After leaving the Royal Marines, Geoffrey Williams wanted to build a business around the qualities that had shaped his career: discipline, reliability and teamwork.
In 2019, that ambition became Exvets Express. Geoffrey started as a sole driver with no established courier customer base. Today, the company has six drivers, operates vehicles ranging from small vans to a Luton van and has completed more than 7,000 jobs through Courier Exchange.
With plans to grow the team further, expand its vehicle capacity and eventually pass the business to the next generation, Exvets Express shows how a new courier can develop into a scalable courier company.
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Before entering the courier industry, Geoffrey spent nine years as a non-commissioned officer in the Royal Marines. He later worked as a branch manager for an insurance company, where he used the leadership and organisational skills he had developed in the military to manage a successful team.
After spending time working in several other industries, Geoffrey heard about Courier Exchange and became interested in starting a courier business.
He liked the freedom of driving across the country, but he also saw the opportunity to build something larger than a job for himself. His ambition from the beginning was to create a trusted team around him.
The name Exvets Express reflects Geoffrey’s military background and communicates the standards he wanted the company to represent.
“I used the military name because I thought that would be beneficial in conveying the discipline of my military background to customers.”
Those values remain central to the business today. Geoffrey expects every driver to be punctual, reliable, motivated and professional.
His approach to timekeeping is straightforward: “If you’re not five minutes early, you’re late.”
Exvets Express did not operate before joining Courier Exchange. Geoffrey discovered the platform while researching how to get started in the courier industry and joined from the beginning.
“Before Courier Exchange, the business was just an idea to me.”
Someone had recommended CX as a reliable platform for finding courier work. Geoffrey researched the company, read reviews from existing members and decided it could provide the foundation he needed to get started.
The immediate challenge was finding enough work.
Like many new couriers, Geoffrey had to quote for jobs without knowing whether he would win them. There were also occasions when he would complete a delivery far from home and need to find another job for the return journey.
Without consistent work, there was a risk of spending too much time waiting or covering unproductive mileage.
“The biggest challenge initially was trying to get enough work. You put in quotes for business and sometimes you can wait for a job, or you can drive somewhere and need a job back.”
Geoffrey began using the CX mobile app more frequently to identify suitable opportunities and develop relationships with other members.
Geoffrey is open about the fact that his progress was initially slower than he had hoped.
As someone new to the courier industry, he needed to learn how the platform worked, how to price jobs and what customers expected from a professional courier.
“Initially, I did find things quite slow because I didn’t fully understand the system, the way the app worked, or what was expected of me.”
The Courier Exchange support team helped Geoffrey understand areas such as how much to charge per mile for different types of vehicles. He also learned the importance of completing jobs professionally and earning positive customer feedback.
Rather than growing overnight, the business developed by completing one job at a time and building a visible reputation.
“It built up steadily and surely.”
For Geoffrey, access to work created the opportunity. Professionalism helped turn that opportunity into repeat business.
As Exvets Express completed more jobs, Geoffrey started developing relationships with customers through Courier Exchange.
Some of those customers now contact the company directly when they have work available. The jobs are still managed through CX, giving both parties a clear record of the delivery and keeping the relevant information together.
“We use CX now for about 90% of our business because we have built up a good client base via CX.”
The company works with a variety of customers. This includes international courier businesses that need support completing deliveries in the UK.
Exvets Express has also established a strong presence in the film industry, transporting costumes, props and other materials across the country.
This mix of work has allowed the company to develop experience in different areas while reducing its dependence on a single type of customer.
Finding return work became an important part of making journeys more productive.
When one of the company’s drivers completes a delivery in another part of the country, Exvets Express uses CX to look for suitable jobs heading back towards the driver’s home location.
“If a driver went to Scotland on a job, he wouldn’t want to come back empty. So we would use CX to find a job to get him back home.”
Drivers can also use the My Journey feature to enter a planned route and identify relevant loads appearing along the way.
This helps Exvets Express reduce empty running, improve vehicle utilisation and generate additional revenue from journeys that the drivers may already need to make.
When Exvets Express joined Courier Exchange in 2019, Geoffrey was the company’s only driver.
From its base in Waltham Abbey, Exvets Express is now one of the many courier companies serving London, the South East and customers nationwide. The business has grown to six drivers, including Geoffrey, with team members based across Devon, Cornwall, Bristol, Hertfordshire and Essex.
Its fleet now ranges from small vans to a recently acquired Luton van, allowing the company to accept a wider variety of deliveries.
“Since Exvets Express joined CX in 2019, when I was a sole driver, we now have six drivers and vans from a small van up to a Luton van.”
