subject: Starting A New Business As A Courier In Toronto [print this page] If you want to become a courier, Toronto is a busy market that can help you be successful. When you prepare properly, you can start a successful courier business with little investment, and turn it into a productive and growing operation. Whether you have a car, pickup truck, sport utility vehicle, or bicycle, your courier service can be highly successful. It is best to start out by targeting clients who will be needing services that meet the capacity that you have. For example, if you are using a bicycle to get around crowded city streets, do not market your courier services to a company that will have large boxes that need delivery.
When you become a courier in Toronto, you need to establish a record-keeping system. For courier services, it is important that you track not only each transaction, but all of the details associated with each delivery. If you are working from a home office, you need to record the number of hours that you actually work from home, and make note of the size of the office space you are working in. You may be able to get some tax reductions for working a business out of your own home. When you offer courier services using your personal vehicle, you also need to create a log of the miles that you drive. There are mileage reimbursements that you can claim for using a personal vehicle for business purposes. Keep a record of how many miles you drive for each client, broken down by date, time, and delivery.
Whenever possible, file your mileage statements along with receipts from each client job, indicating the revenue earned from the task, the assignment details, and any additional details. Keep the file secure for at least three years after the end of the current business year so that you have it to reference if there are any questions. Keep them longer if you have any reason to be concerned about needing to access it at some point down the road.
Another important part of doing business as a courier in Toronto is making sure that you have a business license, liability insurance and any province registrations that may be required. If you will be serving as a courier for sensitive materials, medical supply delivery, or other special industries, you may need to pursue other permits or licenses as well. File your business paperwork with the registry so that you can operate legally within the city limits.
Start your advertising campaign as soon as you are ready to begin accepting jobs. Create a marketing plan that allows you to target businesses in the area, both large and small. If you are willing to offer courier services for individuals as well, consider a mass marketing flyer or postcard that you can mail out. For a truly cost-effective option, create a flyer that you can distribute door to door by hand. Working with an advertising agency may also help you to gain an edge in the marketplace, even with a variety of courier services already operating within the Toronto city limits. Busy executives, traveling business professionals and small businesses may not have time to achieve the advertising power that you can attain.
For a unique courier service approach, consider working with some of the grocery stores, pharmacies and other similar retailers to offer door-to-door delivery services. You can market your Toronto courier service to mother's groups, library reading groups, playground areas, and other key places where busy families are likely to be looking for help. People with families are an ideal target market for delivery and courier services that can ease the demand of day to day tasks.
