How nice it is to return home after a hard day at work, bypassing grocery stores with their endless lines at the checkout counters. Working people especially value every saved minute of their personal time. Therefore, they will be doubly pleased when they come home and receive their favorite products by courier delivery. In our country there are only a few such offers, although demand is growing from year to year, especially in large cities. If you decide to occupy this niche, first of all, create a business plan for delivering groceries to your home.
Market analysis
In big cities, organizing a home delivery service for groceries is quite a profitable business. There are already dozens of such people working in Moscow. In regional centers there are not too many such offers yet, so often no one will interfere with your development. This business may be in demand in a number of cases:
- The city has a developed business center, and a significant part of the population spends most of their time at work.
- You should focus on the strong middle class (small entrepreneurs, middle managers), since wealthy people often dine in restaurants.
- It is possible to offer a service for home delivery of groceries to disabled and elderly people (you can offer reduced prices as part of a social project).
- The peak of sales, according to statistics, occurs in the cold season and slushy off-season.
- It is possible to conclude a long-term contract with clients (say, for weekly grocery delivery).
- It is worth considering the possibility of traveling to the nearest suburb for an additional payment (for example, in Moscow, lovers of country holidays regularly use the service).
A detailed business plan for home delivery of products with calculations, as well as helpful and fast service will ultimately result in a constantly growing income.
Organizational plan
Any example of a business plan for food delivery begins with organizational aspects. To get started, register. In this case, the IP form is best suited. In the future, by creating a large network servicing legal entities (for example, supplying food for banquets), you can re-qualify as an LLC.
Having received permission to provide courier services, you can proceed to the next point. Keep in mind that when registering a private enterprise, the state duty is 800 rubles. If you decide to resort to the help of intermediaries, this amount will increase to 1200-1600 rubles. In this situation, it is better to save investments on business registration and, where possible, do it on your own.
To work, you will need to rent office space. This is a place for an operator who will receive calls from clients, so it can be made small. Once you rent a room, think about the technology. You will definitely need equipment for your business. You need to buy at least one computer and equip it with all the necessary programs and Internet access. This set will cost approximately 30,000 rubles.
In addition, employees need to be provided with constant mobile communications. They must always be available. The phone will cost 10,000 rubles, and the unlimited tariff will cost 1,500 rubles.
Staff
If you are going to start a grocery delivery business from scratch, then the cost of expenses should be reduced if possible. Therefore, at the initial stage it is supposed to focus on the minimum set. To get started, you will need only two positions: operator and courier.
The most important employee of the delivery service is the operator. He directly contacts customers and organizes the delivery service. His responsibilities also include:
- Processing orders from the website.
- Coordinating the work of couriers.
- Elimination of conflict situations with clients.
The person who comes to this position must be collected and stress-resistant, and work effectively. He must be able to easily establish contact with the buyer and win him over. The operator's salary is 15,000 rubles.
The second position is courier. You can work without couriers by organizing cooperation with a courier service. The advantage is that there will be no problems with time: no downtime during periods of lack of orders, no shortage of staff when many orders arrive at the same time. You hire exactly as many employees as you need and pay for each order separately. But there is also a drawback: it is more difficult to control the work of a counterparty than it is to control your own employees.
The duties of a courier are simple. He must accept an order from the operator and make the necessary purchases. Further, according to the date and time, his task is to deliver the goods to the buyer and receive full payment from him. Revenue must be transferred to the director daily at the end of the working day. For large orders, we recommend taking an advance payment of at least 50% from customers, since it is impossible to return the products if for some reason the customer does not buy them. Another scheme is also common: couriers buy products with their own money and keep the payment for themselves, giving the company part of the delivery cost. This allows you to save on salary (the courier does not receive a fixed income), but this scheme only works if there are a large number of couriers and a sufficient number of orders to provide them with work.
A prerequisite for hiring a courier is to have your own car. Among the personal qualities, it is worth highlighting activity and hard work. In addition, the employee must understand the cost and range of goods in various large supermarkets in the city. We are considering the option of a full-time courier whose salary is 15,000 rubles.
