Organize business home delivery of products. How to start your own courier business

12.10.2019

Before starting a courier service business, you first need to familiarize yourself with key rules this sphere. Such rules will help the entrepreneur in future business. In fact, open a courier service not as difficult as it might seem. This area does not require special skills and higher education. And most importantly, to open a courier service, you do not need a large start-up capital.

Courier service business: what is needed

The best option for opening such a business is to open a courier service in big cities. This is obvious, since in small settlements there will simply be no demand for this business.

For complete courier service automation You will need, at a minimum, a dispatcher, courier/driver, and accountant. In some cases, you may need a loader if your business will be involved in the delivery of large cargo.

Before, how to open a courier delivery service, decide what kind of transportation your company will deal with. Delivering documents or medical equipment requires completely different transportation conditions. It is worth noting that for the transportation of some goods, special certificates and permits may be required.

Investments in a courier service business

We have already said above that opening a courier service does not require huge initial capital. However, you will still have to spend a certain amount. If you have opened a company in a big city, then in any case you will need a car. There is an optimal option: hire a person with a car to work as a courier. IN in this case, You will have to pay him for gas.

Don't forget about investing in advertising. In this case, the price will depend directly on you. Advertising can be placed in city newspapers and on television. Also, it would be great to place an advertisement on the city portal. Use social networks to promote.

Clientele

Who uses the services of a courier service? We will try to consider this issue in detail from all sides.

Every city has cafes, restaurants and other establishments Catering. So, many catering establishments are starting to deliver their food to your home. You can become a mediator in this case. In this case, all parties will benefit.
The next option will be online stores. them now great amount. Such stores do not dare to open a courier service because it is not profitable for them, because they sell their goods throughout the country. You can offer online stores a low price and fast delivery within the city.
A huge number of large companies are always in need of a courier service business. Large companies always need to send documentation to various points and government services.

Profitability

Initially, you need to determine how profitable this business is. According to statistics, many courier services pay for themselves quite quickly. Most often, the profit reaches 90 percent. In large cities, the price for delivery of one unit of goods is 5-50 dollars. The price directly depends on the weight of the cargo and how important it is. Can be developed special system discounts for regular customers.

Possible problems

In any business, sooner or later, problems may arise. Of course, it is best to prevent problems, but sometimes they are inevitable. Then you need to learn to cope with them.

Often problems arise with the human factor. There may be traffic jams or the driver will simply be late to the appointed place. Let’s say the dispatcher of your courier service was rude to the client and it is you who will have to sort out the entire conflict that has arisen. That is, you need to very carefully select employees for your company. It would also not hurt to learn the basics of logistics in order to deliver the necessary packages on time.
Competition in this business cannot be avoided. Each such company has its own unusual approach to each client. In this case, there is no need to take existing ideas. They will be useless. You must come up with something new that might interest a potential client. In this matter, it is very important to find the ideal approach to each client.

Opening a courier service is only half the battle. It is very important to achieve automation of the courier service. This will help you stay afloat for a long time. A lot of work needs to be put into initial stage(when choosing personnel, searching for regular customers). When all the work reaches automation, you can start coming up with new “tricks” for all clients.

Today there is no need to go shopping at all, because everything you need can be ordered online. Moreover, there is no need to even spend time preparing food - it is much better to order food delivered to your home.

A business created in this service sector can become very profitable, and it has many prospects. Undoubtedly, there is competition, and even more, but with desire and hard work, you will find your niche that will make you successful.

Food delivery: features and nuances of business

Food belongs to this type of goods that under no circumstances leave the market, because “everyone always wants to eat”, all the time, despite the crisis or other troubles. Food delivery services, although they appeared relatively recently, are quickly gaining popularity for many reasons:

busy people in big cities do not have time to buy groceries in the store or do not find time to prepare food;
some companies provide their employees with the delivery of ready-made meals, so-called business lunches (or office and corporate employees themselves order this type of service);
many establishments (pizzerias, sushi bars or restaurants, etc.) immediately have their own production and delivery (you can eat there or arrange courier services);
on a large scale, this business is already called catering and assumes that you can serve large events (banquets, various holidays, meetings or special events).

Of course, you can and should start small, because not everyone will be able to conquer the market right away. Before you start home delivery of food, you need to carefully prepare. It is best to create a business plan, because this way you can distribute all the points step by step and not miss anything.

