A JOURNEY THROUGH BUSINESS EVOLUTION FOR ONE OF LEICESTERSHIRE’S MOST RECOGNISED BRANDS

OWNER AT FAMILY ROOTED LEICESTER’S PREMIER LOGISTICS, SHARES THE CHALLENGES OF BEING AT THE TOP OF A BUSINESS THAT GREW AT SPEED AND HOW WITH A RESILIENT AND ADAPTABLE MINDSET THE COMPANY HAS GONE FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Lee Christopher is an experienced, resilient and visionary entrepreneur who has adapted and grown with the challenges of that role over the years. You can from a chat with him immediately see that he’s no-nonsense, honest and open – traits which left an imprint on his 25-year-old son Macauley and took his business through tough times.

It was never Macauley’s intention to work for his dad, and it wasn’t especially what Lee wanted for him – there wasn’t the pressure from him to take the reins as is common with family run firms. Lee explained: “It was never a desire for me to encourage my son to join the business. There’s a huge amount of responsibility that comes from being accountable for people’s wages and them being able to feed their families. I didn’t want Mac to have all that responsibility. I wanted him to have less burden and pressure that comes from being a business owner that’s for sure.”

As a father, Lee wants to make sure his son never felt the isolation that he felt so much over the years and wanted Macauley to know he could talk to him whenever he needed. And for when he doesn’t want to talk to his dad, he can talk to someone outside the business who not only understands but doesn’t judge. “Investing in personal development is the key to success and I am really pleased Mac is open to taking on different ways of doing business. I know I can’t stop Mac from making mistakes, that’s how we learn, but if I can save him from making some of

Words by Kerry Smith and Emily Miller

the bigger mistakes I made, I’ll be pleased.”

Macauley added: “I actually never intended to join the business; it was never part of my plan growing up particularly because I knew the realities of being a business owner.” Having witnessed his dad go through the trials and tribulations of running Premier Logistics, he shared: “I didn’t have rose tinted glasses about any of it. I’d seen dad go through steep downfalls with HMRC and entering into a commercial voluntary arrangement (CVA), for example, but I also saw his resilience and attitude to not giving up against the odds – it left an impression on me.”

Reflecting on the 15 years as Director of Premier Logistics, Lee shared the realities of the lows that so many entrepreneurs can feel. “There are real peaks and troughs, it’s not always how it looks from the outside running your own business. I remember being unable to refund a £10 receipt to a member of the team when times were tough financially and it was the most soul-destroying experience I have ever faced.”

Formed in 2004, Premier Logistics was renowned locally for its vibrancy as a brand and behind that its commitment to its staff as the culture of the company. Through harder times Lee recalls beating the odds and keeping his business and his employees in a secure job calling that time a “huge learning curve” in the nearly two decades in business. “It’s often through these tougher times that we find out who we are, digging deep into the hope and vision it needs to run a business. Whilst I didn’t encourage Mac to tread this path, I can’t help but feel proud to see that it was my resilience that he took from it.”

Back To The Start

Starting in the logistics industry as a driver in 1995, Lee soon fell into a role as an account manager at the firm. “Running the same route, you get to know your customers. You can see the frustrations and it doesn’t take a lot to begin to understand their needs.” Lee would feed back to the sales team advising on what consumers wanted.

As a ‘people person’ through and through, Lee was building relationships and taking time to talk to his customers, gaining valuable knowledge. A natural problem solver Lee could spot new opportunities to improve their experience and often felt there was a smarter way to do things, therefore retaining business and further increasing client spend. Progressing to the role of account manager was a natural move. “I was classed as a challenging driver,” he laughed. “I was always the one to ask, ‘why do you do it like that…?’ I think I had four disciplinaries! I wasn’t trying to make trouble, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that things could be better, more efficient.” Falling on deaf ears, Lee became ever-more frustrated. His hands were tied when it came to making better decisions for his customers.

This frustration turned to a motivator though and Lee decided to make the move to become a self-employed owner driver, giving him the freedom to make more of his own choices. But, he says, ‘the profits weren’t great’ and whilst selfemployment did give some freedoms, it didn’t give him the financial growth and stability he craved.

His journey forked once again as he entered a partnership with a friend, which carried with it its own set of challenges. Together they ran a Logistics firm, had the motivation and skill set to do things their way, but it soon became apparent that the structure of the business wasn’t right for Lee. Drained and not securing the level of financial growth needed to develop the business, cracks started to show. “We had great fun, but I was the one who cared and pushed more. My business partner had the right idea taking holidays and relaxing, whereas, I worried too much, would get restless in situations and we had different mindsets. I am a perfectionist I know that, and it can hold you back from different aspects of your life.”

