Within the essential trillion-dollar shipping and logistics industry, InXpress offers franchise owners the perfect B2B home-based model, with no storefront required and unlimited avenues to thrive. By Lizzy Yeserski
Within the essential trillion-dollar shipping and logistics industry, InXpress offers franchise owners the perfect B2B home-based model, with no storefront required and unlimited avenues to thrive.
“This is a low-overhead business where our franchisees run a consultative sales business. There’s no need to have an office to start. As long as you have a phone, you have a computer, and you have a car, you’re good to go,” said Christina Chambers, executive vice president of franchise development.
InXpress provides customers with a comprehensive suite of shipping options as authorized resellers of DHL Express International and multiple freight companies. And in late 2020, the company made headlines when it secured a game-changing contract with the largest domestic shipper in the U.S., becoming only the second company ever to gain authorized reseller status. “Our franchisees have this à la carte menu that they can offer to other businesses in order to help them with their shipping,” Chambers said. “Whether it’s international import/exports, whether it’s domestic packages or whether it’s some of the larger pallet-sized items that they have to move.”
Franchisees do not need experience in the shipping and logistics industry to launch a business, and they never touch a single package. Franchise owners are sales managers, instead, who offer small-to-medium- sized companies shipping and freight solutions. They maintain carrier contracts and identify ways to optimize time and money within supply chains, thus helping clients accelerate growth and success. What matters most is cultivating vital relationships and providing impeccable customer service, along with being results-driven and responsive.
Chambers acknowledged the ability to self-manage as the most impactful tool for individual success. “One of the biggest points I hear from franchise owners is, ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me.’ Meaning, they can specifically drive how well they do. It’s pretty amazing to have such a direct effect on how much you can grow your business with no ceiling.” That guarantees increased flexibility for an InXpress franchisee, from deciding how many hours to work in a day to cherry-picking a specialized niche.
Because the industry itself is so broad, opportunities exist to customize how franchisees build their businesses along with the exact products they offer. Some focus mainly on small-parcel or document shipping, while others concentrate on the freight side, with the most successful building diversified portfolios. And there’s the additional freedom to target specific companies, such as ecommerce, universities, and manufacturers. Considering the vast array of choices, owners have full control over scalability and growth.
In addition to minimal startup costs, high returns, flexibility and control, InXpress offers a fun, rewarding corporate culture focused on giving back. Chambers emphasized that besides helping the needy and donating to local charities, the company looks to make a difference anywhere it can. “It really is helping others. What we see as a need could be other small businesses. It could be each other. So that’s really where that culture piece becomes so important.” Internally, giving back means mentoring and sharing valuable insights within the franchise framework.
With its new vendor contracts, a recession-proof business model and interest in franchise ownership spiking, InXpress looks forward to an exciting future. “Our goal for us in five years is to be a billion-dollar company, and we see the path to do that,” Chambers said.
For more information, head to inxpressfranchise.com.
– Lizzy Yeserski