To prepare reports, you will need to use an online accounting service. This is necessary for timely submission of documentation. Such services will cost about 8,000 rubles per year.
Business promotion
The profitability of home delivery of products directly depends on a well-organized marketing campaign. At the initial stage, a layout of business cards and booklets for your organization is developed. An agreement is concluded with printed publications and companies that own billboards. After you decide on the number of booklets, the order is sent to the printing house. This is where payment is made upon completion of the work. The total cost of marketing and advertising, including business cards, brochures and billboards, will be 25,000 rubles. Printed products are distributed to offices and residential complexes near the office.
The most important element for work is your website on the Internet. You can't save money here. It should be easy to read, easy to use and functional (at a minimum, have a personal account with the ability to create an order and leave wishes for ordering products by brand, characteristics and price category). Its appearance must attract attention. Nothing should prevent you from making purchases.
It is important to correctly develop the clauses of the application. There shouldn't be anything superfluous in it. Include only the most necessary information. The client should not get hung up on filling out the application form. Be sure to develop a mobile application for your website. This will make the task easier for many buyers, since they don’t always have a computer at hand, unlike a phone. Give your customer the opportunity to place an order with you as easily and quickly as possible. And he will become your regular customer.
The funds allocated for creating the company’s website will amount to about 100,000 rubles, the application for Android and iOS will cost another 30-40 thousand rubles. At least 100 thousand rubles are allocated for the promotion of the resource on the Internet for the first six months.
Financial plan
It is extremely difficult to calculate the price of a single service. It all depends on the scheme, and it is important to choose the most suitable option for you. You can set a fixed delivery price. In this case, it does not matter how many products the client needs to purchase - a package of milk or several bags, the price will be the same. The advantage of this option is that the counting system is convenient for both the client and the company. The downside is that the order may be too large. It will require a lot of effort to complete, the trunk will be completely full, several stores will be visited to collect the order, and the base price of the effort simply will not be worth it.
According to another payment option for grocery delivery services, the price may be a certain percentage of the order amount. For example, when purchasing a product for 1000 rubles, the client pays 10% of the total cost, that is, plus 100 rubles. But this scheme also has a minus. To earn money, the order amount must be about 3-4 thousand rubles. The 100 rubles mentioned above will simply be spent on paying the courier and gasoline.
We recommend using a mixed scheme with a minimum order amount (say, 2 thousand rubles for regions) and an additional payment for the order by amount, number of items or for bulky products (for example, bags of sugar) or oversized goods (usually non-food items). You will find the best option as you work.
If the client is outside the city, then discuss in advance the issue of payment for gasoline by the buyer. You can even install a special meter, similar to a taxi, on the car, showing the client how much was spent on gasoline. Be sure to include express delivery in your list of services. According to it, the client will be able to receive his order as quickly as possible. This service, of course, will be available for a fee.
If 2 couriers fulfill 10 orders per day with an average bill of 300 rubles per order, the revenue per day will be 6 thousand rubles. It will be about 150 thousand rubles per month (take into account fluctuations in the number of orders on different days). Subtract from it the costs of employee salaries (45 thousand), rent of premises (8 thousand), payment for gasoline and cellular communications (25 thousand), advertising (15 thousand), taxes and contributions to funds (10 thousand). Net profit at first will be about 40 thousand rubles. It is planned to increase it by increasing the base of regular customers and providing work for additional couriers. So, 5 couriers with a constant workload will increase the profitability of your enterprise to 80-90 thousand rubles per month.
Payback is planned to be achieved within the first year.
bonus program
Who doesn't like surprises?! Obviously, everyone enjoys receiving unexpected gifts and attention. The profitability of your business will certainly increase if you periodically pamper your customers with various promotions and bonuses. For example, on a client’s birthday, you can give a sweet gift for free. He will definitely appreciate such a gesture. Or you can offer him to purchase from you at a 30-40% discount from the regular price. No one will refuse such generosity.
You can introduce other pleasant little things to loyal customers of your company. Give the customer a bonus for every tenth order. The gift can be anything, for example, a small culinary magazine or book. The sign of attention itself is important. Holding various competitions will also benefit you. Give sweet gifts to the winners. Attract newbies who have just registered on your site with small bonuses. If you do all these things, your customers will be happy and your business will prosper.
