Decisions: Hilary devey, pall-ex group, Founder of the £100m palletised distribution network

... was during the setting-up of the business, when I devised the members' service agreement, the contract we have with all our member-hauliers. Everything is laid down, from payment terms to what they do on delivery. It's the rules of membership.

It's my best decision because, right from the start, absolutely everything was crystal-clear. I didn't mismanage their expectations, and vice versa. We all knew what was expected of each other.

Another good decision was in drawing up the business plan. As with all new businesses, cashflow was the coup de grace, and I decided to introduce seven-day payment terms for those who wanted to become a member of Pall-Ex. It certainly carried the business through the early years. We were cash-generative and able to buy land and purpose-build without gearing the balance sheet up with onerous debt.