When Lisa Steed purchased FedEx contracting rights for two zip codes, she wasn’t walking into a franchise model with a detailed manual and a support team at the end of a phone line. She was buying a business. What that means in practice, how the structure works, and what the first year actually looks like are things most people outside the industry have never had reason to think about — and things many operators inside it learned the hard way.
What You’re Actually Buying
A FedEx contracting arrangement is not employment. When you purchase contracting rights, you’re acquiring the right to provide delivery service on a defined set of routes — typically organized by zip code — under contract with FedEx. You own the operation. That means hiring the drivers, managing the vehicles, handling insurance and compliance, and delivering the service performance the contract requires. FedEx sets the standards. Everything behind those standards is yours to build and run.
For Lisa Steed, that started with two zip codes. The scope was manageable. The operational complexity that came with it was not always obvious from the outside.
What You Become Responsible For
Once you hold contracting rights, the responsibility runs wide. Vehicles need maintenance, insurance, and regulatory compliance. Drivers need training, scheduling, and day-to-day management. If someone calls out at 5 a.m., that’s not an HR matter to escalate — it’s an operational problem to solve before routes go out. Safety compliance, service percentage performance, and delivery documentation all fall under the contractor’s watch. FedEx’s name is on the trucks. The results belong to the operator.
The Operational Learning Curve
The first year reveals gaps quickly. Systems that look adequate on paper get tested immediately by real routes, real weather, and real driver variability. Lisa built her training programs, safety culture, and team structure through that pressure, not before it. The operational approach that eventually earned Linked Again Inc. a President’s Award for service excellence was shaped directly by what the early years required. There is no substitute for working through the problems firsthand when it comes to understanding what the work actually demands.
What to Know Before You Start
Lisa Steed’s position for anyone considering FedEx contracting is direct: treat it like the real business it is before you sign anything. Understand your routes. Know the service standards you’ll be measured against. Account for vehicle costs, insurance, and driver availability in your market. The model works — it worked for her across two companies and multiple zip codes — but only when the operator goes in with clear expectations and builds deliberately from day one.
About Lisa Steed
Lisa Steed is the founder of Linked Delivery Inc. and Linked Again Inc., a FedEx contracting company that earned a President’s Award for service excellence across a multi-zip-code delivery network in Utah. A transportation entrepreneur and FedEx contracting specialist, she built both companies from contracting rights purchases, developing the driver training systems and safety infrastructure that produced consistent, award-recognized performance throughout her career.