Want to start a delivery business? This is what you need to know

Starting any business is tough, but when you are trying to build an organization as complex as a delivery enterprise, then you truly have your work cut out. You would be forgiven for being incredibly daunted by the idea of starting a delivery business because so many potential moving parts are involved.

When you examine delivery behemoths like Amazon, DPD, and UPS, you will no doubt be overwhelmed by the idea of trying to compete with them. After all, their resources are limitless, they have insane amounts of capital at their disposal, and millions of customers are ordering through them. 

However, you shouldn’t let this stop you from creating your own delivery service. Not only do you not have to compete with these titans straightaway, but you can use your lack of size to your advantage. 

For example, you can locate weaknesses within the structures of other delivery services and make sure that you become better in these areas. Still feel confused? Don’t worry; here is everything you need to know about starting a delivery business.

Start by finding regular work

The first step in any business is to source some customers. Without reliable and regular customers, you will find it impossible to grow your delivery company or become anything more than a part-time delivery driver.

Of course, sourcing these customers organically takes time, because your brand image will be weak, and no one will trust you to literally deliver a good service. Instead, you should be proactive and find those customers yourself.

Although it is difficult for a start-up in any industry, it is actually relatively straightforward for budding delivery companies. What you need to do is join shipping work through websites like Shiply. which you can find here https://www.shiply.com/us/load-board. Once there, you can find requests for delivery services. 

After a few deliveries, you should start to develop strong relationships with clients and encourage them to use you again and again. Once you have done this, you are well on your way to starting a profitable delivery business. 

Become a trusted service in your local area

A great way to gain traction as a delivery service brand is to do what the giant delivery companies don’t (and can’t) do, which is to target specific communities. Because you are only a tiny business, you can market yourself as a trustworthy local service, where customers can put a face to a name and interact with you like two friends down the local shops.

This community-oriented feel will contrast positively with the more cold, humorless, and often poor service provided by larger firms spread thin across entire continents. Once you start to receive favorable reviews in the local area, you can start branching out to nearby towns and cities. 

Only hire staff when you can no longer take on more work

The inevitable next step for your burgeoning delivery company once you have landed your first few clients is to hire a team. However, you should be wary of growing too quickly because you may end up with overheads that cannot be paid if work becomes quiet for a month or two. Therefore, do the lion’s share of the work by yourself for as long as possible, to save up money and develop a reliable income stream. 

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