From Numbers to Leadership: The Story Behind Take 2 Logistics
In a recent episode of the Last2First Podcast, Jason sat down with Lance Dearborn, founder and CEO of Take 2 Logistics in Central Florida, for a conversation about leadership, business growth, final-mile logistics, and the importance of building a company around the right people.
Lance’s story is not the typical path into logistics. Before leading successful courier and final-mile delivery companies, he dropped out of high school, made the decision to rebuild his life with a plan, earned an accounting degree, completed a Master’s in Taxation, and began moving toward a career as a CPA.
Then everything changed.
Instead of following the traditional accounting path, Lance made a bold decision at just 26 years old: he bought a courier company. That decision became the starting point for a career that would span decades, multiple companies, major growth, and a return to the industry through Take 2 Logistics.
Understanding the Business of Final-Mile Delivery
During the episode, Lance explains that Take 2 Logistics focuses on on-demand delivery and point-to-point logistics in Central Florida. These services help businesses move time-sensitive shipments, materials, products, and business-critical items quickly and reliably.
For many companies, final-mile delivery is one of the most important parts of the customer experience. It is the last step before an item reaches its destination, and it can directly impact customer satisfaction, business efficiency, and operational success.
Take 2 Logistics was built to support that need with flexible delivery solutions, responsive service, and a team that understands the importance of every shipment.
Scaling From a Courier Company to a $25 Million Business
One of the most powerful parts of Lance’s story is how he grew a business from roughly $1 million to $25 million.
That growth did not happen by accident. It came from understanding the market, recognizing opportunities, and building systems that could support scale.
Lance shares how the early courier model was built around rush and on-demand deliveries. Over time, as communication changed and business needs evolved, the company shifted into what would eventually become known as final-mile logistics.
That shift opened the door to larger operations, warehouse growth, expanded delivery lanes, and multi-state service. At one point, the business scaled to more than 250,000 square feet of warehouse space in Orlando and more than 500 drivers.
The Scoreboard Matters
A major theme from the podcast is Lance’s belief that numbers matter.
As a self-described “numbers guy,” Lance emphasizes that opinions can be biased, but the numbers tell the truth. In business, the scoreboard matters because it shows what is working, what is not working, and where improvement is needed.
This mindset helped guide decisions around warehouse expansion, delivery routes, staffing, customer relationships, EBITDA improvement, and long-term growth.
For logistics companies, this is especially important. Delivery performance, route efficiency, missed appointments, customer satisfaction, driver utilization, and operational costs all need to be measured. Without the right numbers, it becomes difficult to improve.
Solving the Scheduling Challenge
One of the biggest operational challenges Lance discusses is scheduling.
In final-mile logistics, missed appointments, route changes, and daily delivery disruptions can quickly create problems. A strong delivery company needs more than vehicles and drivers. It needs systems that help manage complexity.
Lance explains how his team eventually took control of their software and built a scheduling module that helped unlock greater scale.
That lesson remains highly relevant today. Technology is one of the most important tools in logistics because it helps companies coordinate routes, track performance, improve communication, and serve customers more effectively.
People First, Growth Second
While numbers and technology are critical, Lance also makes it clear that people are the foundation of long-term success.
He talks about the importance of having the right people on the team and putting them in the right positions. Growth becomes much harder when a company does not have the right structure, leadership, and team culture in place.
That philosophy also played a major role in why Lance launched Take 2 Logistics after retirement. For him, loyalty is a two-way street. The people who helped build the journey mattered, and Take 2 Logistics became a way to continue building with purpose.
Lessons from Selling and Starting Again
The episode also explores Lance’s experience selling Fast Mile to Need It Now, navigating a larger corporate structure through Geodis, and eventually returning to entrepreneurship.
Those experiences gave Lance a rare perspective. He has seen logistics from the startup side, the growth side, the acquisition side, and the corporate side.
One lesson that stands out is the difference between entrepreneurial speed and big-company structure. Large organizations can bring resources, reach, and infrastructure, but smaller entrepreneurial companies often move faster and adapt more quickly.
Take 2 Logistics brings that entrepreneurial mindset back to the Central Florida market.
Why Take 2 Logistics Matters for Central Florida Businesses
Businesses in Orlando, Daytona, Melbourne, Disney World, and surrounding Central Florida areas need delivery partners that understand speed, reliability, communication, and flexibility.
Take 2 Logistics was built around those priorities.
From on-demand courier service to scheduled routes and final-mile delivery, the company helps businesses move important shipments without the stress of handling every delivery internally.
For companies that rely on dependable logistics, the right delivery partner can help improve customer experience, reduce internal workload, and keep operations moving.
Building Logistics the Right Way
The Last2First Podcast conversation with Lance Dearborn offers more than a business origin story. It is a lesson in planning, leadership, measurement, loyalty, and building a company with purpose.
From buying his first courier company at 26 to scaling a major final-mile operation, selling a business, stepping into larger corporate logistics, and returning to launch Take 2 Logistics, Lance’s journey shows what can happen when experience, numbers, and people come together.
For Central Florida businesses looking for dependable courier and final-mile delivery support, Take 2 Logistics brings decades of leadership and logistics knowledge to every shipment.