To make your business profitable and successful, analyze this market segment, collecting all the relevant information on your city.
Decide on the form of your business. There are several options:
- use ready-made food from a restaurant (cafe), but sell it at a certain markup due to the delivery service;
- cook yourself (it can be absolutely family, home business, when you do everything at home or in a specialized kitchen). In this case, you can also sell your services in different ways, that is, either involve other relatives in the business, or hire a courier with a car;
- sell not only ready-made food, but also semi-finished products (you need to be able to prepare them), as well as independent products, doing business through online orders and delivery.
Each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages. To choose where to start, evaluate your financial capabilities and try to analyze all possible risks. After this, go prepare the material and legal base. Serious work awaits you.
Already during the organizational process, you will have to look for a place suitable for preparing and storing food, suppliers of goods, decide on transport and other working issues.
Next you will need to do advertising and find clients. This is very important point, because it will be possible to talk about the payback or profit of a business only if there is an established client base and constant development.

As you can see, implementing this idea will require a lot of effort, time and money. But, having a clear action plan, you can begin to bring your idea to life.

Where to begin?

Before you open a food delivery business, you need to figure out how you can stand out from your competitors. To succeed, you need to constantly be on top, pleasantly surprise your clients and make them come to you again and again. It’s good if you can organize a full cycle of services, that is, from preparing food to delivering it.

If you already have your own restaurant or other establishment (cafeteria, canteen, pizzeria), then you can simply add new service– food delivery by courier. Then you won’t have to search for premises, suppliers and personnel. The issue of obtaining permits and other documentation will also be removed, and the business concept will be clear.

However, owning a restaurant is not acceptable for everyone. Perhaps at the initial stage you do not have the required amount or experience to start such a business. Then how to open a food delivery service as a small company or family business- is quite real. That is, you can start from the other side, and having developed and gained a foothold in the market, you can already invest in the establishment of your dreams.

We create our own website

You can order website development from scratch or buy it already finished project. The second option will cost you less, and besides, you can start working with it right away.

The best option in terms of money and speed of creation is to use the services of freelancers. Also, feel free to entrust them with any tasks that you have as you create and grow your business - writing articles, creating a logo, finding clients, etc. It is best to use a specialized platform, for example, Ispolnu.ru, where the process of interaction with performers will be simple and safe.

Try to think of an interesting design for the site and work out various marketing strategies, so that it doesn’t just “hang” on the Internet as a dead weight, but actually works and attracts customers. Based on the fact of attendance and interest, it will be possible to judge in what other directions you need to move.

Everything is according to the law: the main points of legal preparation

Package Contents necessary documents will depend on whether you already own a catering business. Some entrepreneurs do not want to initially start fiddling with legal registration and they begin to do this only after some time has passed or in the event of unexpected troubles. But you need to understand that you can’t just cook in your home kitchen and sell food to people: you could get into serious trouble with the law.

You should register your business correctly:

register with tax office, choose a form of taxation and prepare a package of documents for registration;
pay the required state fees and submit an application for inclusion in the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs;
if you plan to make non-cash payments, you need to open a bank account;
obtain the appropriate permits from the sanitary and epidemiological service for the premises you have chosen and the implementation of all planned services (food preparation, food storage, transportation, etc.). The SES checks both working conditions and food preparation conditions. Your employees must have valid medical records, which will contain data from medical examinations and confirmation of completed hygienic training / certification;
obtain permission from the fire department, whose employees will also inspect the premises and document that it complies with the necessary standards and requirements, and that your workers have passed the necessary certification and can work with food;
papers authorizing your activities must be signed by both the consumer market committee and Rospotrebnadzor;
register a cash register and purchase a stamp.

Remember that your entrepreneurial activity must be related to delivery services (you also need permission!), because you will have to enter into supply agreements, sign waybills and waybills for drivers.

Here's what you need to start a food delivery business from scratch. However, you will only need a complete package of documents if you are purchasing and equipping your own premises.

Important organizational issues

You need to decide how you will start working: can you get by on your own at first or will you hire a staff of workers? It is also worth considering the order of work, that is, how and where you will purchase, store and prepare food. There are several options.

