Direct Mail and Shipping Business Plan

Executive Summary

The Shipping Centre is a full service shipping, fax transmittal, and private Mail Box company. It is an Oregon corporation, privately held and lead by Steve Freighter. The current package shipping center business has a lot of competition. The competition acts like their services are a commodity, just simple shipping services.

The Shipping Centre will gain market share through the use of their two competitive advantages, customer service and convenience. Because the industry is turning commodity-like, having superior customer service is one important way of achieving differentiation. The other advantage is convenience. The Shipping Centre is open beyond the standard business hours, offering a true convenience to full-time working customers, the type of customer that is typical for The Shipping Centre.

The Shipping Centre is able to have slightly lower service charges on shipping packages and better margins then the competition through the use of innovative software that creates significant efficiencies in work flow. This innovative work flow efficiency, coupled with the competitive advantages will allow The Shipping Centre to gain market share.

The Shipping Centre is scheduled to reach profitability by month 12 and by year three will have earned a modest profit that year.

1.1 Objectives

The objectives for the first three years of operation include:

• To create a service-based company whose primary goal is to exceed customers' expectations.
• To increase the number of transactions served by 20% per year through superior performance.
• To develop a sustainable service-based company, surviving off its own cash flow.

1.2 Mission

The Shipping Centre's mission is to provide the customer with whatever type of shipping needs they may have. We exist to attract and maintain customers. When we adhere to this maxim, everything else will fall into place. Our services will exceed the expectations of our customers.