The partnership dissolved in 2004. Waking up one day to the realisation that running a business with a partner whose values weren’t aligned just wasn’t working for him. Offering his business partner a financial way out of the business or the opportunity to run it by himself he explains, “He took the money, and I was free to take the company and implement my own vision for his business. We are still valued friends to one another.”

The Premier Logistics journey continued when it took on its first unit of 800sq ft. followed by a huge upgrade to a 3.500sq ft unit meaning Lee could add additional storage services for clients. A brief venture in Ireland running Positive Logistic Solutions gained Lee a further 7,500sq ft unit before ending that branch of the company to solely focus on Premier Logistics.

The new twist would come from a regular drive past Leicester’s Meridian Business Park. “I spotted a 28,000sq ft unit and couldn’t leave it.” Fixing himself a huge deal with the German company that owned it, Lee managed to obtain the premises during the 2009 recession with the first six months rent-free. “I had big cojones back then! We’d taken on this massive Unit at the time, and I looked around wondering how we were going to fill it, but if you believe in yourself like I did and still do, you find a solution.”

Premier Logistics was growing and growing fast and soon with an £8m turnover working alongside a new sales expert, the company found itself growing by 30% year on year. The growth meant they needed to invest further in extra space from a pallet network in the neighbouring site. With more custom than ever and cash flowing into the business it was then time to think bigger metaphorically and figuratively speaking and he secured a 200,000sq ft unit.

Adapting To Change

Harnessing his experience and knowledge in his field Lee began searching for acquisitions outside of Premier, saving one business from insolvency. He soon bought out smaller logistic firms in Hull, Reading, Oxford, and Huddersfield all aiding the rapid growth of Premier Logistics.

Now with a turnover of £26m, Premier Logistics appeared to the outside world as if it were flying, and in some ways it was. However, there was more behind the scenes as Lee had come up against ‘aggressive’ areas to do business in and faced the challenge around the contrasting culture of other cities.

Established business networks in these cities were hard to break into and a lack of ownership and poor management from the previous business owners of his acquisitions meant internal company cultures showed averseness to change. Of course, for Lee these were challenging times of his own growth as an entrepreneur, a journey which started young. “I do think on reflection I was entrepreneurial from a young age. I always knew I would run my own business; I just didn’t know what it would be. Lacking knowledge in areas such as processes and forecasting meant I eventually ran out of steam and began to lose control of the business. Seeing your company spiral as fast as it had grown is one of the scariest, sickening feelings you’ll ever experience as a business owner, but I see now that it was all part of the journey.”

At one point Premier Logistics was losing £50k a week and cashflow soon became an issue. Having made a £987k loss in 2017 it wasn’t long before the bank was knocking on the door. Lee said: “Luckily, the bank believed in us, at the highest point I got them to pay half a million pounds to our suppliers and to cover wages. It all came down to trust. It wasn’t a case of just sending emails, this was a relationship I’d built with the team over a period of three months. They built a massive rapport with me, and they knew what I was trying to achieve, they trusted me, and they believed in the business.”

The debts were piling up and the bank eventually suggested Lee put the company into administration. But for Lee, this wasn’t an option. Hard working dedicated and honest, folding the company just didn’t feel right to him. “It wasn’t in the best interest of my suppliers or colleagues. I had spent years building relationships, contacts and networks – I knew I needed to dig deep and find another way.”

It was now 2018 and having explored every avenue Lee pushed for the chance of entering a CVA. Entering the CVA the company battled back and forth to come up with a tangible plan to make payments to his suppliers. After a clash with HMRC and a £100,000 fine, Premier Logistics began paying 50p of every pound to suppliersaccumulating in £3.2m. Lee and his team worked above and beyond to take back control of the finances in the months that followed and through sheer grit Lee and his team cleared the 5-year CVA devised plan in just 18 months.

Lee wasn’t entirely alone here and as it becomes strikingly clear that he is a man who typically rolls his sleeves up, he knows it wasn’t his feat alone. “I remember the day I went home and told my wife I had to put the family home up as collateral and her just responding with total support. Often, it’s not until you take a step back you realise just quite how much support you have. The thing being when you are so far up the creek you have to be so focused to get the results, it’s like having blinkers on and owners tend to carry it all on their shoulders.”

But Isolation is well-known to business owners. Who do you talk to when things take a turn for the worst? Being the first in his immediate family to run a business, and during a time when business coaches weren’t really a thing, Lee was on his own. And while his mum worked for him at Premier Logistics, he didn’t want to worry her with work problems. He said: “I couldn’t say to my mum ‘I owe a lot of money and I’m not proud of myself right now.”

Things changed again though and through sheer grit and determination, as well as releasing branches of the company that weren’t profitable, knuckling down on expenses the company was able to gain back some control, increase sales, and reduce customer churn by adding value to the customer journey. “We were peeling back the onion and went from losing £50k a week to earning £1.5m a year in profit,” Lee shared with a sense of soul-stirring pride.

