Guidelines For Starting Own Courier Service

By Author: Christian Wilson
Total Articles: 52
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There is potential up your own courier service to start in most areas in the UK. It is very lucrative, in fact, in any one city alone it is a multi-million pound business.  Courier services operating in smaller towns or in the country may find less demand but there will be a niche market to tap into. Essentially, a courier service is effectively a taxi service for documents and packages where Royal Mail is not suitable.

There is no need for any licence or consent when setting up your own courier service. You can operate as a sole trader and carry out deliveries by yourself. This would also include taking all the enquiries as well and so the best way is to do the selling of the service and employ couriers to do the delivery.  In this way, it can become a profitable business as you can take on plenty of work and contracts.

Working from home
A courier service business can be operated from home and this would be a cost effective way of running the business. It can also work effectively as it would be possible to operate a 24 hour service, which will be a great advantage over other smaller courier companies. ...
... You will need a telephone at your base and also the couriers will need mobile phones for instructions.

The vehicles for transportation will be the most expensive outgoing, however, they will become assets for your business. If you are operating on a local level, bicycles will be the cheapest form of transportation as there will be no fuel costs. For further distances, a motorcycle would be ideal and they are still cheap to run and faster, especially in heavy traffic. For larger packages, you will need a car and possibly a small van.

If you use your own vehicle, it is important to check that your insurance policy covers this use of the vehicle. You could ask the couriers you employ to use their own vehicles, much like minicabs do. This means you do not have to pay for new vehicles, however the couriers will take a bigger cut of the fee.

Advertising
To get business, it is recommended to advertise in local newspapers but it is also necessary to have a website. However, to make your courier service profitable, you need to go out and get the work and win regular contracts. Customers who send things on a regular basis, such as solicitors, academics and estate agents, to name a few, will be good for business. If they have things to send each day, or several times a week, that type of contract will prove successful for your company.

You could send local businesses flyers or letters telling them about your courier service and perhaps offer a special deal, just as 25% off their first order. Once they have used your courier service and the job is carried out successfully, there is a high chance of return business.