Products are purchased in advance and stored in cold storage rooms and other appropriate equipment. Of course, this means that the money has already been invested. However, there is a plus: you can post information on the website about the availability of a particular product, and the buyer will immediately become interested. A pre-menu is also made for customers based on their requests.
The second option involves purchasing products and preparing food with subsequent delivery only after the order has been accepted. On the one hand, you have less risk of being at a loss, but on the other hand, you will not be able to quickly accept and fulfill customer orders, which will lead to them leaving in search of someone more efficient.

Equipment and raw materials

If you yourself equip your premises for a full production cycle, then you will need to spend a lot of money to purchase at least the most necessary things. The name and amount of investment will depend on the specifics of your food, how you will prepare it, what figure you are counting on, etc. Initially, you don’t have to take imported and expensive equipment, because it’s much cheaper reasonable price You can also buy it used.

However, you will definitely need:

all kinds kitchenware(pans, pots, graters, knives, forks, spoons, cutting boards, etc.);
get at least one good multifunctional food processor that will replace your meat grinder, blender, mixer and other necessary appliances;
gas or electric stove;
microwave or pressure cooker (ideally both);
special refrigerators and freezers for storing food.

In addition, be sure to take care of the equipment for the food delivery (transportation) itself: purchase special containers, thermal bags, etc. You can order napkins or plastic dishes with your company logo (brand) on them. This should be done before opening food delivery.

What's on the menu?

The assortment depends on the specifics of your business: do you prepare a varied menu for every taste or only dishes of a certain cuisine? Here we can advise you not to focus on just pizza or sushi, since the competition with permanent establishments of this kind is very strong. It is better to focus on the variety of choice. This will help you attract more clients.

You can purchase products yourself (at wholesale centers and markets) or negotiate with suppliers. Remember that all products must be fresh and of high quality, be sure to check the documents.

Assemble a decent team

For your business to succeed, you will also need to find good employees. Give preference to people who have work experience and relevant recommendations, as you cannot risk your reputation.

With a full production cycle (from accepting an order to its preparation and delivery), you will need to employ:

operator (dispatcher) who will receive calls and place orders;
cooks (one or more - depending on the situation);
couriers (usually they hire employees with their own cars);
the rest can be hired as needed when your business begins to grow and expand (security guards, warehouse workers, cleaners, staff accountant, etc.).

Your employees must be honest, diligent and responsible.

In the future, it will be possible to purchase special vehicles, which will be equipped with a thermal body. Fare You will need to include this in the cost of meals, and you should calculate the real costs of depreciation of the car and fuel.

tell us about yourself

Competent price policy with various loyalty programs (discounts, bonuses and promotions) and a well-thought-out advertising concept will be able to attract people's attention and bring you your first stable earnings.

Don’t forget to talk about yourself on the Internet. It’s good if the site has positive reviews from your customers, because word of mouth is the best advertising campaign.

Estimated Costs

Business profitability indicators are quite high (up to 60%), and it can pay for itself even in six months (maximum in a year and a half).

The figures are presented in rubles.

conclusions

Now you know how to start food delivery step by step. Despite the fact that at first you may even have to work yourself, performing all the functions and responsibilities, very soon your business will pay off and begin to generate a stable income, and over time you will be able to expand the business, gaining good momentum and replenishing your clientele. base of regular customers.

Have you heard about FedEx, DHL, UPS? If so, then, for sure, you or your friends have used their services. Would you like to open your own courier service?

If yes, then this article will be useful for you and will tell you how to do it.

Especially for preparing this article, we interviewed three experts and found out How open courier delivery service. Meet our guests:

Alexey Prygin, deputy general director MaxiPost. Specialization courier company delivery of goods from online stores.
Sergey Nevzorov, founder of the Logistics Department service.
Zhurabek Turdiev, director of the courier service BTS Express. The company's specialization is express delivery of documents, correspondence, parcels up to 3 kg within Uzbekistan.

The article was written jointly with our experts and with their active participation. This made it possible to obtain a detailed, more full information first-hand information about opening a courier service.

How to prepare for the opening?

As with opening any business, it is necessary to conduct a preliminary market analysis. The information received should concern:

Target audience, demand on its part. Who is your potential client, what services does he need, what will he expect from you.
Information about competitors and their activities.
Current market conditions. What niches are still relatively free and other information.

