The Guardian Small Business Trade Mission, sponsored by UPS, offered 10 UK entrepreneurs a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from American business leaders and experts about how to get a foothold in the US market.
During a five day trip to Atlanta, Georgia, the winners of the Trade Mission competition - Alex Epstein, of Concoction, Tim Rhodes of Aquaforno, Helen Pattinson, of Montezuma’s, Joe Kinch, of Joe’s Tea Co, Katie Cannon of Sugru, Emma Shipley, of Emma J Shipley Ltd, Laurence Kemball-Cook of Pavegen, Becky Pilditch of Bare Conductive, John Wood, Plastic Castle, and Max Wiseberg, of HayMax - received high level advice about how to overcome their export challenges and launch their businesses in the US.
On the third day, they were offered an exclusive visit to the UPS headquarters and a tour of the company’s Small Package Facility, both in Atlanta.
While at the HQ, the winners had the chance to find out more about UPS from senior figures within the company. The presentations by Nick Basford, vice president international marketing; Christine Ruskin, customs brokerage manager; Andy Park, customer technology marketing director and Kate Gutmann, senior vice president, worldwide sales and solutions, covered export tools, technology and brokerage expertise for small businesses.
The final session on managing export growth through logistics featured UPS customers and small business owners Philip and Michael Gossling, brothers and co-founders of Do My Own Pest Control. They discussed how UPS has helped them to grow, and delegates were able to discuss their own export challenges during a Q&A.
Following the talks, they were given a tour of the UPS Small Package Facility where they were able to learn about the careful journey their products would be taken on if they became customers of UPS:
Five of the winners explained what they took away from the day:
Alex Epstein, founder and creator of Concoction
“I was amazed to learn about UPS’ own entrepreneurial success story, from starting in 1907 with a small handful of vans and a tiny $100 loan, to growing to the truly global market-leading business is today. It goes to show what you can create with vision, passion and a commitment to serving your customers.”
Tim Rhodes, director of Aquaforno
“I was impressed with the professionalism at UPS across the board but there were some points learned at their distribution hub that contributed to my decision to use their services in the future. The way the whole distribution is mechanised with the conveyors reaching not only into their trucks but at the right height means that our products are far more likely to arrive with a customer in good condition. That’s the single most important factor when choosing a delivery service, and one that is often overlooked. What surprised me most was learning what the 4,000 US and 400 EU UPS stores do.”
Helen Pattinson, director and co-founder of Montezuma’s Chocolates
“The UPS day was the day I enjoyed the most. Everybody was so welcoming, I learned a lot about how UPS could help with the growth of my business and they brought in one of their own customers to describe the UPS process from a client’s perspective. But what made it the best day was the revelation that the culture in such a huge organisation can be positive, endemic and aspirational.
While visiting the UPS HQ and the Small Package Facility, it became obvious that everybody there was proud to work for UPS and they were keen to tell you about its foundation on a $100 loan over 100 years ago.
I remember commenting to a member of the team that so many of them [UPS staff] had been there for more than 20 years and he simply explained that everybody at UPS is well looked after. It made me think that looking after the 100 staff in my business should be easy by comparison.
My quote of the day was from Matt [Guffey, director of marketing UK, Ireland and the Nordics] when during his presentation he told us that ‘your package is a guest of honour in our system’. I then went on to hear it many more times during the day from various members of the UPS team.”
Joe Kinch, founder and director of Joe’s Tea Co
“The UPS HQ day was incredibly insightful; I wasn’t aware of all the extra tools and services they have to offer. I’m excited to be working with UPS to add many of these services to our business as it will enhance our efficiency and better our customer service offering, both of which are paramount to our success.”
Katie Cannon, head of sales at Sugru
“For me, what resonated most deeply from our visit to UPS was the passion that existed at every level of such a huge corporation. No matter the seniority of the employee, or the function they fulfilled, you got a real sense of their pride in UPS shining through. Individually, they seemed to love what they were doing, but most importantly they clearly felt they were making a real difference in the world and exceeding the expectations of their customers every day.
The chance to see the Small Package Facility grounded our fantastic experience of their corporate strategy and the richness of their brand. It presented the real nuts and bolts of what UPS does each day. The extraordinary complexity of global logistics was somehow made simple by the company’s clear energy to maintain a happy and safe workforce who are 100% customer focused. It was a real lesson for the small companies visiting to see that if you can get the basics really right, day in, day out, you won’t go far wrong.”
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with UPS, sponsor of the Exporting to New Markets hub on the Small Business Network.
