Our co-founder Nadhir talks about the problems thelorry.com/my is trying to solve, shares mistakes made at previous startup and how thelorry.com/my was started.
“When I was working with my previous company, I headed a small courier unit and for some reason or another I experimented with lori sewa”
Here’s how we made TheLorry and what we did after a year of growth and learning.
The Real Story Behind TheLorry: How It All Started
by TheLorry on 15 Jan 2015 (updated on 29 July 2025)
In the early days of TheLorry, co-founder Nadhir Ashafiq didn’t set out to build a massive logistics platform overnight. Instead, like many great startups, it began with a simple idea, humble beginnings, and a series of hard-earned lessons from past failures.
Before launching TheLorry, Nadhir had already attempted a startup that didn’t gain traction. He candidly admitted his mistake: building a product first without talking to customers. This experience taught him that assumptions don’t build businesses—validation does. That’s where The Lean Startup method became his guiding principle.
Solving Real Problems in the Logistics Industry
Nadhir noticed a recurring problem while heading a small courier unit in his previous company: booking a lorry was inefficient and opaque. Customers had to call multiple lorry providers just to compare prices. Worse, these providers often changed prices post-job, and trust was a major concern.
With this in mind, he decided to solve three major pain points:
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Price Transparency – Customers should be able to see real prices from multiple providers instantly, without having to haggle or call around.
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Safety & Trust – Only vetted lorry providers with background checks would be allowed on the platform.
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Fixed Pricing – The price quoted online would be final, avoiding last-minute surprises.
The MVP Was a Blogspot Site
Armed with this mission, Nadhir didn’t wait for perfect tools or capital. He created a simple Blogspot site, used Jotform to collect details, and ran Google Ads to test demand. Then, he manually brokered lorry bookings while pretending to represent multiple providers (when in reality, he only had one!). Lastly, he added dummy listings to simulate choices and validate his assumptions.
Despite the bootstrapped setup, people responded. He achieved his goal of 10 paying customers within a month, proving there was a real need.
Scaling Slowly, Learning Constantly
With growing demand, Nadhir built a network of real lorry providers, refined the booking system, and eventually launched TheLorry.com/my as a fully functioning logistics marketplace. Early payments were done via Cash on Delivery, but over time, they introduced online payments via MPay, making transactions easier and more secure.
Even as the platform scaled, customer service remained a core focus. Nadhir knew that one bad review on Facebook could damage the brand, so delivering excellent service became the company’s mantra.
What’s Next for TheLorry?
At the time of the interview in 2015, TheLorry had served over 150 customers and averaged two bookings a day. Plans were already in place to expand services nationwide and even venture into Indonesia and Thailand.
Nadhir’s journey reflects not just entrepreneurial grit, but a strong product-market fit achieved through hustle, feedback, and iteration.
🔚 From Hustle to Scale – Why This Story Matters
The story behind TheLorry is not just about building a logistics company. It’s about solving real-world problems with empathy, validation, and persistence. Whether you’re a startup founder or someone looking for a hassle-free moving solution, the lesson is clear: understand the problem deeply, build lean, and scale only after you’ve truly solved it.
🚛 Need a lorry fast? Get 5 instant quotes on TheLorry.com/my, book with confidence, and enjoy transparent pricing with trusted service—just like how it all started.
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