This is the first one. The second is the choice of niche and services provided. After studying the market, you may want to develop a courier service in some narrow specific niche. Or would you prefer to specialize in the delivery of certain packages, for example, goods from online stores or food from restaurants.

Investment size

It all depends on the chosen niche and the services you are going to provide. Alexey Prygin, Deputy General Director of MaxiPost:

“The costs (starting and monthly) consist of the following expenses:

personnel recruiting;
purchase and branding of uniforms (if necessary);
process automation;
purchase cash registers(and their further maintenance);
purchase or rental of vehicles (if necessary);
communications (mobile, landline, Internet);
household and stationery supplies;
bank expenses (mainly collection);
fuel (if necessary);
salaries and taxes.

The main consumable part of the “courier” is these are salaries and taxes.

The competition in the courier services market is now off scale and will only continue to increase, opening new business It’s worth it in this area if you have good starting investments, a “cushion” for the future and experience in this area.”

MaxiPost has the following format - delivery of goods from online stores. If you do not purchase vehicles, then relatively small investments will be required. But! You need to be prepared for subsequent financial injections in order to stay in the market and continue to grow.

But BTS Express required significant investments to launch and develop its courier service.

Zhurabek Turdiev

director of BTS Express

As can be seen from the two examples, investment volumes can differ several times. Much depends on the niche and services provided. But both of our guests agree that the company will need regular funding for its continued existence and growth.

Step-by-step instruction

As mentioned above, opening a courier service begins with determining the client’s portrait, his needs and expectations. Based on this data, you need to decide on a niche and a specific list of services that your company will provide.

After clarifying these key points, you can think about what the investments will be used for, how to further build the business, what service geography you will have.

Staff. Hiring, training, motivation, relationships

Our guest Alexey Prygin, Deputy General Director of MaxiPost, talks about working with staff:

A staff of couriers is one of the very first steps when organizing a courier service. To create it, you need:

Recruit couriers, having previously calculated their number and workload based on the planned sales volume and sales schedule;

Train couriers by developing a training system in advance, including the ability to communicate, work with cash register equipment, follow the rules cash discipline etc.;

Develop a system of motivation and control of couriers: how will you pay them - fixed or piecework? How to calculate the premium part - based on the number of purchased or delivered parcels? How will you control their work and negate the risks of unscrupulous performers, which is especially important given the fact that the courier is a financially responsible person?

The motivation system for couriers should be built based on the company’s business goals. For example, in our company, the first place is not quantity, but the quality of delivery, the percentage of redemption of delivered parcels. This means everything is tailored exclusively to this KP

Zhurabek Turdiev

BTS Express Director:

When working with personnel, the main attention and effort should be directed to couriers, because the courier:

The face of the company, and he mostly communicates with customers and package recipients.
It largely determines how and in what condition the parcel will be delivered.
A courier is a financially responsible person.

When selecting couriers, we look at the following points:

Filling out the form. Is it completely filled? If yes, then this indicates serious attitude to the candidate’s business and that he wants to work in our company.
Ability to communicate. Whether the person makes contact easily, is not aggressive or rude.
Age and driver's license. In our company, only young people work as couriers.

Our month lasts probation. During this period, we pay attention to other indicators of couriers:

How does the courier keep documents? Is everything filled out on time? Are reports submitted on time?
Compliance with established schedules.
Ability to communicate with customers and parcel recipients.
Feedback from clients and employees. If a courier is rude, breaks the rules, and clients and employees complain about him, then such a person will not stay with us.

We also have a training and adaptation system. It allows a beginner to quickly get involved and successfully complete their tasks.

A separate conversation is motivation. We need purposeful people, and we promote them to higher positions, if, of course, the employee has the desire.

The main principle of building relationships with couriers, and with all company employees, is to let them know that they are valuable and that their work is important not only for the company, but also for clients and society. And the most important thing is not just to make it clear, but to prove it in practice day after day.

At the initial stage, it is better to concentrate on attracting and providing high-quality service to the Nth number of first clients. I would recommend starting with 200 clients. This approach will allow:

identify weak spots in your business and eliminate them,
understand the expectations and needs of your clients,
based on the feedback received, further build your marketing strategy.

Promotion channels may be different. You need to take into account the specifics of your niche and focus on customers.

