Find out how Wick & Flame built a thriving courier company on Courier Exchange in only a year.
Tristan Bacon — Published 17 July 2026
Wick & Flame started life as a candle company.
That’s not the typical origin story for a courier business. But then, Roxana Bocescu and Cristian Alexandru aren’t a typical courier company founders. Neither had worked in transport before. Neither had a ready-made client base. What they had was a dormant limited company, a lot of research, and a decision to build something entirely on their own terms.
Two years on, Wick & Flame operates three Luton vans out of Colchester, generates six-figure annual revenue, and sources every single job through Courier Exchange. Here’s how they got there.
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The name Wick & Flame has a story behind it — and it’s not the one you might expect from a courier company.
Roxana chose it when she was setting up her candle-making business during the pandemic. When she and Cristian later decided to move into transport, she kept it. The company already existed, the paperwork was done, and there was something she liked about holding onto where it had started.
The company name has a bit of a history. It was meant to be a candle-making company, not a transport company. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
The company name has a bit of a history. It was meant to be a candle-making company, not a transport company.
When the time came to build something new, the name stayed. What changed was everything else.
Roxana and Cristian are not the kind of people who make decisions quickly. Before they put any money into Wick & Flame as a transport business, they spent the better part of two years making sure it was the right move — and that CX was the right platform to build it on.
Roxana and Cristian did not join Courier Exchange on impulse. They had been looking at ways to build a business independently — something they could grow on their own terms rather than as employees.
They looked at various models in the transport and courier space, including Amazon DSP. After extensive research, Courier Exchange kept standing out.
Before they signed up for their first membership, they spent around 18 months asking questions. They spoke to people already working on CX, finding out what the work was actually like, what the realistic possibilities were, and whether it was genuinely possible to grow a business exclusively through the platform without building a separate client base.
We had a long period of research and enquiring with different people working with CX already — seeing what life on CX was like, and what the chances of growing a business exclusively, without having direct clients, really were. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
We had a long period of research and enquiring with different people working with CX already — seeing what life on CX was like, and what the chances of growing a business exclusively, without having direct clients, really were.
The answer they kept getting was that it could be done.
When they did join, the process was straightforward. CX provided an online training session covering how the platform worked, where to go if there were problems and how to raise tickets for any issues. The full sign-up, including all the relevant checks and documents, took less than a day.
Cristian’s experience was similar. For him, getting started was as simple as picking up the phone.
Starting and signing up with Courier Exchange was as easy as a phone call. We just made a quick call to their team. Everything was explained before signing up — what we needed, how the platform works. The sign-up process, with all the documents and checks, was less than a day. Cristian Alexandru, Wick & Flame
Starting and signing up with Courier Exchange was as easy as a phone call. We just made a quick call to their team. Everything was explained before signing up — what we needed, how the platform works. The sign-up process, with all the documents and checks, was less than a day.
Zero experience in transport is not an unusual starting point for new CX members — but it does require a clear-eyed approach to the early months.
For Wick & Flame, that meant being honest about what they did not know, and building the business in a way that gave them room to find out.
Roxana is direct about the challenge of entering a sector she had never worked in.
“The biggest challenge was seeing real-life work,” she says. “I had zero experience in transport. I had worked in mental health. I had experience with managing government funds. But I had never worked in transport.”
That uncertainty shaped how they approached the early months. Rather than buying multiple vans and scaling quickly, they started with one vehicle and used it to understand what the business actually required — what challenges came up daily, where they needed to improve, and what running a courier operation looked like in practice.
We started off with one van, seeing what the challenges are, what we confront with on a daily basis, where we have to improve ourselves. And after that, we expanded and brought on new drivers. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
We started off with one van, seeing what the challenges are, what we confront with on a daily basis, where we have to improve ourselves. And after that, we expanded and brought on new drivers.
