‘Disruption,’ ‘disruptors’ and ‘disruptive’ are words that we hear a lot in the business and entrepreneur world, but how many founders and entrepreneurs actually qualify for the label of ‘disruptor?’
Truly innovating and challenging a traditional way of doing something is disruptive, and so traditional industries typically have the most potential for disruption – i.e industries that pre-date digital technology. However, transforming a long-standing way of doing things requires creativity, vision and strong leadership.
An example of ‘real’ disruption is the award winning freight forwarder, Verus Global, which burst onto the startup scene in 2019 with a different approach and an enthusiasm to reinvent an industry rooted in dated processes.
Versus Global CEO, Jackson Meyer, shares his top tips on how to be a disruptor in a traditional industry, drawing on how Verus Global has shaken up the logistics industry.
Jackson is a 24 year-old Australian Entrepreneur who managed to generate $42 million in his first year of business at Verus Global and make the Forbes 30 under 30 list.
1. Focus on areas of the industry that have previously been overlooked.
“Although Freight forwarding is a long-standing industry, Verus Global has focused on the improvement of customer experience through both a slick digital format and the optimisation of communications between the company and our clients. By finding areas of a business or industry that has previously been overlooked you can find key opportunities to make your business stand out from the crowd. For instance, something like customer experience might not have been prioritised before, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t important.”
2. Create a strong vision for your whole team.
“Our key focus at Verus has been to maximise the strengths of both technology and people. Combining the exceptional accuracy of technology and the personable qualities of our people is how we managed to cut through competitors and reach customers. This vision is shared by every member of the Verus Global team, and by having clear directives, we continue to deliver a seamless, reliable, connected, accountable and refreshing experience. We started as a group, and more importantly we are a large family spread across the globe.”
3. Establish your brand’s point of difference.
“From the very beginning the key point of difference from Verus Global has been on the customer experience, something most often overlooked in logistics. Branding and positioning were also extremely important for us – we wanted to stand out. We decided to break away from the traditional colours of blue and green and from the traditional names used (most end in “freight” or “logistics”). We wanted to be connected to our clients and build our reputation through the calibre of people we worked with. We have managed to approach a dated industry with a fresh energy, making it appealing to consumers.”
4. Recruit the highest calibre of professionals and harness their expertise in the field.
“I always say ‘The core team selected themselves!’ My team is made up of industry professionals, who have decades of experience in logistics. Their expertise is vital to the success of Verus Global, their knowledge has formed the foundation of our organisation and continues to be essential for pinpointing pressure points and finding alternative solutions. ”
5. Be brave! It can be intimidating to challenge the way it’s ‘always been done,’ but it is the very reason why you started.
“There are lots of players in this industry, ranging from small ‘Mum and Pop’ organisations to multinationals giants. To be successful in this market we knew we had to be different. We embrace being different, we are focused on environment sustainability with our paperless organisation and we thrive on our points of difference.
“Starting Verus Global from scratch meant that there weren’t any legacy systems to manage, the most efficient use of technology and resources could be implemented from the get-go. That means the organisation began functioning at an optimum level which we can continue to build on. Our ongoing task will be to keep making our software the most accessible and portable to customers in industry.”
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About Verus Global
Established in 2019, Verus Global is an international freight forwarding company that uses cloud-based technology to increase the efficiency and transparency of shipping processes for clients across the globe. The company is based in Australia as well as operating international offices in China, Hong Kong and the UK. After a stellar founding year, Verus Global has generated AUD $42 million in revenue to date, and the company continues to excel in customer satisfaction and business success.
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