Zhurabek Turdiev, director of BTS Express, says:

In our case, SEO, sending commercial offers to organizations, and word of mouth work well. We mainly use social networks to collect feedback.

When choosing a promotion channel, you need to take into account the characteristics of your clients. Namely, to know:

Through what communication channels can you reach them?
Through what channels are potential clients already looking for information about you?

The niche and services provided by your courier service play a major role in deciding where to locate your office and warehouse.

For example, food delivery from restaurants does not require a warehouse, because... the package is delivered directly from the kitchen to the recipient. The situation is similar when delivering parcels within the city, because... Delivery is carried out within a few hours.

But in the case of intercity delivery, the presence of a warehouse is mandatory.

Zhurabek Turdiev

director of BTS Express

When choosing a location, we took into account the following criteria:

Convenient location for clients, because... Some of our clients come to the office to send a parcel. Also, some recipients pick up the package from the office. This is an economy rate with pickup from our offices. The main thing is that it is convenient for clients to drive up to us, easy to find us, and that there is parking.
Proximity to the airport, because To increase delivery speed, we send parcels to remote cities by plane.

Sufficient space for all departments (reception, warehouse, administration). This applies only to the central office in Tashkent. Offices in the regions are simpler

Documentation

The courier service can be registered as an LLC or individual entrepreneur. LLC is convenient for the following:

Investors are more willing to invest money in a business because... may act as co-founders. Banks are also more willing to issue loans.
More trust from organizations. It matters if organizations are your potential clients.

IP has the following advantages:

Easy to register.
You can pay taxes in a “simplified” manner. Tax reporting easier.

The choice of organizational and legal form is at the discretion of the business owner. Company registration is one of the most simple steps when opening a courier service.

Opening checklist

Is it profitable to open

To answer this question, you need to consider the following:

Courier service as a business is a long-term business project. There is no way to quickly “make money” here. Like factories, courier services do not give returns immediately, but after some time. Beginning courier business, you need to be ready for a marathon, not a sprint.
Much depends on the chosen niche and services provided, and the market situation.

Alexey Prygin, Deputy General Director of MaxiPost:

Services in general are rarely a high-margin business in themselves, and in an unfavorable situation (and this is the case now), the difference between the tariff and the cost tends to zero. Increasing this gap is very difficult: raising the price means losing customers, and reducing costs is very difficult.

Zhurabek Turdiev

director of BTS Express

We were able to achieve operating profit only in the fifth year of development. There is still time before full self-sufficiency. We invest the proceeds in development. Courier services are a long-term business. You need to have a fair amount of patience to set up such an enterprise.

Seasonality

As in a number of industries, there is seasonality in the courier business. It is associated with the period of commercial activity of the population before significant holidays and other events:

New Year
February 23
March 8
Black Friday, etc.

Alexey Prygin

Deputy General Director of MaxiPost

The courier business is subject to seasonality, which directly depends on the surge in sales in online stores. The hottest season for courier services is New Year. Even if you spend a whole year switching from order to order, you won’t be bored from the end of November. Our people will never stop buying gifts for this holiday, so there is always a chance to make a good turnover in one month. December is guaranteed earnings. There are also February 23, March 8, Black Fridays, Cyber Mondays, preparation for school in August and a bunch of all sorts of more or less successful seasons and sales that provide couriers with reliable income.

collapse

Many people have a dream to exchange their stable job “for an uncle” and finally start working for themselves. But competition in most areas today has reached critical mass, and therefore jumping straight into a business with serious investments is quite risky, so it’s best to start with those ideas that do not require significant investments . One of the best options would be. With development information technologies, in particular, with the widespread use of the Internet, an increasing number of people prefer not to waste their time shopping, ordering everything they need through the World Wide Web. In this article you will learn about how to open what type of similar activity is most in demand among our population.

Idea number 1: food delivery

If your starting capital is not as large as you would like, then it is quite possible to start by supplying food from supermarkets. To do this you will need:

Your own website, which will provide information about food products (name of product, direct manufacturer, shelf life, composition, fat content and other necessary data). If ordering the creation of your own website is not affordable for you at the current time, then you can limit yourself to creating a group on one of the social networks. Clients can go to the resource and leave requests directly on it, which, accordingly, should be instantly processed and executed as soon as possible.
It is highly desirable to have at least one consultant who will be constantly in touch and accept applications for further transfer of detailed information about it to the delivery employee.
Courier. At first, you can hire one employee (the best option is a driver with his own vehicle, taking on the functions of a courier), then the staff can actually be expanded as the number of regular customers increases.

