From Frustration to Innovation How one entrepreneur turned a broken system into a decade-long success story
By Entrepreneur Staff UK Edited by Patricia Cullen
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Seb Roberts launched Gophr, a London-based logistics company, out of frustration with unreliable delivery services and a passion for fixing what was broken. With no prior experience in logistics, he immersed himself in the world of couriers, customers, and clients to build a business that thrives by taking its time, doing its homework, and staying financially disciplined—ten years and counting.
What inspired you to start your business?
Basically, I was fed up with crap delivery experiences. I found it so difficult to find a good, reliable courier so decided to take on a fundamentally broken system to develop something better.
The challenge was that I had no delivery experience. I'd only ever worked in music and media. So I had to get to work on researching – from the perspective of the client, the courier and the customer - talking to as many people as I possibly could. That even meant getting on the bike, and experiencing it myself. It meant when I was ready to launch Gophr, we really were ready.
The other business idea I had around the same time was a marketplace for trainers butI figured eBay would have eventually gobbled it up. Meanwhile, Gophr is still going strong ten years later!
What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
We have had some challenges over the past decade! When we were all set to launch, Uber decided the time was ripe to launch its own offering, which was worryingly similar to the idea I had in mind! I gave us "two years to make it". But UberRush turned out a bit flat. And we're still here, almost ten years later. My slightly panicked "two years to make it" prediction was a bit…well panicked.
Our industry has seen a huge amount of turmoil, and we've seen competitors come and go, but we are still here. Why? Because we didn't rush it. We did our homework and focused on where we could grow and make a discernible difference. We looked at every possible part of the business, every stakeholder, and every place where we could add value.
How did you secure your initial funding?
We raised a seed round of £150,000, then £350,000 and around 5 years after that we did another £500,000 before doing our Series A of £4m at the start of 2021.
Not a huge amount compared to some of our competitors over the years. What it did do though, is get us started, taught us the importance of being financially disciplined and resourceful.
We did think that we must be doing something wrong when we saw the funding that others in the industry were getting - but it turned out that throwing money around in this world can also sow the seeds of your own destruction. Margins are so tight you kind of have to have really solid, watertight foundations. I think that's what those early investors saw in us - a business that wasn't looking to rush, wasn't promising the world, and had a really solid foundation.
How do you handle failure or setbacks?
Life has a way of teaching you by pressing you on your weak spots and there's no amount of anyone telling you, that's going to be as effective as the pain of taking that rake to the face. So take the rake, dust yourself down and get back on the bike.
Related: Driving Change in Car Rentals
What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
The window of opportunity for your great business idea is wider than you think. Don't rush into it before you are set. And do your homework!
How do you stay motivated during tough times?
During tough times, I look to the team to motivate me, and the company as a whole. Get them to challenge you and invite those difficult questions. It centres you, takes you back to your roots and gives you a kick up the arse to get things moving in the right direction again.
Share your tips for achieving success
Tips can end badly. Every business, every idea and every person is different. What worked for me, might not work for the next person.
If I was to offer advice - don't be afraid to be naive. I jumped into an industry, looking to shake things up, with literally no experience. So that meant a lot of learning. It also meant a lot of frantic googling under the table during those early meetings with potential investors, partners and clients. There was a fair amount of bullshitting! Also, take others on your journey with you. Earn their love and they will buy into your vision. Then you can share those successes together.
