I have been debating about writing this blog post for at
least the last 2 years...
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| Photo Courtesy of Jerry King, J King Images |
I have never written a blog post about our trucking company, United Federal
Logistics Inc., that we started in August of 2015. My husband, Kyle, and I have
grown our company from 3 tractors and 6 employees to 24 tractors and 35
employees. The reason I have been hesitant to share our story about our business is
because this is my professional life and my blog has been mainly personal. This
has been my dilemma.
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| Photo Courtesy of Jerry King, J King Images |
I was recently encouraged by our photographer, Jerry King, to share our story. He thought we could inspire potential new business owners.
By starting our company, Kyle and I took a huge leap of faith in God’s promise to trust in Him. After a lot of prayer, we felt the Holy Spirit direct us to “give God a chance to work in our life” in a tangible way. We just had to take "one step in faith" at a time.
In my other posts, you have seen my story about losing my mom in April of 2015. After this major tragic event that intersected with my life, I started to view my time in a different and in an urgent way. I realized when I was older, looking back, I wouldn’t want to have any regrets. This included helping, supporting, and partnering with Kyle to live out his dream of owning his own business. He received his Master’s in Business Administration from Emory University to prepare for this dream as well!!
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| Photo Courtesy of Jerry King, J King Images |
Kyle discovered the FedEx Ground linehaul contractor model in 2012. FedEx Ground outsources it’s linehaul and pick-up and delivery services to
independent business owners and logistics companies. He realized it was a great
opportunity and thought it might be something that he would like to pursue. He
spent over a year researching and modeling out the business.
We made a few attempts to start a linehaul business with FedEx. Then we had divine timing as we finally got the first 3 routes. FedEx wanted our business up and running and available to work within a month. So we needed to act quickly! We worked hard to secure tractors and hire drivers to get fully staffed.
We made a few attempts to start a linehaul business with FedEx. Then we had divine timing as we finally got the first 3 routes. FedEx wanted our business up and running and available to work within a month. So we needed to act quickly! We worked hard to secure tractors and hire drivers to get fully staffed.
Since then, we have had many ups and downs, as any business does during the start up phase. We have continued to organically grow our business and our partnership with FedEx Ground. Kyle was handling all the logistics of day to day coordinating of runs, tractor maintenance, and reporting all by himself for about a year and a half. Then a year ago, we made a great decision to promote a seasoned top driver to management. Promoting Dale Moore has made all the difference for Kyle and the rest of the company. Dale has been crucial in helping us scale and manage the business as we have continued to grow. I still handle most of the back office operations, HR, finances, and driver benefits.
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| Photo Courtesy of Jerry King, J King Images |
Working with my spouse, as a business partner, has certainly had its
challenges! We have grown and stretched our marriage, sometimes even to it’s
limits. It is kind of like the process taking a piece of coal and under stress
refining it into a diamond. Many people tell me they can’t imagine working with
their spouse because of how difficult it would be. They are right, it can be
very difficult! But, it has always been worth it!!!
Our journey has revealed a whole new side of Kyle to me and what makes him tick. It has shown me his incredible strength and given me a greater appreciation for how brilliant he truly is. I respected him before and it has only expanded my respect for him as a business partner and leader of our company.
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| Photo Courtesy of Jerry King, J King Images |
God and the Holy Spirit get so much of the credit and glory!!! God has been there
the whole time giving us guidance and showing us that if we are faithful with
the small things he will bless us with more. He also comforts us when we are
going through difficult times. Keeping the Lord at the center, as our Rock, has
made all the difference!
We always wanted to be the type of bosses for which people like to work. We strive to provide a great work/life balance for our drivers. We know truck drivers will work somewhere, and we want them to be happy working for us! We know linehaul drivers have a life and we work with them, so they can still be home for important events at home. We really care about our drivers as people not just employees. We also show them that by offering full health care benefits and paid time off. We know rest and self-care is so important for drivers and their safety on the road. Safety has always been our number one priority. Everything we do comes from that mentality.
Here are tips and advice to share to any potential new business owners:
Pray about everything and for God’s direction!!
Don’t be too proud to get on your hands and knees surrendering everything to God’s ultimate control.
Trust your instincts and the Holy Spirit.
Take a leap of faith and one step at a time.
Be willing to put in the work to see things through to completion.
Be quick, nimble, and try to make good decisions under pressure.
If the decision doesn’t happen to be the right one, learn from your mistake, and move on to the next decision.
Make sure to have a lot of perseverance and faith that no matter what happens it will be okay.
You will have to work harder than you would for someone else.
You have to be willing to do whatever it takes if no one else will.
You have the flexibility to make your own schedule but have to be a great self-starter.
Have wise counsel you can talk to about decisions by getting outside input and perspectives.
You have to be willing to take responsibility for how things turn out because the burden falls on you.
Running your own business is a life style change and not for the faint of heart!!
Being your own boss and working for yourself is so rewarding!!!
To learn more about our company and apply to join our team, please visit our website:
http://www.United-Federal.com
*Website designed by Black Airplane. https://blackairplane.com/
**Images by Jerry King with J King Images. He has a great story about starting his own business in a similar way we did, by taking a huge leap of faith. https://www.jkingimages.com/