Important points

Decide right away how the system of settlement with the client will take place. The easiest way is to pay the client with the courier after delivery, but it is much better to add a cashless payment system.
Since the sale of alcohol at night is prohibited, you can make good money by supplying it (alcohol) after 22:00.
For similar startup you need to formalize your activities by registering as individual entrepreneur, it is also worth knowing that the driver should always have waybills and waybills with him.
Advertising in this service sector plays decisive role, so don’t skimp on promotion, investing in it to the maximum. You can place advertisements on the Internet, organize the distribution of flyers with information about your service near shopping centers and in crowded places.

How much money will it take to start a business?

Since there is no need to rent premises for this type of activity, the initial investment will range from 3,000 to 5,000 US dollars. The payback period for a startup is approximately 6 months, income varies greatly depending on the city and the advertising support of your store.

If you have a little more money to start a business, you can start delivering ready-made meals or sushi.

This service is in great demand among many office workers and other busy people. For an idea to generate income, it is necessary:

Availability of premises with food preparation equipment that meets all sanitary and other hygienic standards.
In addition to the courier and consultant, you will need a good cook, because at least half of the success depends on the quality of his work.
Registration of activities (which in the case of cooking will require more paperwork and cash).
Advertising. The second half of success depends on this factor.

The payback period for such a project is from a year to a year and a half; more investments will be required than with a business delivering food and alcohol at night and will cost from $10,000 and more.

Idea number 2: water delivery

The quality of water that runs through the pipelines of modern megacities leaves much to be desired, so a huge number of people use purified (or extracted from wells) water for drinking and cooking. In this regard, the business associated with the supply of water is actually a win-win option. This idea is perfect for those who do not have sufficient experience in the field of entrepreneurship and do not have a substantial amount of funds to invest at the initial stage. So, if you decide to try yourself in this industry, you will need:

High-quality equipment for disinfecting and purifying water from contaminants, harmful particles and components. You can avoid additional costs for equipment by taking water from a source or well, first passing it to a laboratory and making sure that it is completely suitable for consumption and does not contain potentially dangerous elements.
Business related to water supply requires availability warehouse size of at least 20–30 square meters and containers for bottling water.
Transport used to deliver water to the client. This can be either a purchased car (minibus, the most economical option is a GAZelle) or a rented one, based on your financial opportunities. Some businessmen hire a driver with his own car, who can take on the duties of a courier.
Permits received from the Ministry of Health and SES.
Cash machine.
Dispatcher-consultant who takes orders by phone.
Advertising support.

Important points

If you are afraid of difficulties at the stage of obtaining documents allowing you to conduct such activities, you can buy a franchise from a company engaged in water delivery.

Size required starting capital varies depending on whether you buy or lease a car and many other factors. In the first case, you need to have at hand an amount of 100,000 rubles, in the second - up to 500,000 rubles.

Idea number 3: flower delivery

Flowering plant delivery services are in great demand in major cities and megacities. This idea has a huge number of advantages: firstly, in our country there are incredibly many holidays on which it is customary to give luxurious bouquets of flowers (September 1, March 8, May 9, February 14, weddings, birthdays and others). And secondly, this business does not require the purchase of expensive equipment, SES permits and other nuances, the costs of which are often quite significant.

What does a startup need?

Creativity. Without it, plant delivery is unlikely to be successful, so when starting such a business, you need to immediately decide whether you have a passion for this field of activity. If floristry is your hobby, then you can easily turn it into a fairly profitable activity even with minimal financial investment.
To begin with, it is realistic to agree on cooperation with a flower shop if they do not have their own delivery service.
Then you will need to make your own website offering courier services related to plants, placing on it high-quality photographs of all the items offered by the store. The cost of creating a decent website starts at $200. Create appropriate groups on various social networks, where it is best to attract potential customers with discounts, promotions and sweepstakes (for example, every fifth bouquet of flowers is free).
Find on the Internet all the wedding agencies that operate in your city and offer them cooperation on mutually beneficial terms.
To deliver flowers, of course, you need to hire a driver ( best option– with your own car). At first, you can even use your home as an office, accepting orders and allocating some space for storing flowers. An undeniable advantage is that the only equipment you need is a computer and a mobile phone.
Before you begin directly selling flowers, you must register yourself as an individual entrepreneur and obtain documents giving you the right to conduct commercial activities.

