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Posted:17-March-2017

diamond logistic's 25th birthday celebrations start on a high

diamond logistics, born in Guildford Surrey, led by Kate Lester has rocketed to success after arriving into the Virgin Fast Track 100, in time for its 25th birthday.

It’s a celebration of longevity with a foundation in recession economics that an owner managed and run business has not only lasted 25 years but is the fastest growing logistics business in the UK, beating Panther Logistics in the Fast Track.

As Kate says, ‘It’s taken us 25 years to be an overnight success.’

25 years ago Kate launched Diamond Dispatch at 14a Woodbridge Road, Guildford at 20. With her daughter conceived in the same week as her courier company this soon to be very young Mum did not have odds in her favour, but launch she did: serving Barlow’s solicitors who are still client to this day and then moving to Oracle, Bracknell.

Like a small yacht on the stormy seas of U.K. business it had many sunny days, and many stormy ones. The first fleet was far from glamorous, a less than salubrious mish mash of a D reg orange Astra Vans (called Jaffa) a jeep and a motorcycle but it was enough to get her going.

Four years on, still only at 24, as well as running Diamond day to day, Kate began to manage industry bodies like the Despatch Association, transforming members from 70 to 274+, founded I.T. companies such as DA Systems, and turned around courier and haulage companies that were struggling to succeed, like Citybikes and Frederick Miller, Kate seemed to be commanding the way in the courier industry and businesses alike at such a young age.

Even though Diamond was relatively small, it kept its clients and team very happy, was always profitable and always had good sales.

Over the next few years, Kate always saw the potential to scale a business. She tried to do it collaboratively many times – but a combination of disappointment of the greed motives of her fellow board members, and naivety resulted in a lot of work with negligible reward.

Despite this Kate persisted and after nearly 20 years, the introduction of the multicarrier element to the business with help form industry specialist Dan Allin, to give Diamond the unique three service offering – she decided to expand her business via a partnership model. Diamond was franchised and the business started to scale.

And Kate could do it her way. With collaborative working. Shared Success; meaning all stakeholders get to benefit from every daily action at Diamond.

It’s not been without its challenges but, in less than five years on from Diamond 2.0 launch, they are now the fastest growing logistics business in the UK. With their new MD, Richard Harris, helping them to blend his experience in corporate to Diamond’s entrepreneurial soul, they have 30-40 sites forecast by end of 2017, their national launch in 2018 and the world is now their veritable oyster.

Kate said: “As Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonalds franchise says, his success finally at 52, was down to one thing. Persistence. Ditto Ray. Ditto.”

It’s been 25 years for Diamond to be an overnight success. And Diamond are proud that their HQ still runs from Guilford, Surrey, where it all began. A shining example of a company that is a cut above the rest.

 

 

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