Eventually
This business is perfect for entrepreneurs taking their first steps. The cost of delivering groceries to your home is clearly low. Taking into account the fact that competition in most regions is still insufficient, it is quite possible to create your own successful business. To get profitability faster, you can use one of the offers of large franchises, of which there are many in Russia.
How to open a delivery service: 5 popular delivery options, tips for attracting investment, cost and profitability of this type of business.
Costs for organizing a business: from 400,000 rubles.
Delivery service payback period: 10-12 months.
Delivery business is gaining momentum every day, as it does not require such large investments as the production of goods or the opening of a catering establishment.
Another advantage is the fact that it is not so complicated in organization and design.
A delivery company can provide transportation services, such as oversized cargo, parcels, letters, or enter into an agreement with a company (more than one) and deliver goods produced by it.
In addition to the advantages, there are a number of nuances that you need to understand before thinking about how to open a delivery service.
First, you need to decide which goods will be supplied and to whom.
For example, you can initially deliver orders to your home in one locality.
This is a good option for a beginner to start because it does not require a large number of vehicles.
And if the business prospers, it will be possible to expand the scope of activity to the desired scale.
How to open a delivery service and what are the requirements?
As already stated, this branch of business is not as difficult to organize as most others.
There are minimum requirements, once you understand them, you can open a business delivering flowers, parcels, valuable cargo and other items.
Choosing premises for a delivery service office
Interesting fact:
The story has survived to this day about the most iconic envoy of early antiquity - Phillipides, who brought a message about the Battle of Marathon to Athens. He ran a distance of almost 40 km and died of exhaustion after fulfilling his duty. His feat became a prerequisite for the founding of marathon racing.
As with any full-fledged enterprise, the first step is to rent office space.
Where it will be located, in a large building in the city center or in a residential area, is not so important.
There are courier services without an office.
But, as practice shows, this is only at the “embryo” stage.
After all, when expanding such a business, there will be a need to enter into contracts with reputable companies.
The absence of an office can negatively affect this partnership, and in general cause a lot of inconvenience.
Selecting transport for delivery service
The next, but no less important point, will be transport.
There is nothing to do in the courier business without transport - this is a fact.
But the presence of a vehicle with considerable dimensions will increase the number of delivered parcels.
When choosing, you should take into account the expected volume of orders and the available budget.
Personnel and customer interaction
An important part of organizing the idea of opening a delivery service is finding suitable personnel.
It is necessary to hire couriers who will deliver parcels and staff to work in the office.
To improve communication, you can open a hotline or a website where you can always track what stage your order (package) is at.
It is equally important to set up communication between the office and the couriers, since customers who are expecting a parcel will first call the office and ask what the condition of the order is and how long to wait for it.
How to register a delivery service?
You can register an enterprise as a private enterprise (PE) or with limited liability (), but registration with the tax office will be a little more complicated.
Since recently, courier activities cannot be subject to a single tax on imputed income; taxation of delivery businesses occurs on a general basis.
But this should not affect net income, provided that the business is successful.
Registration with local authorities and obtaining all necessary approvals will cost approximately 15,000 rubles.
To open a courier service you do not need many documents, only information about the founders, the physical address of the company and its property (enterprise fund).
How does a delivery business depend on the city in which it is located?
When organizing a courier service in a big city, there is no need to provide diverse services; you can simply choose a specific area and deliver only a certain type of goods.
You can implement the following delivery service options:
- cooperation with online stores;
- cooperation with restaurants or (most often, such establishments have their own couriers);
- delivery of correspondence;
- water delivery business, colors;
If the location is sparsely populated, the intra-city delivery business will not bring as much profit as we would like.
Therefore, it makes sense to engage in transportation between cities, as this will greatly expand the range of activities.
It is most profitable to cooperate with furniture manufacturing factories, transport it to the place of sale, and possibly to the buyer’s home.
You can also deliver things while moving.
For such large-scale cargo transportation, you need appropriate transport, and more than one.
But first, you can try smaller deliveries.
How to choose transport for a courier service?