Important points

Flower delivery is a seasonal business, that is, the largest sales will be in holidays, so you can diversify the assortment of your own store with seeds, bulbs, and home flowers. You can offer your clients beautiful wicker baskets with compositions of flowers and fruits, which Lately are very popular.

Idea number four: delivery of alcohol at night

This area of business arose quite recently, after the ban on the sale of alcohol at night throughout the country. Currently, only nightclubs, cafes, restaurants and some other establishments have the right to sell alcohol after 23:00. Therefore, the most in a simple way start making money by delivering alcohol at night - become an intermediary between the bar and the client.

Many online stores resort to this trick: let’s say that in the midst of the fun you run out of alcohol, then you buy a souvenir or lighter from them at one in the morning and receive a bottle of strong drink as a gift. There is actually no need to make any investments in the business of delivering alcohol at night. Just create a group in social network, there are many clients for such services, so income depends on the size of the city.

Successful own business- the dream of many whose plans include a stable and high income. The courier delivery service is quite popular, but at the same time it is still a free niche. It contains healthy competition, which allows you to offer customers something that other companies do not have.

This area will be discussed in more detail in this material.

Advantages and disadvantages of activity

When starting any project, you will be a follower. Someone must have done this before you. It is important to treat this correctly. If this person has already opened a similar business, he probably made mistakes. Your task is to make the most of your previous experience and avoid falling into the same rake again.

Advantages

Delivery service in demand and assumes the presence of potential clients. People need your company's services. Having a wide field of clients, it is important to start interacting with them correctly, and the first profit is in your pocket.
The advantages of this type of activity also include minimum investment. To get started, all you need is to have the Internet and a phone at hand. You can start your first steps in the courier business as a partner of a store or offline platform, as well as within the territory of one city. Later, having received your first profit, you will have the opportunity to expand your project by hiring workers, concluding contracts and purchasing the necessary equipment.
Another advantage of this type of activity is wide range of specializations. Your future company can position itself from different angles. This could be land or air transportation, partnership with a private company or a large enterprise, delivery of press or large cargo, etc. It all depends on the needs of clients and current situation affairs in the services market. The main thing is that you can occupy any available niche.
IN personnel selection even a novice entrepreneur will not have problems. This type of activity does not require workers to have a specific education. All that is required from subordinates is responsibility and physical strength. This will greatly simplify your work in recruiting staff and help you save on wages.
Courier service does not require a special room. You can start work even without a warehouse. The main thing is to properly organize the process of cargo delivery, planning the route and keeping all costs to a minimum.

Flaws

As a leader, you will need patience and the ability to make quick decisions. Courier delivery is always possible appearance force majeure. While your staff will have a minimum of personnel, all significant decisions will be made by you. Learn to quickly find a way out of the current situation, negotiate and give instructions correctly.
Often, in such companies, full-time employees can afford not to come to work. There are also a number of problems when the courier does not physically have time to get from one part of the city to another. Then you will need to quickly resolve the issue with replacement of personnel or staff replenishment.
When opening a service there is always risks: damage to someone else's property, late or poor quality delivery. Many big companies they still cannot exclude such situations 100%. However, with strict control over the work of couriers and other employees, you can cope with this problem, forever winning the trust of the client.

Where should I start?

You should start a business by monitoring the situation on the market for such services. So you can borrow advantageous position in this niche with the least competition. Large settlements are best suited for project development, but with the right approach, this idea can be implemented in small towns.
After analyzing the data received, you will need to decide on the specifics of the goods that will be delivered by the company. Will it be the transportation of documents, medications, etc.
The next step concerns the equipment. Answer the questions: do you need a car? If you deliver documents within a small city or several districts, the courier can do this on foot. In the case of parcel delivery, you will need a car. You must clearly know what kind of car you need. This leads to a chain of questions about hiring a driver, paying him and related expenses. These problems can be solved at the first stages by concluding a long-term contract with a taxi or driver with a personal car.
A dispatcher will be needed to receive applications. Again, in order to save money at the beginning of business development, you can combine the qualities of a manager and a dispatcher. Communication with clients should be around the clock. This form will make your service stand out from the rest.
When the business is operating at full scale and you have a fleet of vehicles at your disposal, you should think about hiring a mechanic and loaders of large items. As the number of clients grows and the volume of work increases, a secretary, accountant and other drivers and couriers will also be needed.

