33 years. One partner who went bankrupt. Millions left on the table. And zero regrets. In this episode of Last of First Podcast, Jason Burns sits down with Steve Howard — 2026 CLDA Hall of Fame inductee, former owner of Esquire Express in Miami, and current Director of eCommerce Solutions at WCA, the world's largest freight forwarder network with 13,500 members across 197 countries. Steve built his courier business from scratch at 23 years old with nothing to lose — legal courier work, medical runs during Hurricane Andrew, air cartage, big & bulky e-commerce — and watched margins get gutted by three PLs, commoditization and Chinese-backed competitors willing to lose money just to grab market share. He's seen it all. And he's not holding back. We get into:✅Why he walked away from a 33-year business and never looked back✅How Hurricane Andrew turned a cargo van into his biggest account overnight✅The three PL model that squeezed his margins from 24% down to 4%✅What Chinese-backed delivery companies are doing to last mile pricing right now✅Why volume without value will eventually destroy your business✅How WCA connects last mile carriers directly to freight forwarders — and why the margin difference is massive✅The partner who went bankrupt and left him holding millions in SBA loans✅A masterclass in survival, reinvention and knowing exactly when to walk away. 👉 Subscribe for real last mile logistics strategy and courier business growth insights👉 Comment "MARGINS" if the race to the bottom is hitting your business right now👉 Comment "WCA" if you want to learn more about unlocking international freight opportunities CHAPTER MARKERS00:00 - Introduction & CLDA Hall of Fame Moment03:30 - His Dad Surprises Him at the Ceremony07:00 - What Is WCA? 13,500 Members, 197 Countries12:00 - World Parcel Alliance: Cutting Out the Brokers18:30 - Starting Esquire Express at 23 in Miami24:00 - Hurricane Andrew and the Diesel Run to South Miami Hospital29:30 - First eCommerce Client: IKEA in 199934:00 - How 3PLs Crushed Final-Mile Margins40:30 - Chinese Competitors Charging $2.20 Per Delivery46:00 - The Business Partner Collapse That Cost Him Everything54:00 - Why He Finally Sold Esquire Express After 33 Years60:30 - Every Account Must Stand on Its Own65:00 - His "Last to First" Moment 📌 Shoutout to our Sponsors!Dropoff Inc.https://www.dropoff.com/info@dropoff.com+1 888-376-7633 GigSafehttps://www.gigsafe.com/+1 407-496-9882 Deliver Differenthttps://deliverdifferent.com/ SCIhttps://sciadmin.com/ CXThttps://cxtsoftware.com/ Primarylast mile logistics, courier business, logistics entrepreneur, delivery service business, freight forwarder network High-Intent Searchhow to sell a logistics business, last mile delivery margins, courier business exit strategy, freight forwarder last mile, WCA logistics network, how to grow a courier company, logistics gross margin benchmarks Discovery / Viralentrepreneurship podcast, business exit story, founder stories, CEO mindset, how I built this, logistics Hall of Fame, built from scratch Episode-Specificrace to the bottom logistics, three PL margin squeeze, Chinese delivery companies US market, CLDA Hall of Fame, WCA World Cargo Alliance, Hurricane Andrew Miami, air cartage logistics, SBA loan business failure
