Hello Excel3PL entrepreneurs! Some of you have come on board recently and some of you have been here for a while now! Whichever camp you fall into, let me help you get to know me (Eric, founder and CEO) and the story of Excel3PL!
My education background: I studied industrial engineering at Oklahoma State University for my bachelor’s degree with a minor in entrepreneurship. After graduating in 2015, I had the unbelievable opportunity of attending The University of Cambridge in the UK to earn my Master’s degree in Industrial Systems, Manufacturing and Management (ISMM). I wore a suit to class every day, rode my bike, watched rugby in pubs (and played rugby in the mud), enjoyed British tea breaks, toured factories in England and Germany, and attended a Mayball, which are known as some of the best parties in the world.
My wife got to join me in Cambridge for about 6 months of our first year married. We loved every minute of it, even the weather!
After Cambridge, we moved back to Tulsa, Oklahoma for Katlyn’s job in oil and gas. I began applying for engineering jobs, but was on the job hunt for 8 months until I got a job with a specialty steel tubing manufacturer called Webco. During this 8 month period, I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and lots of other entrepreneurial books which solidified my dream of one day starting my own business.
While working at Webco, I started my first business – Capitals Ice Cream – a New Zealand style ice cream shop where we sold Instagram-able ice cream, coffee, beer and adult milkshakes. I started that business with 4 friends from college, but decided to exit that business and stick with my engineering job after a grueling 6 month stint of working my full-time engineering job and then working all weekend in the ice cream shop.
A few months later, I got the itch to start another business. This time I decided to go into ecommerce – specifically the Amazon FBA business model. I bought a course by Myles Dunphy, I studied Helium 10, listened to products my wife was looking for on Amazon but couldn’t find, and that led me to find designers and overseas manufacturers for my first product – a Findley wall clock which was a “West Elm” style wall clock. Here’s my wife showing it off!
I eventually expanded into different wall clocks and wedding décor, but always had a desire to manufacture my own products. This dream became a reality when I unexpectedly lost my engineering job in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Within a few months, I bought a CNC machine, created a simple design, and began making wooden candle holders in my home car garage.
The first product I manufactured myself was the Findley candle holder and it did pretty well. So well, in fact, that I couldn’t keep up with manufacturing. Sanding and staining them was the real kicker! It was difficult to keep them in stock, but it was a great learning opportunity. I was manufacturing, prepping, and shipping them into Amazon all from my garage which was my first taste of the “logistics” required for an Amazon business.
While manufacturing the candle holders, I was continuing to grow the wall clock and wedding décor side of the business. Among the vast learning curve for sourcing goods overseas and selling them on Amazon was the fact that I needed to find a third-party logistics company in the U.S. to receive my larger POs.
The 3PLs I talked to at the time were not accepting new customers and were uncommunicative and unhelpful. One 3PL in California received my products but then called to tell me I was too small to work with and that I immediately needed to remove my products and send them somewhere else.
Naturally, I began researching 3PLs near me and I found very few 3PLs in the middle of the country, especially in Oklahoma where warehouse space is considerably cheaper than the east and west coast of the US. I saw an opportunity, felt AND saw the need in my Myle Dunphy course community, and was willing to take the risk to start my own 3PL.
Excel3PL was started in Dec 2020. I signed a lease for a 4,000sq ft warehouse in Tulsa and got to work building a 3PL that sellers could trust. We grew out of the 4,000 sq ft warehouse in 9 months and moved into our 15,000 sq ft space in September 2021.
I took off my hat of Amazon seller and dove head first into this new project, becoming a 3PL that was strategically located and that would help sellers find success in their e-commerce businesses.
Our original company name, Seller Success Logistics, very clearly communicated the very heart behind our startup! Customer service has always come first at our company because it is what comes most natural to me – helping people. I also had the experience of being a seller myself and I knew what I was looking for in a 3PL partner.
Now four years into this Excel3PL journey, I’ve grown my clients, my team, and my expertise. We have 70 clients, 6 team members, and we feel we really are one of the top 3PLs in the marketplace. I am hard at work to gain and keep your trust, perfecting this logistics company into what YOU as sellers need it to be.
I love being a business owner and I pour my heart and soul into it every day. Even when it’s hard (sometimes I think of how easy it would be to go back to corporate work and earn a stable paycheck), I know deep down that THIS is where I am supposed to be… Right here running Excel3PL and growing as an entrepreneur and person.
Fun facts about Eric:
I am a life-long learner and you can find me in the middle of 2-3 business improvement books and/or purchased courses at any given time.
I love to golf (I golfed and swam in high school) so if there’s ever an excuse to meet up and golf, I’ll be there!
I have been married to my college sweetheart, Katlyn, for almost 10 years. We love to travel. Our favorite travel spots have been the Caribbean and California.
After many a “no” from Katlyn regarding my many business ideas, the 3PL business idea was the one she finally said “Yes, I think that’s a good idea”… which has now become Excel3PL. She has good instincts.
We welcomed two precious foster children into our home in 2023, Liam and Elizabeth. We got to officially adopt them as our son and daughter this year on June 21, 2024! They are 2 and 3 years old, and sometimes we don’t know how we do it! We take it one day at a time.
My wife made this collage of me in my Excel3PL swag (I told her it wasn’t hard because I wear it every day). Enjoy!
