Two Easy Things To Forget When Setting Up A Delivery Business
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The keen business enthusiasts amongst you may look back on the last ten years as we enter a new decade. As you do this, you’ll no doubt notice a few trends that grew over time. Personally, one key business trend – towards the end of the decade – was the rise in delivery businesses. I’m talking about all kinds of delivery business; instant food delivery services, delivery companies that haul packages across the country, independent courier services, etc.
Delivery companies have always been popular, but the rise of the internet has improved their significance. People do lots of things online and gain access to things like food, clothes, and other products. When orders are placed, the companies that supply the items need delivery networks to get the ordered item from a to b.
As a result, you’ve probably thought about starting up a delivery business. It’s a profitable venture, and it’s not too difficult to start up. However, I’ve identified a few things that are easy to forget when setting up a small business like this. Make sure you don’t neglect them as they have a key bearing on the success of your company.
Fuel
The majority of delivery businesses will need fuel to power the vehicles in use. The problem is that you don’t think about how vital an issue this is. Not only do you need to think about the cost of fuel, but you also need to consider how your vehicles will access it. For large vehicles – like haulage trucks and lorries – you won’t be able to take them to a petrol station. It would cost way too much, and it’s impossible to park a lorry in those stations. Instead, you’d need something like the gas oil from gasoildrums.co.uk, which comes in drums. Here, you can fill up trucks at your own site, and they could even carry spare oil just in case.
Obviously, smaller vehicles don’t face this issue. Cars, vans, or motorbikes can all be filled up at petrol stations. Just make sure your workers retain the receipts so you can put it down as a business expense!
Reducing Overheads
It almost sounds unbelievable, but you can easily forget about simple ways of reducing overheads in your delivery business. Naturally, you may think about typical things that keep the ongoing costs as limited as possible. But, don’t forget about one simple solution that will save you so much money; making your workers use their own vehicles. By supplying their own vehicles (like bikes, motorcycles, cars, or vans) your workers can get the job done without you needing to purchase a full fleet of cars.
Speaking of your employees, it’s also a good idea to hire drivers as freelance workers. Lots of companies do this, and it can save a fortune on employment costs. Both of these ideas are so easy for you to gloss over and forget. You assume you need to provide vehicles and take on full-time employees. If you realise there are other options, then it saves a lot of money.
My advice to anyone that wants to start a delivery company is that you do your research and ensure your business fills a gap in a market. Secondly, don’t forget the two things mentioned above as they’re easy to neglect!
