Elevator Pitch is a regular feature on Lifehacker where we profile startups and new companies and pick their brains for entrepreneurial advice. This week, we’re talking with Steve Orenstein, CEO of Zoom2u.
In 128 words or less, explain your business idea.
Zoom2u is an on demand express courier service that launched in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane late last year. Zoom2u can deliver parcels within three hours in CBD areas and is the first courier service to enable customers to track and connect with drivers in real time. Anyone or a business can register via the website, iPhone or Android app and nominate pick-up and delivery details. Once the goods are collected the customer can track where the courier is in real time and know precisely when their goods will arrive at destination.
What strategies are you using to grow and finance your idea?
Zoom2u is my third start-up venture and so far it’s been fully bootstrapped. However, I’m open to discussions from potential investors. I’ve got experience at this having set up my own IT support company when I was only 19. My second venture was a cloud-based job management and scheduling tool that simplified the process of managing workers in the field, Connect2field which I sold to US listed company Fleetmatics in late 2013.
What’s the biggest challenge facing your business?
The biggest challenge is to scale to meet demand across Australia for fast, affordable and transparent courier services. We will expand across Australia throughout 2015 and then examine international market opportunities. The e-commerce boom in Australia has meant people and businesses are ordering more products online, but don’t want to wait days to receive their goods. Like taxis, the courier industry is ripe for disruption. Very little has been done to improve the customer experience, so our challenge is to respond to consumer demand.
How do your differentiate your business from your competitors?
Zoom2u is the first on demand cloud-based courier service in Australia. We are also the only courier service in Australia to enable customers to track the progress of deliveries in real time.
What one phone, tablet or PC application could you not live without?
My iPhone 6 as it allows me to keep in contact with my team and keep a close eye on the business at any time, anywhere. I’ve always loved using Apple products because they always work and look great.
What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?
I had a board of directors at Connect2Field and would go to a monthly meeting and share my direction for the company. I would speak to each one of those board members on a regular basis to get advice. I chose each of those members based on their experience in different areas of business – legal, marketing, sales and technology. But, learning what advice to filter was a skill I had to learn. It’s great to be open to ideas, suggestions, and advice from mentors and advisors. But, it’s also very important to trust your own instincts and make decisions based on the information you have at hand.
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