The company successfully paid off the CVA in September 2020, and on reflection the CVA “brought about a positive impact on the business as it forced me to create a solid business plan, which I’d never had before.”

Industry Challenges

The logistics industry is largely under respected and therefore needs a strong voice to speak for it. Lee is one of those voices and has begun tackling some of the issues in the industry such as the mental health of drivers while working 12-hr shifts alone and 60-hr weeks, making the industry more attractive to gain more drivers, unfair financial penalties given to drivers, Brexit, and supply issues, and more.

The day before our interview, Lee spent four hours driving, collecting new trailers. This gave an inside view of the changes they face daily as well as building a great culture, one where the boss cares. He says he has huge respect for his drivers – he was stressed out himself after just a short time on the road and in part blames the selfishness of other drivers.

He explained: “These 44-tonne trucks are killing machines. Yesterday really brought it home again how accidents happen. These guys are driving for 12 hours a day – this is their job. I liken the stress of it to the concept of being sat at your desk all day, eating there, taking breaks in the same seat, not getting up, and then others coming up and knocking your coffee over, messing up your paperwork, and hanging up your phone. It’s not easy, I know that first-hand.”

Lee added: “The conditions on the road mean our drivers need a massive concentration span and we push our guys to get the best efficiency from the fleet. We have the best trucks for the job so all they have to do is steer on cruise control for maximum efficiency – this is where bad driving plays against us.”

Lee suggests service stations and distribution centres should be geared towards making truck drivers’ lives easier. “Some service stations are brilliant, but others could do a great deal more. After a hard day’ or night at the wheel they arrive, and they’re often treated like a nuisance rather than service users. Meanwhile, distribution centres charge fines if drivers turn up late but 70% of our bookings run behind due to centres’ own inefficiencies – meaning we’re adding more Co2 to the atmosphere than needed.”

His team has his backing and its why Lee considers himself to be a leader, not a manager. Respecting the people in his business in this way has seen him have their backing too, it’s a level of understanding and compassion that is needed in all workplaces – but it’s needed by the truckload here.

When Business Affects Family

Macauley was four years old when his mum and dad split up. As can happen to many couples, the impact of running a business meant Lee’s attention was focused elsewhere and caused a rift between him and his wife. As they drifted apart, the company became a distraction and Lee put even more energy into it. The split meant Macauley got to spend a lot more one-to-one time with his dad, but not necessarily in the way Lee wanted.

Like many business owners, the company was Lee’s baby. Juggling operations with bringing up a young son as a single parent must have been tough. He commented: “This industry is relentless with the unsociable hours, KPIs, and new legislation, and the business became my second son. I put so much into it that I lived with it 24/7 and unfortunately me and Mac’s mum split up, so the business won in one respect. I was always taking Mac to work with me when it should have been our time together, but the business craved more, and it was something I had to do.”

In response, Macauley expressed his gratitude for being in that working environment with his dad, acknowledging the experience, “You won’t get anywhere by focusing on the negative, I certainly don’t see that time in that way. I’ve had the opportunity to work at lots of depots at such a young age which has taught me a lot.”

Cleaning trucks for his dad since age 13, Macauley says the pair often look back and laugh at the time his dad teased him and was a hard task master when he didn’t get paid for a not-sogood truck clean one day. Macauley added: “He’s harder on me but it’s for the end goal. When I was younger, I thought he was picking on me but now I understand.”

To ensure Macauley avoids some of the mistakes his dad made, the two of them decided to take on a coach for Macauley. Lee said: “He thinks too much like me and thinks he knows it all! But his business studies teacher would call me up to say he had an eye for business, and he gets those comments from customers and suppliers too, so I know he’s on the right path.”

Back in Macauley’s early days working at Premier Logistics, he wasn’t immune to scrutiny from some colleagues. “I had remarks from the team in the early days, but my dad would tell me how to deal with it,” Macauley explained. “I’m more established now having gone from truck cleaning to warehouse and learning all the way through the business. I think if you go straight into a family business in a managerial role, you don’t earn respect from people.”

Moving Forward

A 7-10% growth per year is Lee’s newest goal over the next five years whilst developing his team through training and recruitment. He aims for Premier Logistics to be known as the best employer in the East Midlands.

He’s learnt from his lessons; he listens to his employees and takes their ideas on board, he engages with his own ideas before he acts, he sticks up for his employees, and he’s trying to make the industry better for them.

As he sits back in his chair having learned from the pain he’s experienced over the years, his message to fellow business owners is: “Tomorrow is another day, sleep on it – if you do sleep – do a business plan and a cashflow forecast to see if what you want is achievable. If it’s not, don’t be afraid to ask for help or even go backwards to go forwards.”