Any vehicle for starting a delivery business is suitable, from a scooter to a truck, it all depends on the type of transportation.
You don’t often see a driver with his own truck, so for large-scale deliveries between populated areas, you will have to buy a car.
The financial calculations section includes not only the cost of purchasing a vehicle, but also the costs of its maintenance, as well as gasoline consumption.
Gasoline consumption depends on the following factors:
- vehicle condition (serviceability, mileage);
- type of vehicle (truck, passenger car);
- driver's driving style (fast, slow);
- weather;
- road condition.
Approximate calculation of gasoline consumption for trucks and cars
Obviously, gasoline consumption depends on the car model and its engine.
But, based on the table, you can roughly calculate the difference in gasoline payments for cars and.
Required personnel for delivery service
It is most profitable to hire employees (couriers) who have their own transport.
As mentioned above, it can be either a car or truck, or a scooter or motorcycle, since small orders do not require a large interior.
For example, deliveries such as flowers or sports nutrition can generally be carried out using public transport.
For this type of assignment, it is best to hire students, as they will cope well with the task and can be hired part-time or have a flexible schedule.
If we are talking about large-sized orders, ranging from bottles of drinking water to refrigerators, you will need at least a minibus.
Since it will be necessary to deliver water to several recipients at once, and it is more profitable to deliver equipment to at least several clients in one trip.
In addition to couriers, you will need an accountant, a call center operator who will answer incoming calls and provide the necessary information (a secretary can handle this task).
How to attract investment to open a delivery service?
Nowadays, finding someone who will invest money in starting a business is not so difficult.
There are many sites (exchanges) for searching investors, which they themselves go to to find a promising project for their investments.
Naturally, no one wants to invest money in an unprofitable enterprise.
Therefore, you need to present your business plan as best as possible.
It is worth indicating all the nuances and aspects of the proposed project, identifying the benefits to the investor himself, calculating the approximate payback period and receiving the first income.
Describe in detail the services that the company will provide.
Also, the amount of investment must be clearly indicated, and a report must be provided on what and how much will be spent.
The knowledge and experience of the founder (founder) of the company in this area plays a significant role.
How much does it cost to open a delivery business?
Regardless of what kind of transportation you do (small or large), the costs for office and advertising will be almost the same in any case.
It is worth adding website creation to additional services; this will cost from 10,000 rubles.
Regular investments
The remaining expenses will go to the purchase of cars (if there is a need for freight transport), wages to employees, gasoline costs, etc.
In the video below, experienced entrepreneurs talk about the features of running a delivery business:
Profitability of starting a delivery business
Before you open a delivery business, you need to understand that competition in this area is very strong.
After all, in addition to delivery services, there are many private couriers.
However, despite the competition, the profitability of such an enterprise is about 25%, depending on the type of activity.
The company should generate income within three months.
If there is no profit during this period, this means that the company is operating at a loss.
The payback period will take about 10-12 months, subject to success.
As in any commercial activity, you should not start with something large; such enterprises often fail.
You can build a shipping empire starting with a small flower delivery business, and expand the scope of work every year.
This will speed up the payback period, reduce risks, and profits will begin to come as soon as possible.
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Opening a courier delivery service attracts entrepreneurs because it does not require large investments or experience in this field. However, this type of business, like any other, has its pitfalls and nuances. In the business plan we will highlight the main aspects of this type of activity.
Objective of the project: making a profit by providing courier services to businesses and the public.
The attractiveness of the courier services business is determined by the following factors:
- Low barriers to entry into the market.
- Constantly increasing demand for this type of service.
- Lack of any qualification requirements.
- Wide opportunities for business development and scaling.
The initial investment amount is 120 000 rubles
Break-even point is reached at first month of work.
The payback period is 4 month.
Average monthly profit of the 1st year of project implementation - 82 000
2. Description of the business, product or service
3. Description of the sales market
Every day, many organizations and people use courier services. Before opening a delivery service, it is necessary to determine which market segment will have to be served. Potential clients of the courier service are:
- online stores with delivery of goods;
- flower shops;
- cafes and restaurants;
- publishing houses;
- bookstores.
