A pair of friends who started a same-day delivery courier business with a van funded by the Prince's Trust are celebrating their firm's fourth birthday.
Warrington-based Jamie Boyd and Jon Woodall, have built the Today Team into a nationwide specialist service with a turnover of £350,000, whose clients include Manchester United and ITN.
Jamie, who was training to be a plasterer before starting the Today Team, said: "A friend was working as a courier, and we thought we could give it a go ourselves.
"We didn't have any experience or contacts, but we did an awful lot of research and put together a business plan to present to the Prince's Trust who granted us a loan of £3,000.
"It enabled us to lease a van and away we went."
They picked up early contracts by simply knocking on doors, but it was the launch of their website which got the company's name known nationwide.
The courier service is a competitive industry and small independent firms pick up work via a national website where jobs are advertised round the clock.
"It is either feast or famine and so would be pointless having 30 vehicles stood on the car park. You bid for the work and then we use our network of freelance drivers around the country to do the job," explained Jamie.
"The great thing about our business is the ability to manage things from one central location at Birchwood, and we have great relationships with drivers throughout the country, which means we can cover all corners of the UK.
"This whole industry is run on reputation and trust and we are very proud that on the website feedback we get a five-star rating which means the best people want to work for us."
They also have a list of permanent contracts and regular clients but, while they began 2008 planning future expansion, they have had to make cost savings in the current climate.
And it can lead to an amusing day at the office for some of the drivers.
Jamie recalls: "We once had to deliver giant Duracell Bunnies to various supermarkets as part of a promotion, and on another occasion delivered a three-tier pork pie wedding cake from a specialist butcher in Lincolnshire to the wedding venue.
"You don't question the client - just make sure you get it there in pristine condition - no cracked pastry.
"It is fortunate that we cover a wide cross section of businesses so we spread the risk but we, like everyone else, are having to batten down the hatches.
"We are fortunate that the nature of the business allows us to keep overheads to a minimum, but there is no doubt that the market right now is ultra-competitive. We are also facing more competition from people who have perhaps become unemployed and see being a courier as a way to make some money. We sincerely believe, though, that the reputation we have built up will stand us in good stead."
The pair say that a lot of their work involves saving the day for firms who have been let down by the standard postal service.
Jon added: "A lot of the time we are providing a solution to a customer's problem - a delivery that hasn't been sent out, or paperwork that needs to be signed before a deadline. It's great to get an email after the job's been completed to thank us for saving a deal."
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