Dallas Business Journal Features Worldwide Express CEO and Founder David Kiger
Entrepreneur interviewed about his inspiration for building the Dallas-based package and freight shipping firm
Mar 05, 2013, 01:12 ET
DALLAS, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- David Kiger, CEO and founder of Worldwide Express, a Dallas-based global package and freight shipping firm, was interviewed for the Feb. 22 edition of the Dallas Business Journal about his experience starting and later rebuilding the company after the loss of a primary business partner.
Kiger founded Worldwide Express in 1995 but in late 2008 faced a crisis when its partner, DHL, significantly withdrew from the U.S. market. More than half of revenue was lost almost overnight, but the company quickly moved forward to create a partnership with UPS® that has led to growth ever since. Run-rate sales now exceed $550 million in revenue, and the company has expanded to include more than 150 franchises from coast to coast.
Kiger offered this critical lesson for entrepreneurs: A major disruption is likely to shake your company, so be ready for it.
"It is only a matter of time before every business owner finds themselves in a real do-or-die situation, perhaps several of them over time," Kiger told the DBJ. "You have to be willing to make adjustments to the plan as situational dynamics dictate."
Whenever he's asked for his advice to entrepreneurs, Kiger is always quick to preach resiliency and focus on the founding principals of a company.
"The first thing I would say would be 'stick to your knitting,'" he said in a recent interview with MO.com. "Really focus on that one thing that you think you can do well, and do it really, really well. It is very easy to get distracted once you have a little success and think that you can sort of bolt on different businesses or things to sell."
"It takes a long time to be pretty good at something, and it takes a really long time to be great at it. So the advice would be stick to the essential and basic business model you have and don't try to expand it too early."
Worldwide Express was recently named the No. 1 U.S. employer for career advancement by the publishers of Business Insider magazine and the popular employment website Glassdoor.com. It also has recently redesigned its website, www.wwex.com, to include a new blog aimed at providing career advice to young professionals.
For more information, please contact Sarah Dunn at 972-850-5862 or via email at [email protected].
About Worldwide Express
Worldwide Express is a global logistics company based in Dallas that has handled millions of package and freight shipments for more than 30,000 small to midsize businesses. With more than 150 franchises across the country, Worldwide Express is one of the largest authorized resellers of express shipping for UPS, as well as a trusted freight partner to more than 45 carriers. To learn more, visit http://www.wwex.com.
Contact: Sarah Dunn
972-850-5862
[email protected]
SOURCE Worldwide Express