In the age of technology, online shopping is becoming increasingly popular. However, not every organization offering delivery services has its own staff of couriers. Most online stores resort to outsourcing, and they conclude contracts not with market giants, but with local small firms.
Another large segment is flower shops. Many of them are located on social networks and offer delivery services. Without having their own courier on staff, they will happily become your regular customers.
Today there is not a single more or less large city left that does not have a large number of pizzerias, cafes, restaurants, pancake houses and other various catering establishments. Most likely, the owners of such establishments will not refuse to have additional income from delivering their dishes to customers' homes. Therefore, the courier service can provide its delivery services.
Almost all large organizations need couriers to deliver various packages of documents to some government services. An example would be the tax office. The courier from the delivery service will be able to not only deliver the necessary documents, but also stand in line with everyone else. Thanks to such services, clients will be able to save their time, and you, as a business owner, will receive additional profit.
4. Sales and marketing
5. Production plan
The main goal of the project is to open a courier service and maximize its profits.
Review of the real estate market to select the optimal premises.
Requirements for placing a beauty elephant:
- Location: can be either the city center or a residential area;
- Room area 10-15 m2;
- It is advisable to have parking.
- Registration of a legal entity.
The activity can be carried out by both an individual - individual entrepreneur, and a legal entity - LLC.
- Opening a current account.
6. Organizational structure
Staffing:
- manager - 1,
- couriers - 2-4,
The total number of employees is 3-5 people.
As a rule, the manager of such a small company is the business owner himself. The salary is set at 30,000 rubles. The wages of couriers are piecework and amount to 30% of completed orders. In the first 2 months, it will be enough to hire 2 couriers, but with an increase in clients, the staff will need to be expanded.
It is necessary to approach recruitment responsibly. After all, only serious and diligent employees will help you get good reviews about the company as a whole. If you do not have experience in providing courier services, then it is all the more advisable to hire professionals in this field who will help you organize the entire process and organize proper work with clients.
Before official employment, arrange a trial period for at least a week. This will help you understand how the future employee relates to the client, whether he is capable of providing the level of service you have specified.
Basic requirements for recruitment:
- Having your own car;
- Competent Russian written and oral speech;
- Responsibility;
- Communication skills;
- Activity;
- Reliability.
The wage fund is the main item of monthly expenses of a courier company. Thus, the dynamics are presented in a separate table.
Dynamics of the fund for wages in the first year of project implementation
1 month | 2 month | 3 month | 4 month | 5 month | 6 month |
|
Manager | ||||||
Total: |
7 month | 8 month | 9 month | 10 month | 11 month | 12 month |
|
Couriers (30% of the order amount) | ||||||
Manager | ||||||
Total: |
7. Financial plan
Sales plan for the 1st year of project implementation, rub.
Type of service | Indicators | 1 month | 2 month | 3 month | 4 month | 5 month | 6 month |
pre order | Average transaction price, rub. | ||||||
Number of transactions, pcs. | |||||||
Total, rub. | |||||||
Rush order | Average transaction price, rub. | ||||||
Number of transactions, pcs. | |||||||
Total, rub. | |||||||
Order at night | Average transaction price, rub. | ||||||
Number of transactions, pcs. | |||||||
Total, rub. | |||||||
Courier for an hour | Average transaction price, rub. | ||||||
Number of transactions, pcs. | |||||||
Total, rub. | |||||||
Total: |
Type of service | Indicators | 7 month | 8 month | 9 month | 10 month | 11 month | 12 month |
pre order | Average transaction price, rub. | ||||||
Number of transactions, pcs. | |||||||
Total, rub. | |||||||
Rush order | Average transaction price, rub. | ||||||
Number of transactions, pcs. | |||||||
Total, rub. | |||||||
Order at night | Average transaction price, rub. | ||||||
Number of transactions, pcs. | |||||||
Total, rub. | |||||||
Courier for an hour | Average transaction price, rub. | ||||||
Number of transactions, pcs. | |||||||
Total, rub. | |||||||
Total: |
The financial result for the first year of activity is presented in the table. The average net profit for the first year of operation is RUB 82,871.
