01/10/2026
**Things I’ve Learned 🚚💭**
With the news out that STR is closing its doors, I wanted to share some thoughts and real insights from the last few years. (For legal reasons, I still have to keep certain details vague!)
---
# # # 1) STICK TO THE PLAN 🎯
When we set up STR, we had a clear, financed business plan for how we’d operate, how we’d do things, and how we wanted the company to grow. Unfortunately, we drifted from it.
When shiny new contract offers came along, we jumped at them instead of looking at the long-term big picture:
* *Could we actually service them properly?*
* *Were they really worth the extra effort?*
The same happened with our fleet. We had a strategy for which trucks to buy and when, but changing the plan meant buying vehicles that, in hindsight, we shouldn't have—lesson learned! **If you have a well-thought-out, financed business plan, stick to it.**
---
# # # 2) TRUST YOUR GUT 🔮
If something doesn't feel or sound right, steer clear—whether it’s contracts, private customers, or hiring staff. You very quickly get a spooky sixth sense when something isn't quite right with someone or something. Always listen to it.
---
# # # 3) CHOOSE YOUR FINANCE COMPANIES & BROKERS VERY CAREFULLY ⚠️
This is one of the biggest ones for me. We went with a very well-known broker company, and now that we're returning trucks, we’ve found out just how badly we got stitched up on the finance deals. Yes, we should have read them more carefully (especially the small print!), but there are a lot of sharks out there in the broker world. Find someone recommended by people you know—someone like **Corrine Shepherd**, who I now wish we had used!
As for finance companies, there are good ones and bad ones. The good ones are great, but the bad ones are very bad. To give you two examples (without naming names):
* **Example A:** We handed two trucks back to a particular finance company who then sold them off at auction for absolute buttons—a 12t Ceyhan tilt & slide worth at least £50k sold for £22k, and a Mercedes Actros 34 car carrier worth around £45k sold for £30k. They’re now coming after us for the shortfall... *(good luck with that, by the way!)* 😅
* **Example B:** Another finance company just gave us the outstanding settlement balance on a forklift we’re handing back. We originally paid £15k for it, and the outstanding balance is £25k!
**Takeaway:** Don't do what we did. Do endless due diligence on the finance companies, read every line of the agreements, and get a broker you can actually trust.
---
# # # 4) STAFF: HIRE CAREFULLY & HOLD ONTO THE GOOD ONES 👥
Staff is a major issue. We have had some fantastic staff, but we’ve also had some absolute numpties. We got references and did proper interviews, but still hit some wild situations:
* **The Transport Carelessness:** We had a driver who forgot to chain a car onto the kickdeck over the cab of the transporter. When the truck stopped moving, the car didn't! A total nightmare, but while accidents happen, it was symptomatic of a very careless attitude that started about two weeks after he joined.
* **The "Tired" Driver:** We had another driver, who worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, then called in sick on Thursday because he was "tired after working three days!" (Safe to say, the following Friday was his last day.) And now he thinks it's funny to laugh at the fact we have had to close the doors ( as does his girlfriend)
* **The Social Media "Specialist":** We hired a marketing manager who professed to being a social media specialist and ran their own company. Alarm bells should have rung when they said we needed to subscribe to *another* company to schedule (and apparently create) posts—so what were we paying them for?! More alarm bells should have rung when it took all day to create one post that only got 200 interactions across Facebook and Instagram.
Then came the request to Work From Home (*don't ever agree to this, by the way—if this person is anything to go by, working from home means staying in bed doing bu**er all!*). Getting even one post a day was a major struggle. The kicker? They told us they were working from home while actually in London at a networking event for their own business! When confronted, they denied being there... even though they had posted photos of themselves at the event on her personal Facebook! Not the smartest move. 😂 *(Side note: when I took social media back over, I was getting more likes per post than they was getting in a week—and I'm certainly no expert!)*
**Real takeaway:** It takes time to realise that it's very rare to hire people who care as much about your company succeeding as you do, and NOBODY will ever work as hard as you, so don't expect them to. When you find someone who cares, fits in, does the job well, and you trust—**KEEP THEM!** Without great employees, a company is doomed.
---
# # # 5) GET A MENTOR & BUILD RELATIONSHIPS 🤝
We were so lucky that we had some great help and advice along the way, and even when things went wrong, the advice given was spot on. People like Karen Louise Ellis and Baz Cooper are worth their weight in gold!
Build relationships with other operators in your area and beyond—you never know when they can help you or when you can help them. Talking to someone who actually knows the industry is a godsend.
---
# # # 6) MONEY, MONEY, MONEY 💰
Do **NOT** ever trust anyone else to look after your money, revenue, or expenses. **EVER EVER EVER!!!!!**
That is all I can (legally) say on that subject. 🤐
---
I hope you’ve found this helpful in some way. There’s probably a lot more I could add, but maybe that’s for another day.
STR is closing down, but.......... 👀👇