The drivers are mainly family members and friends. Geoffrey prefers to expand with people he knows and trusts because every driver represents the standards and reputation of Exvets Express.
As the team has grown, Geoffrey’s own role has also changed. He now spends more time in control, coordinating drivers and managing work, although he still completes deliveries when required.
Growth has therefore involved more than Geoffrey driving additional hours. It has meant building a team, adding vehicle capacity and learning how to coordinate work across several locations.
Courier Exchange now supports both sides of Exvets Express’ operation.
The company uses the platform to find work for its own vehicles. However, if a customer offers Geoffrey a job that none of his drivers can cover, Exvets Express can post the load for another CX member.
This allows the company to continue supporting its customers without relying solely on the availability of its internal fleet.
When subcontracting a delivery, Geoffrey places particular importance on selecting couriers who can represent Exvets Express professionally.
Trustd helps him identify verified drivers and businesses on the platform.
“When we post jobs, we like the driver to be on Trustd because we know then that he can represent our company in the way that we expect.”
For Geoffrey, this is closely connected to reputation. Even when another courier completes the physical delivery, the customer still associates the service with Exvets Express.
Adding drivers and completing more jobs also created additional administration.
Geoffrey estimates that Exvets Express is due around 100 payments during a typical month. Checking each payment manually and matching it to the correct invoice could take a significant amount of time.
The company now uses SmartPay to monitor incoming and outgoing payments through the platform.
Geoffrey can see which invoices have been paid without repeatedly checking the company’s bank account. This also reduces the risk of chasing a customer for a payment that has already arrived.
When Exvets Express needs to pay another courier, Geoffrey can manage the payment and mark the relevant invoice as paid through the same system.
“That saves me hours in admin time each month.”
These systems have become increasingly important as Geoffrey moves away from operating purely as an owner-driver and towards managing a larger courier business.
Exvets Express has now completed more than 7,000 jobs through Courier Exchange alone.
The company’s next milestone is 10,000 completed CX jobs.
“Exvets Express has now completed over 7,000 jobs through CX alone, and we will continue to work towards our next milestone.”
Geoffrey says the company’s monthly income has increased steadily as the business has developed. More importantly, the team has built a reliable flow of work and a customer base that continues to use its services.
“Our monthly income has increased steadily over the years, we’re kept busy, and we’re all happy.”
Geoffrey believes a courier company’s reputation is built through the way it handles every delivery.
Exvets Express focuses on punctuality, reliability, communication and a willingness to go beyond the minimum expected.
“Our main priority at Exvets Express is to provide a first-class service through punctuality, reliability and the willingness to go the extra mile.”
Customer feedback on CX allows these service standards to become visible to other members. Companies looking for a courier can review previous performance and identify businesses they may want to work with.
Geoffrey’s advice to other couriers looking to grow is not to lose sight of the standards that helped them win work in the first place.
Expansion should strengthen the customer experience rather than weaken it.
Geoffrey believes new couriers need to understand that self-employment requires more than the ability to drive.
His advice includes:
“You need to keep some money aside to keep yourself working.”
Access to work can help a new courier get started, but Geoffrey believes long-term success depends on discipline, financial management and the quality of service provided.
Geoffrey intends to continue expanding the business.
Exvets Express has recently added a Luton van and would eventually like to acquire another two or three. Geoffrey is also considering storage facilities, increased nationwide coverage and a possible move into international courier work.
His longer-term target is to build a team of approximately 10–15 drivers, each with access to enough work to earn a good income.
As the company grows, Geoffrey plans to spend less time driving and move fully into an administrative and management role.
Ultimately, he hopes to pass Exvets Express to his nephew, giving the next generation the opportunity to continue building the business.
“I would like to increase the business to perhaps 10 or 12 drivers, all having plenty of work to do and earning a good income.”
Courier Exchange has been part of Exvets Express from its first day in business. Geoffrey expects it to remain central as the company adds drivers, expands its services and prepares for its next chapter.
“CX has been part of our business from day one.”
Be your own boss. Set your own hours. Make your own money.
The company completes work for international courier businesses that need UK coverage. It also transports costumes, props and other materials for the film industry.
The team uses Courier Exchange to look for return loads after completing deliveries away from home. Drivers can also use My Journey to find suitable jobs along their planned routes.
When its own drivers are unavailable, Exvets Express can post the job on Courier Exchange and subcontract it to another courier. Geoffrey prefers verified drivers who can represent the company’s standards professionally.
Geoffrey recommends setting clear targets, staying self-motivated, communicating professionally and managing money carefully. He also stresses the importance of punctuality, reliability and maintaining a good reputation.