Indicators | 1 month | 2 month | 3 month | 4 month | 5 month | 6 month |
Revenue | ||||||
(-) Monthly costs | ||||||
(=) Gross income | ||||||
(-) Taxes simplified tax system (15%) |
If you do not have any special knowledge in a particular area of entrepreneurship, this does not mean that you have no chance of opening your own business. If you have a certain (not necessarily impressive) amount of money that you are willing to give in favor of the development of your business, and an obsessive desire to work, as they say, for yourself, then you should think about how to create a courier delivery service.
This type of activity does not require special skills or knowledge, the purchase of expensive equipment or the investment of exorbitant funds, so this business idea is an excellent solution for a novice entrepreneur with a limited budget.
Of course, it is better to open such a business in a large populated area, where home delivery services are more in demand, but with perseverance and desire, you can succeed in any city. Where to start? Of course, the first thing you need to do is draw up a business plan to take into account all the expenses and calculate the possibility of making a profit.
Organizing a courier service: where to start?
So, if the desire to earn income from your personal business is firmly stuck in your head, and you don’t know what to do, then this article is just for you.
A legal business requires state registration, so first of all, go to the tax office and register your type of activity. Then you need to open a current account in the name of the organization in any bank that is profitable for you (here you will be asked for documents from the tax service about the registration of your enterprise and a certificate from the State Statistics Committee). In principle, from the formal side of the issue, that’s all.
In parallel with the preparation of all documents, begin searching for office space. If your budget is very tight, then rent it. If you succeed and prosper in this matter, in the future you will be able to purchase your own corner.
Then, when drawing up a business plan for a courier service, take care of the technical side of the issue. Today you can’t get anywhere without modern equipment. We need telephone and computer networks, as well as transport. It is advisable that you have your own, although at first you can rent it. If your budget allows, you can create a fleet of several cars, and also acquire bicycles for mail delivery. It’s even better to hire couriers with personal cars.
The scope of your activity will most likely be limited to one city at first. After all, at this stage of development it is important to get a good reputation, and if you deliver orders late, then no one will want to work with you. In order for the business to have a good start, it is recommended to find a couple of large clients who would place regular orders. By fulfilling the orders of such customers in a quality manner, you can count on receiving a stable profit, which can be immediately used for advertising.
How to promote your business?
A courier service, like any other type of business, requires investment in advertising. Start by creating a website. This marketing tool is considered the most effective today. Don’t skimp on creating your own website on the Internet, because it will later become the face of your organization. Order a website promotion service for a web company. Its specialists will analyze the market in which you operate and will be able to create a truly competitive resource.
Don't forget to include the cost of business cards in your courier service business plan. They should also characterize you from the best side.
A high-quality, tactile and eye-catching business card with full information (your company name clearly visible, all necessary contacts, opening hours, any special conditions or discounts, etc.) will encourage its owner to use your courier service again.
Place advertisements in the most popular newspapers in your city, and don’t forget about radio and television. And just share the information with your friends and acquaintances. This simple method of advertising is often most effective.
You can also distribute flyers, the presentation of which guarantees the client a discount. It may be very small, but the opportunity to save at least a little always encourages clients to further cooperate.
Use your imagination!
Promotions and discounts are, of course, good, but it’s even better to come up with your own “trick”, which can be a decisive factor when a customer chooses a courier organization. After all, there are many similar services today, they compete with each other in the quality and speed of delivery, the cost of their services, etc. But modern people want variety, and this can play into the hands of a newly formed courier company.
Anything can be your “trick”. For example, let female models deliver the goods, then the circle of your customers (especially males) will definitely increase.
You can also hire several guys of model appearance. Then women will turn to you for services much more often.
To make the ordering process more interesting, create an online catalog on your organization’s website in which you post photos of your charming employees.
Thus, by leaving a request, the client has the opportunity to choose what he wants from the couriers provided to him. In general, use your imagination, creativity is always welcome!
This “zest” of your business will allow you to slightly increase the cost of your services, but in most cases this will not affect the client’s choice.
