A few friends, sitting down, rolling some dice, and discussing the future. We had started in different cities, at different times, but each of us had spent the previous decade delivering packages by bicycle.
It was 2008 and the fax machine had come and gone, email and the internet allowed ideas to move around the world faster than they could be thought and the company we worked still paid to advertise in the yellow pages. They relied on radios to communicate to messengers. They had no website. They worked off pen and paper.
I know 2008 is ancient history in terms of the modern world, but to remind you, Facebook already had 100 million users. YouTube had hosted presidential debates. The iPhone had brought the regular internet to 6 million people’s pocket. We were no longer in the age of dial up.
After a few unproductive conversations with management about working to modernize that company, we sat down on a hot August night over the fun game that makes thinking fun and decided to go out on our own.
We started simple: a cell phone, a website, our backs, bikes, and sweat.
Our goal was to create a messenger company that would be able to fairly compensate our messengers for their labor. Riding a bicycle in New York City, all year round is a physically and mentally challenging job. We now have an unmatched safety record in what can be a dangerous profession for the inexperienced.
Our ability to attract the best, most experienced messengers has created a tight knit team that is friendly and professional. This, in turn, has lead to our ability to retain a client book of prestigious marketing and communications firms specializing in New York’s fashion and beauty industries. Until garment and cosmetic samples can be sent through the internet, New York will always have a market for messenger work. We now complete hundreds of on-demand and scheduled daily deliveries.
Samurai Messenger Service started from the belief that we could do better for ourselves and our peers. For the past decade we have seen that treating employees and clients with respect and fairness will reward you with loyalty and new opportunities.
We will continue to build on this foundation, because in a dog-eat-dog world, the pack does more than survive, it thrives.