RISA (UK) Ltd is a female-owned and female-led import/export business and putting it simply, they are ‘Great with Freight.’ In April 2021 they won the coveted prize of Best Import / Export Business at an event attended by Lord Alan Sugar and thousands of other successful entrepreneurs.
Sara Hutchinson started in the freight industry at a young age in the industry and worked from the bottom up! She got to know how freight companies worked inside and out, learned the pitfalls and how to prepare for them behind the scenes. Sara experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Seeing first-hand the level of service that some companies were providing drove Sara to start a freight business that would be different; offering a super-efficient, high ‘Waitrose level’ of service in freight was both innovative and welcomed. 19 years later most of these clients are still with her today.
Sara says…
We are not ‘cheap and cheerful’ as we strongly believe you get what you pay for. We don’t sell on price, and we never have, we sell based on our proven high level of service. Our customers are more than happy to pay for the security of knowing the job will get done and the peace of mind this provides them.
We are opposite to the “sausage factory” that many other freight businesses have unfortunately become. Their size means they are not able to be flexible and adapt to client needs. We are different, for example, we don’t work with a set group of offices around the world. By being independent we can choose who we work with and pick our partners on their strengths and knowledge of the local market. We can quickly and easily be flexible when the need arises. Even during the difficult times of Covid and Brexit, our service has remained solid and consistent.
I keep my finger on the pulse and share the knowledge not only with my clients but others in the import and export industry. Many see my LinkedIn page and website as the ‘go-to’ for up-to-date information.
The true heart of our success is our loyal clients, some of whom have been with us for over 19 years. This to us is the real testament to our success! Our clients have easy access to us at all times and connect with a friendly individual at the end of the phone, who’s always able to help.
I would also say that ActionCOACH has helped with our success, predominantly because Angela has kept me sane! She is the voice of balance I needed during the difficult times which has helped me to keep my ship on an even keel. Thanks to Angela’s support, I have been able to continue planning and driving my business forward without letting Covid consume all my focus. It’s also down to Angela that I won Best Import/Export Business at the Biz X Business Excellence Forum in 2021. She nominated me and I was up against very strong contenders. I was over the moon to have won as its recognition of 20 years of great service and a woman can successfully run a freight business. It’s also given me more confidence, as it’s proof that my “Waitrose” approach was the right one! It has also given me a boost to continue to drive the business forward.
A note from Business Coach Angela Turton
“I have been working with Sara Hutchinson who is Managing Director of RISA (UK) Ltd a female-led freight company for a while now. I decided to put Sara forward as a nominee for ‘Best Import/Export Industry UK’ because it is unusual to find a female-owned business in a traditionally masculine industry, and I felt that Sara’s hard work of 20 years offering a ‘high-end’ level of service in the freight industry needed some well-deserved recognition.”
I am so pleased for Sara. As her business coach, I see first-hand her dogged determination to ensure her business is truly ‘Great with Freight’. I have immense pride when Sara achieves her goals, and I very much look forward to continuing to support her as she takes her business onto bigger and even better things.”
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