It is an approach worth noting for anyone considering a similar path. The platform can provide the work from day one. Learning to run an operation around it takes time, and starting lean gave Wick & Flame the space to do that without overcommitting.
The cautious start did not last long. Once Wick & Flame understood what the operation required, growth followed quickly — and the numbers behind it are hard to argue with.
Six months after joining CX, Wick & Flame purchased two additional vans. The business went from one vehicle to three, taking on new drivers and a dispatcher to manage the expanding workload.
Their first year on the platform — largely with a single van — produced £124,000 in revenue. With three vans now operational, Roxana expects the business to triple that figure by the end of year two.
Since joining CX, Wick & Flame has grown a lot. We do all our business exclusively through and with the Transport Exchange Group. It has helped our business massively to grow and develop in the transport community. Cristian Alexandru, Wick & Flame
Since joining CX, Wick & Flame has grown a lot. We do all our business exclusively through and with the Transport Exchange Group. It has helped our business massively to grow and develop in the transport community.
For Cristian, one of the clearest day-to-day benefits has been the platform’s ability to fill mileage that would otherwise be wasted.
“It will definitely help you grow,” he says, “and also help you reduce any empty miles or dead miles that you might have on your fleet.”
The model Wick & Flame has built runs entirely through CX. Drivers see bookings instantly on the app, proof of delivery is handled digitally, and invoicing flows directly into their accounting software. There is no extra paperwork. No separate systems.
Everything is so streamlined and integrated. The invoicing is straightforward. The PODs are automatic. Everything translates from the bidding to the booking to invoicing — and sending everything into our QuickBooks accounting software is easy-peasy. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
Everything is so streamlined and integrated. The invoicing is straightforward. The PODs are automatic. Everything translates from the bidding to the booking to invoicing — and sending everything into our QuickBooks accounting software is easy-peasy.
When you are new to an industry and building a reputation from scratch, knowing who you are doing business with matters. Trusted Loads has been central to how Wick & Flame manages that — both when they are taking work and when they are putting drivers on jobs.
In same-day courier work, speed matters. When a job appears on the platform, the window for bidding is short. There is not time to stop and research every company you might work with.
That is where Trusted Loads has made a practical difference for Wick & Flame.
In the bidding process, you do have to be quick. Between looking at a company and deciding to bid for a job, you don't really have a lot of time. Trusted allows us to be quick and efficient — not wasting time on independent searching and verifying, but offering us the badge that says this company has been verified and is a legitimate business you can do business with. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
In the bidding process, you do have to be quick. Between looking at a company and deciding to bid for a job, you don't really have a lot of time. Trusted allows us to be quick and efficient — not wasting time on independent searching and verifying, but offering us the badge that says this company has been verified and is a legitimate business you can do business with.
Before Trusted, Roxana would check Companies House, look for online complaints and search for reviews before agreeing to work with a new load poster. That kind of due diligence takes time the bidding process does not always allow.
The verification works both ways. Wick & Flame’s own drivers are Trusted verified, which gives their load posters the same reassurance in reverse — confidence that the driver who arrives to collect a job is exactly who they are supposed to be.
“Our clients trust our drivers because they are Trusted verified,” says Roxana. “And that gains us client trust.”
For Cristian, the value extends to platform-wide safety as much as individual job decisions.
Trusted has made the platform safer and has reduced risks for everyone — courier companies and load posters alike. It gives load posters the security that the driver allocated to the job is the actual driver who shows up and completes it. Cristian Alexandru, Wick & Flame
Trusted has made the platform safer and has reduced risks for everyone — courier companies and load posters alike. It gives load posters the security that the driver allocated to the job is the actual driver who shows up and completes it.
Running the accounts for a courier company is not a small job. Roxana handles that side of the business for Wick & Flame, and SmartPay has changed the shape of that work considerably since they joined CX.
For a small courier company, waiting weeks to be paid for completed work creates real pressure. External invoice financing is one solution — but it comes with its own costs and complexity.
