Logistics Startup Company makes a mark on a global stage

Eyes On Freight is the world’s first “matching” platform for the logistics and supply chain industry. Hundreds of shippers, freight and supply chain companies rely on Eyes On Freight to help find them the perfect “match” for their logistic needs.

Eyes On Freight focuses on your whole supply chain model. You can find and manage your freight, imports/exports, warehousing, fulfillment, packaging, and much more all from once central platform.

Eyes On Freight does the leg work for you, so you can focus on other areas of your business.

BusinessInterviews.com:  What problem is Eyes on Freight solving?

Chris:  There are over 4 million companies globally that use the following key terms: “Freight”, “Logistics”, “Supply Chain”, “Trucking”, etc. So, you can imagine that trying to find the right one that fits your needs, budget and preferences can be a major challenge.

BusinessInterviews.com:  How does the process work?  Can you walk us through a user’s first experience and provide any tips along the way?

Chris:  We’ve tried to streamline the whole “matching” process as much as possible. If the user wants a “spot rate” or quick quote they simply pick what country they are in and enter their information (what, where and when they will be shipping.) and then the system offers them rates based on time and cheapest availability. This part works almost exactly the same as using Kayak or Priceline for travel options.

The other option we provide is the RFP (Request For Proposal) model. This model is for the larger and more detailed solution needs. The shipper uploads their RFP and then submits it to our system. Our system matches their preferences, needs and budget with all of the vendors in our database.

The shipper decides if their focus is on cost or best overall match. They can select if they want 3 or 5 proposals to come back, or if they want every proposal to come back. This process used to take supply chain managers hours, if not days, of research, searching, and vetting a vendor. Now with a few clicks of a button they can have global responses from companies trying to earn their business.

BusinessInterviews.com:  What are some ways that you help your clients save time, money and increase their overall productivity all while helping create a more equal playing field in the process?

Chris: Our whole model is based on creating an equal playing field. It’s no secret that there is a lot of “easy” money to be made in the logistics industry. Unfortunately, there have also been a lot of companies that have taken advantage of the industry and shippers in the past.

So, we decided to create a neutral platform where we can’t negotiate rates or be directly involved in the “shipping transaction”. This allows us to only provide the opportunity to our vendors and solutions to our shippers. The final decision is completely given to the shipper and vendor, as they get to choose who they want to work with or not work with. At the end of the day it does not matter if the vendor is a global company or a local company; if they want the business they have to earn the business.

In return we save the shipper and vendor time and money because they are only getting warm and solid leads. If the lead doesn’t fit in their wheelhouse they can obviously move to the next option.

BusinessInterviews.com:  What has been the biggest challenge of building a truly global company?

Chris: With the advancement of the technology and the internet the challenges of trying to become a global company are not much different from being a domestic company. With tools such as Google Hangouts, Skype, FaceTime, etc. it has become very easy to communicate and work with companies no matter where they are located in the world.

At the same time however, just as technology has made it easier it has also made it more difficult. The reason being that everyone is concerned about fraud and scams.  So the biggest challenge, whether internationally or domestic, is trying to make sure that you get in front of the right person to explain your business and offer your services.

BusinessInterviews.com:  What inspired your decision to partner with escrow.com last year and what advantages does this partnership provide your customers?

Chris:  Escrow.com is obviously the big name in online Escrowing services. They reached out to us last year and asked us about our business model and since they are able to work in California it only made sense to partner with them as so much international and domestic freight moves in and out of California.

Our partnership with Escrow.com has helped our customers have more confidence in our services and that of our vendors. Escrow.com gives both the shipper and the vendor the peace of mind that their investment whether it is the financial cost of buying and moving the product or the risk of sending the product to an unknown customer. Escrow.com helps eliminate the uncertainty.

BusinessInterviews.com:  You’re about to attend your first big tech conference, “Collision Conference” (https://collisionconf.com/) in Las Vegas in early May.  Can you share why you’re so excited and what you hope to accomplish while you’re there?  What have you been doing to prepare for this amazing opportunity?

Chris: First, it’s Vegas! Who doesn’t get excited to go to Vegas? On a serious note, Collision attracts a lot of the key tech people from around the country and globally for that matter. Our goal is to not only hopefully attract new customers, but potential investors and partners. The nice thing about being involved in the tech industry is that there is always someone that has a new product or service that can potentially help our clients and vendors.

BusinessInterviews.com:  What are some of the benefits of being based out of Columbia, Missouri?

Chris:  Columbia has always been home for me. Growing up in a diplomatic family we were always moving every four years to a new city or country. So, when I started university in Columbia it truly became my first home away from home. On a business side Columbia is in the middle of Kansas City and St. Louis who are both big freight and logistics cities, as well as being only a simple flight away from Chicago. We are also blessed to have people such as Bill Turpin (Missouri Innovation Center) and Stacey Button (REDI) who truly want to help start-ups succeed and grow! I have fellow startup founders from Kansas City that are very jealous of the resources we have at our disposal here in Columbia.