Saires Envíos
Startup Snapshot
Startup name: Saires Envíos
Industry: LogiTech
Business Model: B2B SaaS
Founder: Matías Gónzalez
Operates in: Argentina
HQ Location: Buenos Aires
Team Size: 60
Founded: 2017
Stage: Bootstrapped
Website: www.sairesenvios.com.ar
What does Saires Envíos do?
Saires Envíos was born as an urban courier company. Thanks to the e-commerce boom, they found the need to develop software, a TMS (Transportation Management System) that allowed them to manage all shipments with different types of integrations to the most popular e-commerce platforms in the market, such as Tienda Nube, Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, VTEX and Mercado Libre.
What's your backstory?
Matías started his career as a motorcycle courier for urban delivery services. One of his clients, a fashion retailer, saw exceptional growth during the pandemic, and Matías built the logistics operations to support them. One of their key advantages was their adaptability and ability to grow with their customers. This success led Saires Envíos to secure distribution contracts with other fashion brands to develop their platform, define a solid corporate structure, and drastically grow their team and capabilities.
Initially, Saires Envíos concentrated on providing door-to-door deliveries. However, they have now expanded their services, offering over six modes of operation. Their two core services include distribution for e-commerce and last-mile delivery.
How did you come up with the idea?
Matías says it kind of just happened. As a courier in his business, he began identifying the nuances of logistics and the areas of opportunity for their business and customers, addressing the shortcomings or rigidities often associated with large postal services. As a startup, they had the flexibility to seize these opportunities and build their platform and services tailored to their customer’s needs.
How did you acquire your first customers?
Matías's father worked as a warehouse manager in a textile printing company. During his work, he faced issues with the urban courier services. To solve this problem, he lent Matías a motorcycle so that he could offer courier services to their business. As a result, Matías's father became his first customer.
His dedication to service quality led this first customer to gradually utilize his services as their main logistics partner. As this happened, Matías gradually added more couriers and with the increased capacity, he began approaching and closing other customers.
Before the pandemic, Saires Envíos would handle around 4,000-10,000 monthly shipments, and now they handle 30,000 to 45,000.
Although he had a general interest in technology, it was his fascination with programming that drove him towards the logistics of e-commerce. He taught himself how to program and began developing the company's core technology to expand its operations efficiently. The unprecedented growth in e-commerce spurred by the pandemic skyrocketed their growth, and by balancing technology and exceptional customer service, they scaled from 10 couriers to 150 in under 2 years.
When and how did you realize you had PMF?
Their business experienced an unprecedented surge in growth during the pandemic. However, it was during the 'Hot Sale' and 'Cyber Monday' - the biggest commercial events in Argentina - that they saw an even steeper rise, skyrocketing by 400-500%. This was a clear indication of a significant shift in consumer behavior, with people increasingly preferring online shopping over physical stores.
To put things into perspective, before the pandemic, Saires Envíos would handle around 4,000-10,000 monthly shipments, and now they handle 30,000 to 45,000.
What's your motivation?
At first, there was a clear contrast between his background in providing an urgent, on-demand service where everything had to be resolved quickly, often with minimal margins. However, as he learned to program and gained a deeper understanding of e-commerce and technology, he realized the untapped potential in the logistics and e-commerce industry. This spurred his desire to revolutionize the industry by leveraging technology to provide a superior experience for both retailers and consumers, improve margins, and expand capabilities. And in his own words: ‘We’re just getting started.’
What's next for your startup?
Short-term: Their objective is to provide a comprehensive service that prioritizes the consumer, the customer, and the end-user experience from start to finish. They understand that there's a person behind each shipment, and that person should receive not only a tracking number but personalized attention and customer service. Whether through a human agent or a chatbot, they are committed to offering tools for excellent customer support.
Medium-term: Expanding operations in other Latin American countries. Most likely Uruguay and Chile.
Tips for other founders:
Embrace Persistence: The most crucial factors are desire, determination, and not giving up. Along the way, there will be many ups and downs, so it's a continuous cycle of growth and setbacks.
Focus & Consistency: Consistency is crucial, and not deviating from the vision in mind is essential. When one has an idea, one should make it happen, no matter what, and this can only be achieved through unwavering persistence.
Embrace Curiosity and Adaptability: Entrepreneurship is an ongoing journey with ever-evolving goals and constant learning. Stay motivated by embracing curiosity and adaptability. This is particularly relevant in a country like Argentina where political and economic circumstances can change overnight, making flexibility and a willingness to learn critical.
Founder's Wisdom
Most people never pick up the phone.
Most people never call.
Most people never ask.
And that is what separates dreamers from doers.
Steve Jobs, Apple cofounder
Axelerate Talent Network:
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