In April, Alesha and her husband, John, started Spot On Delivery, an Amazon distribution service partner.
Jul 2021
Biz 417: How has COVID increased demand for services like yours, and how did the pandemic affect your decision to start an Amazon Delivery Service Provider (DSP)?
Alesha Gonzalez: I know with my own personal shopping, there’s at least a box on my doorstep every day. When we were trying to make the decision, we thought who better to partner with than one of the fastest-growing companies in the world? Especially with COVID, retail seemed kind of scary, you just didn’t know what was going to happen with the economy.
Biz: Did you plan Spot On Delivery or choose to follow Amazon’s business model?
A.G.: A little bit of both. Amazon puts you in touch with what they call their mentor program, and they put you in touch with other DSPs. They arranged for me to work with a DSP in Kansas City and a DSP in St. Louis. But it’s your own business model. So I took a little bit of what I learned from one DSP and a little of what I learned from another.
Biz: What are some of the challenges you’re facing now?
A.G.: Learning the different areas and the geofencing (logistics software used by drivers). [Amazon] may have a delivery address, and we go to a field. Once our driver figures it out, our driver corrects the information. The goal has been to have the same driver servicing the same neighborhoods and businesses. They help the software learn. We’re trying to hire 10 people a week. If I had to tell you what my biggest challenge was, it’s hiring.
Biz: What difference can a locally owned DSP make for Amazon customers in this area?
A.G.: You work hard because it is your company, maybe more so than you would work for a manager or boss. Both companies servicing Springfield are local people that have grown up here. We know the town, we know the area, we know the neighborhoods.
Biz: How has COVID increased the demand for your services like yours, and how did the pandemic affect your decision to start an Amazon DSP?
A.G.: I know with my own personal shopping, there’s at least a box on my doorstep every day. When we were trying to make the decision [about how to start a DSP], we thought who better to partner with than one of the fastest-growing companies in the world? Especially with COVID, retail seemed kind of scary, and some of the franchises we’d looked at, you just didn’t know what was going to happen with the economy.
