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It is not very hard to start a delivery business. What makes it even easier is the fact that there is always going to be a need for such a service. It can be general errands or specialized trips where you would deliver supplies or documents. The choice is yours as it will basically come down to how much business you want and how much time you have planned to put into this business.
The Pre-Launch
Before you start running around town searching for things to deliver, you need to do some essentials first. This includes researching whether or not your community requires that you license yourself with appropriate permits. You will also want to purchase a business license, join a chamber of commerce and confirm that you have the correct vehicle insurance coverage for your delivery business.
Once all the paperwork is in place, start looking around your community. This means taking a good, hard look at the existing businesses and put together a list of potential clients. Examples include drug stores, restaurants, offices, flower and gift shops along with any other business or commercial operation that has parcels or packages delivered to them or have items requiring delivery.
Pricing Phase
Before you can do much to promote your new business, you will need to have your delivery rates established. As is usually the case with new start-up businesses, you may find yourself changing your rates to meet what your market can bear. One easy pricing rule of thumb is to have a minimum charge or base rate. This is where all of your additional pricing rates will come from.
The base rate gives you a standard to use which can set the bar for all other services you will include as part of your business. If your flat rate is $25 per hour, then you can offer discounts from that as well as build a number of package pricing offers. You may also choose to give regular customers a break of some kind for their loyalty. Without a base rate you cannot set the rest of your pricing schedule.
Promotion Phase
This is where you will start to promote your delivery business. Advertising can take many forms and will be determined mostly by what you have budgeting for use. Some great and affordable ways to promote your business include through online classified pages, classified advertising in local publications, flyers delivered through the mail or posted in high traffic locations.
You can also use the list you made of potential clients and either see them personally about your business or send them one of your information flyers promoting your delivery service. Even if some of these businesses do not require your services, they may know of someone who can. Another way to promote your business is with signage on your delivery vehicle.
Build Your Business Slowly
As it is not hard to start a delivery service, you will want to start small and see what kinds of deliveries you will be doing for your customers. You may discover there is more of a need for small deliveries or just one-way services. Whatever pattern starts to reveal itself, try to focus on that as a key part of your business. It may bring you more clients than if you try to capture all kinds of deliveries.
This also means that in order to be successful at this kind of business you will need to be flexible. This can mean having a flexible rate, schedule, hours of operation and delivery program. As you can personalize your services to match the requirements of your clients, you will be able to fill a niche that is not being met by the larger, corporate delivery services. To learn more about this profitable local service business, visit: www.profitsonwheels.com, where you’ll find a helpful guide, How to Start a Courier Business.
Become a “Roadie”
You’ve probably heard of Uber, the ride-sharing service? Now, there’s a similar service for delivering smaller packages called Roadie. It’s growing fast, and is now available in all 50 states. Here’s how it works: If you have extra room in your backseat or trunk, or the bed of your pickup truck, you can get paid for hauling it from point A to point B. Customers benefit, as the cost is lower than traditional truck shipping, and Roadies (perhaps you) benefit by being able to make every trip a paying trip.
Each job is called a “gig,” and the flexible hours make the service popular with folks who already are making local deliveries, who can use their Roadie gigs as filler projects between other deliveries. Xavier Dillard, who does computer repairs in-home around the Atlanta, Georgia area, has done hundreds of “gigs” for Roadie, including everything from pets to couches. To learn more or sign up, visit Roadie.com.