North West Express

Local businessman, Rene Mallett talks to About the Town about how he went from eating beans to survive and sleeping in his van, to owning a successful B2B courier business serving the whole of the UK.

“I was totally fed up with my job, I knew there was more for me to do, but never had the drive.  That was until my son Luca came along, and everything changed.  I gave up drinking and DJ-ing, because I knew I wanted to give him a good start in life.  With Luca at the heart of my drive to do something better, I decided to go for it and start my own business.  I had one month’s wage in my bank, and I had a choice, pay my rent, or buy a van and start up.  It was a huge risk, but one I was prepared to take for the chance of a better life.  I’d always worked in transport, so had a pretty good idea of what I was going to do to make this work.

I started in October 2010 and would work 15 hour days to get the jobs done.  I would deliver business to business items around the UK in my one van, on my own.  One day I went from Skelmersdale to London, then all the way up to Aberdeen, all in one day!  I literally would stop for a sleep in my van, then wake up and carry on.  It was exhausting, but so rewarding.  I was living out of a van, working every hour I legally could, and ate rubbish to survive, but I knew I was onto something good.

My attitude was always positive and ‘can do’, and I would always remember people’s names – it’s all in the details!  This resulted in more and more businesses wanting to use my services.  I built North West Express on reputation.  My commitment to giving a professional, reliable service began to pay off, and 4 years later, I started getting my own clients.  

Today I have an entire fleet of my own vans, 100 subcontractors, and offer a bespoke B2B courier service that can pick up anywhere in the UK the same day!  From sleeping in my van and working 15 hour shifts, to 8 years later having 3 staff and 5 drivers!  The journey was tough, but so worth it.   In April we move to our new premises, still in Skelmersdale.  This move will give us the opportunity to grow even more, as we soon hope to offer full logistic packages to our clients.

No matter how successful I become, I believe happiness comes from family and friends, not business or money.  When I started to realise that, and began to let go of my negative mindset, that is exactly when my business started to flourish!  The most important thing in life is being happy, but sometimes you have to go out there and make your own happiness.  That can often come with some struggle at first, but once you get past that, you can live a much happier, and fulfilled life.” 

For more information on the services North West Express provide call 01695 556411 or email info@northwestexpress.co.uk