks in the early days but I never thought we wouldn’t succeed. No-one then saw software as a ‘service’, people didn’t trust what we were doing and we had to really prove that the idea could work. When the recession hit in 2008, that was valuable too, because it made us plan for the future more carefully. Matthew Robertson joined us as commercial director and drove forward the sales; we also focused on being a “pure play” SaaS business, with all our revenue now derived from the number of parcels processed through our platform.


Which important business lessons have you learned along the way


Take the benefit of external expertise; we use consultants and have a widely experienced board of directors who fulfil that role. Be willing to review what you do continuously, and make changes in order to improve.


What are the secrets of your success?


Research your market carefully and keep close to it. Minimise risk; the only way to use our platform is to maintain a credit balance, and because revenues are recurring and grow steadily, we can always budget in advance what they will be. Also, because the business is privately owned, we have always been in control of our own destiny.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2015 How do you maintain the passion?


There is always a new problem to be solved, or a new idea, and that’s what makes each day exciting.


Describe the business


We’re very family orientated, most of the people who work here live within ten miles of the office, they’ve often worked in London or travelled a lot for big businesses, now they want to be more settled. We also understand that people need a flexible lifestyle and to have time to enjoy themselves. We have a busy six-a-side football team, and a squash ladder. We support the Rotary Club and have fundraised for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Longridge Activity Centre in Marlow. This is a great place to be based; it’s at the heart of the Thames Valley technology hub.


What does the future hold?


It’s about continuous investment in new technology to keep one step ahead. We spend a lot of time talking to carriers and retailers, finding out what their customers want, such as how to better manage deliveries over peak periods. We want to expand into Europe and increase our global network of partners. We expect turnover to grow by 30-40% in the next year and to increase employee numbers by around 15%.


In the market, consumers want greater flexibility – both in the time and place their parcels are delivered. They don’t just want to know their parcel will come at 11am, they want to be able to collect it from their local store. We need to take drones seriously too – imagine if a drone could find you and deliver your parcel wherever you are.


And finally, how do you spend your time off?


I’m a rather “absent” Rotarian. I was very active until recently, but less so now as I love spending time with my granddaughters.


www.netdespatch.com www.businessmag.co.uk


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