The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down affecting businesses everywhere. With lockdowns still in place all over the world and people being urged to social distance and stay inside, most businesses that had to deal directly with customers are now in trouble.
But, there is a ray of sunshine for entrepreneurs who don’t want to let the negativity put them down! Since most people switched to online shopping, e-commerce is booming, but there is another line of business that shows a lot of promise: delivery and courier services.
Even more, the initial investment is not too big and you don’t need any special expertise to get the business off the ground.
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What you’ll Need
First of all, you need to check if you have the proper license for running a delivery business. This may require permits and licenses that you can learn about from local authorities. In addition, make sure you have the right insurance cover for all your vehicles.
Once the paperwork is in place and you have the vehicles, drivers, and other logistics items, it’s time to start working on a list of potential customers. Start with local businesses that sell online. Examples include restaurants with at-home delivery, gift shops, offices, drug stores, mattress stores, flower shops, and so on.
It’s also a good idea to invest in route management software since it can help reduce costs with fuel and overtime. This type of software can help you beat the competition when it comes to efficiency, which leads to increased customer satisfaction (which is a great driver for word of mouth.
Outline your Business Model
Before you start making deliveries, it’s important to have a few rules in place that will define your business model.
Here are a few examples:
- Determine delivery boundaries – decide if you’ll do out of town delivery or if there are any town areas you won’t service. This helps clear things out and outlines the type of customers you can get.
- Define your work schedule – Most delivery businesses nowadays practice long hours and even have Saturday or Sunday delivery. However, this doesn’t have to be the case for you. Define your hours according to demand and your drivers’ availability.
- Create a budget – even small businesses have expenses, so it’s important to understand where the money goes. Set aside some time to understand where you have to invest in order to get things going.
The Promotion Phase
Once everything is in place and everyone is ready to go, it’s time to start advertising your business.
First of all, you’ll need a professional-looking website and you can run Google Ads & Facebook Ads to promote both the business and the site. Second, you can use a more direct approach through flyers, phone calls, and emails to local businesses that may be interested in your services.
Lastly, don’t forget to wrap your vehicles with the business name, logo, and contact information.
Wrap Up
A delivery or courier service business is not very difficult to start, but the competition is strong, especially if you’re fighting well-established names in the industry. However, during the pandemic, the demand for delivery services is so high that it’s easier for newcomers to cut a slice for themselves. So, if you’re looking for a new business opportunity, this may be it.
About Carson Derrow
