From Bedsit to Breakthrough: Ex-Postie’s £20 Startup Takes on a £35 Billion Industry

After being fired from Royal Mail, Mark Redmond built The Private Postman — and invented tracking tech that could change global leaflet delivery forever.
London, UK — November 2025 — (where used, please credit The Private Postman and include a follow link to: theprivatepostman.com)

From a small bedsit in Kensal Rise to running a company delivering over one million leaflets a week across London, Mark Redmond has turned a humble start into a global opportunity — all starting with just £20 and a printer.
Once a Royal Mail postman, Redmond was dismissed for misdelivering mail — “a mistake every postie makes at some point,” he admits. Undeterred, he began knocking on doors, printing promotional letters, and pitching to local businesses. Within hours of his first street-level venture, he had earned £1,500 in revenue. That small beginning marked the birth of The Private Postman (TPP).

CORE One Step®: Reinventing Leaflet Delivery
Redmond’s entrepreneurial journey has now intersected with technological innovation. He has developed CORE One Step®, proprietary software that tracks door-to-door leaflet delivery with single-step precision.
For decades, GPS tracking has been the standard for verifying deliveries, but it often drifted 10–15 feet in urban environments — enough to place a distributor on a rooftop or street rather than at the intended letterbox. CORE One Step® solves this longstanding problem, measuring each stop down to a single human step and providing verifiable proof of delivery.
“When we started building our own system in 2021, we knew GPS drift was the main obstacle,” says Redmond. “Now advertisers can see that every leaflet reaches its intended home, anywhere there are letterboxes and maps — in London, across the UK, and in 45 countries globally.”

Scaling a Local Success into a Global Opportunity
Today, TPP has become a market leader in London, offering advertisers measurable, accountable door-to-door campaigns. From small to large companies TPP offers a tailor-made solution. Redmond’s vision is to scale nationwide and internationally, tapping into the £35 billion global market for leaflet marketing.
“We’re bringing posting into the 21st century,” he says. “Advertisers can finally get the accountability they expect from digital campaigns — but delivered physically to every doorstep.”

Sustainable, Local, and Effective
Redmond also emphasizes the environmental benefits of modern leaflet marketing.
“Paper is the most recycled product on the planet,” he says. “When sourced responsibly, printed with bio inks, and delivered on foot, leaflets are one of the most sustainable forms of local promotion.”

From humble beginnings in a tiny bedsit to innovating a global market, Mark Redmond and The Private Postman are redefining the possibilities of physical marketing. With CORE One Step®, a simple £20 investment has turned into an industry-changing breakthrough, proving that vision, persistence, and creativity can truly transform an entire sector.

For more information, visit theprivatepostman.com
### ENDS ###

Thank you:
We hope that you found this information useful and for any extra commentary needed to help support your article please let us know. The team at The Private Postman kindly ask that if you do use the insights provided to credit using the homepage here: https://theprivatepostman.com/.

PRESS CONTACT:
Many thanks,
Valentina
Press contact: 07522 410823|Valentina Redmond|
Email valentina@theprivatepostman.com

About The Private Postman
The Private Postman, founded in 2009 by ex-Royal Mail postman Mark Redmond, is one of London’s leading leaflet distribution companies. We’re the only provider with proprietary delivery software offering one-step GPS accuracy—far beyond standard 10–15ft systems. Delivering over one million leaflets weekly, we provide fully managed campaigns including design, print, and distribution. Our trained team ensures precision, accountability and transparency, setting a new benchmark in door-to-door marketing. Trusted by large and small, we help clients reach the right homes at the right time. Mark is happy to discuss about all things postal. Recent Media coverage: BBC1, The Sun, Metro, BBC Radio 5 Live, & The Late Show.