SmartPay removed that problem for Wick & Flame.
SmartPay was a very efficient way to be paid the same day, rather than going to look for external invoice financing. It was as quick as having a discussion with CX — them explaining how it works and the cost — and then just invoicing as we usually do. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
SmartPay was a very efficient way to be paid the same day, rather than going to look for external invoice financing. It was as quick as having a discussion with CX — them explaining how it works and the cost — and then just invoicing as we usually do.
The practical impact on the accounts side of the business has been significant. Less time spent on credit control. Less time chasing payments. Less anxiety about whether invoices will be settled.
“SmartPay made our day-to-day managing a lot easier,” says Roxana. “From the accounts payable point of view, there was less credit control to do, less following up with clients, less fear that we would not get paid. It just made things so much easier.”
Managing all invoices in one place has simplified the administrative side of the business further. The feedback system has been another useful tool, helping Wick & Flame build and maintain customer relationships over time.
“Feedback over the years has helped us build strong relationships with our clients,” says Roxana.
Neither Roxana nor Cristian are cautious in their recommendation. But they are honest about what joining CX actually involves.
Go ahead. Get ready — it's a lot of work. But it's all worth it. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
Go ahead. Get ready — it's a lot of work. But it's all worth it.
She is also clear that the industry experience she and Cristian lacked at the start did not prevent them from building something real.
“You don’t really need to have experience in deliveries, or a lot of experience in driving, to be able to join CX,” she says. “But you do have to be responsible. You have to pay attention to health and safety regulations. Other than that, literally anyone can join CX, do courier work, build a business from it and build a bright future.”
Cristian’s view is similar — and his summary of what CX has meant for the business is straightforward.
Without CX, we wouldn't be here. CX has built up this business and helped us evolve, upgrade and expand from year to year. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
Without CX, we wouldn't be here. CX has built up this business and helped us evolve, upgrade and expand from year to year.
Having built a three-van operation from nothing in under two years, Wick & Flame are not planning to stand still. The next phase of the business is already taking shape — and it goes well beyond being a Colchester courier service.
Roxana and Cristian are working towards a transport licence, with plans to transition from Courier Exchange to Haulage Exchange and expand their operations across Europe. They have already begun conversations with their CX account manager about the migration.
In the near future, Wick & Flame is aiming to go from national to European. We are aiming to get our transport licence and migrate from Courier Exchange to the Haulage Exchange platform. Roxana Bocescu, Wick & Flame
In the near future, Wick & Flame is aiming to go from national to European. We are aiming to get our transport licence and migrate from Courier Exchange to the Haulage Exchange platform.
Those plans also include further fleet expansion. The three vans they operate today are the starting point, not the limit. And having built everything so far through CX — from their first job to their first six-figure year — they are approaching the next stage with the same confidence that brought them this far.
“We are trying to offer our customers a better solution to transport than our competitors,” says Cristian, “by streamlining and reducing costs anywhere and everywhere we can, and passing those savings on. The exchange is helping us do that.”
Be your own boss. Set your own hours. Make your own money.
No. Wick & Flame’s founders came from backgrounds in mental health and driver management, with no prior experience in the courier industry. They started with one van to learn the operation in practice, then expanded once they understood what running a courier business required day to day.
Wick & Flame has done exactly that. 100% of their work comes through the CX platform. In their first year on CX — largely operating with a single van — the business generated £124,000 in revenue.
Trusted Loads gives couriers a way to verify the companies they are bidding for and the drivers they are putting on jobs, without manual research. In same-day work, where the window for bidding is short, being able to see that a company is Trusted verified means Wick & Flame can make fast decisions with confidence. Their own Trusted verified drivers also give load posters confidence in return.
SmartPay enables same-day payment on completed jobs, removing the need for external invoice financing. For Wick & Flame, it reduced the time spent on credit control, eliminated the anxiety of chasing outstanding invoices and simplified the accounts process — all in one change to how they invoice.