Interesting information about this type of activity is presented in the following video:

Business development options

The development of new technologies and the expansion of trade have provoked the demand for courier services. Today this niche is incredibly popular, and it can be developed in all sorts of directions. Here you must clearly decide what specialization your company will be and how large it will be. In the process, all this can be adjusted and gradually expand the circle of your clients, as well as the services provided:

A small courier company can deliver documentation and small parcels. Your potential clients are most often banks, law firms, and various types of organizations. It is most convenient to organize such work in a small area. one city or several villages. Nearby ones are also suitable areas of a large metropolis.
If you plan to work nationwide, then here the variations on the theme of the delivered cargo expand significantly. This can be either urgent delivery of newspapers, online store goods, or transportation of equipment.
A new level for delivery service – international. You can find a lot of information on the Internet about successful companies of such kind. This can be either air delivery, land or water delivery. It all depends on the connections you have. You can stand out from your competitors by as soon as possible or additional services that other companies cannot provide.

Required documents and permits

You only need to complete the paperwork after your idea has been successfully tested. This provides a kind of guarantee that subsequent development costs will not go in vain, but will become an impetus for improving the business.

Form of enterprise required to open a courier service - LLC - a company with limited liability. In order to correctly draw up contracts, it does not hurt to acquire the services of a lawyer who will help with further documentation issues. Additionally, you should consider insurance for transported goods, especially if you work with hazardous substances.

Required Personnel

The staff is your support in doing business in the near future. Despite the fact that the specifics of the job do not require special education from many people, you should focus on such qualities as responsibility and diligence. Otherwise, this threatens to delay delivery times and affect the company’s reputation.

For a business in a small town you will need a small number of staff. They are based on a dispatcher, a courier driver and an accountant.

Without start-up capital, the responsibilities of each position can be performed by a manager. Since the earnings will initially be small, you can do all the calculations yourself. In the future, you will need to resort to the services of specialists and acquire assistants.

Regarding payment wages, then, as a rule, it is paid from production - the amount of goods delivered. With an increase in the client base and orders, it will be possible to switch to daily or monthly payment.

How to find clients

Customers are the basis of any business. the main task– sell them your company’s services. You need to look for your first clients yourself. Offer courier services to shops, restaurants or other city institutions. Surely banks, lawyers or flower shops need similar partners to help them promote the product and earn additional income.

You can build your business on the basis of an existing one, taking the role of an intermediary between the supplier and the direct buyer of a product or service.

A very current trend in the field of courier service has become lunch delivery. If your city doesn’t have one yet, then feel free to count the offices and branches of various companies as potential clients. The main thing is to provide your workers with sanitary passports, and the dishes themselves with safety certificates.

Don’t forget to advertise your company: make contacts, advertise in the newspaper, distribute leaflets and call potential partners. In the future, you will be able to deliver goods to shops, supermarkets or deliver their products to customers’ homes.

Business costs and profitability calculations

The profitability of the delivery service business is one of the highest. This is explained minimal investment and high cost of services. Additional savings on personnel, which is convenient when working in a small area, will further increase the profitability of a newly started business.

The normal income level is up to 90%. The standard conditions for such profit are: average cost delivery 5-15 dollars. The price includes the cost of maintaining staff, the weight of the cargo, its value, gasoline, delivery speed and much more. The average number of orders per day ranges from 40 to 50. This will allow you to fully recoup all expenses for travel, staffing and advertising.

The investment amount ranges from 3 to 5 thousand dollars, provided that you have your own transport. However, working in small town, you can start with the delivery of small-sized cargo that the courier can carry on foot.

An organized courier service is a source of high income. It all depends on how you prioritize. Small calculations and step by step description creating a business will help you create a successful project that will pay dividends after the first month of work. The main thing is to give the client the opportunity to choose and offer something new on the market for services of this kind. Then, even in the face of competition, exchange rate fluctuations and other enemies big business you will be able to fully realize your idea.