subject: What Is Required To Initiate A Courier Business? [print this page] People believe that starting a business means putting in 16 to 24 hours of work in a day. Many individuals who are scared of bearing a loss in business or taking a risk, prefer to stick to their nine hours job. But there are people who aren't afraid of risk-taking and love to take challenges. If you have these qualities, you can start your own business.
Now the question arises, which is the best business to start. A start-up business which needs minimal investment and yields good profits can be considered the best to start with. Starting your own self employed courier business is a perfect choice if you are a beginner. Though the market is being dominated by big international companies such as DHL and FedEx, but you can still earn good profits by delivering parcels locally. This is one of the least expensive and most rewarding businesses around, which can help you achieve financial freedom. Without much ado, it is time to give a glance at the essentials of starting a courier business:
Know what it is
Courier service providers pick up and deliver packages, biological samples, flowers, important documents and even pets, for business owners and householders. Everybody needs to deliver a package or a document somewhere. Whether you are a doctor, an engineer or own a flower shop, you will need services of a courier company to deliver parcels. For starting this business, you need not take any formal training. All you need to have is dependable vehicle and a cell phone, and you can start a courier service.
Know your location
Start with taking orders locally. Orders for which you have to cover a short distance are suitable in the beginning. Make a business plan and decide about the scope for your service area. It is better to limit your service to a single state, in the beginning. But remember, the bigger is your scope of service area, the more you would need to invest.
Know the type of courier
Determine what type of a courier you want to be, well in advance. Do a market survey to find out that what type of companies would want your courier service. Will you limit yourself to deliver envelopes and small packages, or will you be delivering large cargoes? If you want to start at a small scale then all you need is Aussie man and a van for delivering parcels.
You must also know about the amount you will be charging for courier services. Set up a price list on the basis of mileage to be covered and gasoline to be consumed. Marketing is the most crucial part of initiating a business. Though, word of mouth marketing is the most effective, but creating a website would add credibility to your business.