Recruitment is an important matter
It is impossible not to include labor costs in your courier service business plan. The issue of recruitment must be approached with all responsibility, because only serious and diligent employees will help to get good reviews about the company as a whole. If you do not have experience in providing courier services, then it is all the more advisable to hire professionals in this field who will help you organize the entire process and organize proper work with clients.
Don't hire people who want to make good money and still work a 9 to 6 job. These types of employees usually won't give their all to help grow the business. Before official employment, arrange a trial period for at least a week. This will help you understand how the future employee relates to the client, whether he is capable of providing the level of service you have specified.
Price policy
When it comes to setting prices for delivery, you cannot act “at random”; it is important to analyze the cost of such services in your city. You can qualitatively “monitor” information by using the Internet, because today every serious company has its own website. But don't rely solely on information you get online. It is better to call the courier service you are interested in.
Typically, telephone consultants are very talkative and will tell you about some conditions, promotions or other points that you can use in your activities. And in general, such calls are the best way to find out how the courier service works.
Providing services for the delivery of documents and goods within one city usually requires minor expenses, therefore the cost of such delivery should be small. But don’t lower your prices too much to fully recoup your expenses. To do this, carefully calculate all possible exit options and the distances that will need to be covered. A well-structured pricing policy can recoup all costs in almost three to four months.
Your business abroad?
The homeland of the business we are considering is France, so let’s see from its example how to open a courier delivery service and make good money abroad while in Russia.
If you follow French law, the delivery service personnel must consist exclusively of French citizens. Therefore, first, find a native Frenchman for the position of director, preferably an acquaintance. Accordingly, you, as the founder of this organization, will need to obtain a visa.
The so-called “merchant card” is long-term and is issued to the founders of legal entities with French registration for a period of 1 to 5 years. Obtaining such a visa gives its owner many rights, which will be more than enough to bring your business idea to life. The courier service can now be headed by you personally.
What other formalities must be observed in France?
French legislators have clearly defined the entire procedure for the establishment and operation of enterprises with foreign capital.
Therefore, in order to find out how to open a courier delivery service for a citizen of the Russian Federation in this country, you need to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the norms of local legislation. Overall, it all comes down to a few basic questions:
- To begin, you must submit all registration documents of the founder to the commercial court of the city you have chosen to conduct your activities;
- after considering the above papers, the commercial court decides to register the enterprise in the unified trade register;
- after this you can apply for a “merchant card”;
- obtaining a residence permit for a period of 1 year; If you become the head of your courier service, it is automatically extended for the duration of your leadership.
Let's sum it up
After reading this article, you have a general knowledge of how to open a courier delivery service and where to start working on the domestic or foreign market for these services. In general, the most painstaking activities require activities related to personnel selection, organization of work processes and their improvement, as well as policies for attracting clients.
Your individuality and creative approach to work are also important - only interesting and exclusive projects reach the desired heights.
Don't forget to take all these points into account when you create your courier service business plan.
collapseOrganizations daily need to send correspondence, goods and cargo using couriers. Therefore, debutant entrepreneurs are thinking about opening a courier delivery service, bypassing the existing pitfalls. In addition, to open and develop such a company you do not need huge financial investments.
Existing services do not fully satisfy the demand for goods delivery services, so this business is a popular area among novice businessmen.
There are often long delays in delivery of goods by mail. Good money is charged for urgency. Many people are starting to look for such a service, and some are thinking about how to open such a business.
Creating a goods delivery company: first steps
If you are a law-abiding entrepreneur, then you must follow the sequence when starting a business:
- Initially, you need to open and visit the tax office to officially register the delivery company;
- then - a bank in order to open a current account for its own service.
This is where the basic legal formalities for business end. The next stage is solving material issues, without which it is impossible to open a delivery company:
- office;
- equipment: computer, telephone, car;
- advertising.
The ideal office is your own space. If you don’t have enough money to buy, then use rent. To open a delivery establishment, you don’t have to look for an office in the city center.
Without technical support, a courier company will not be able to operate. Computers, telephone and Internet connections, and vehicles are required. You can use your own car or rent it.
But it is impossible to open or organize a profitable delivery service business with one car. You need several cars, mopeds, scooters or bicycles. The latter will be useful during daytime traffic jams. An excellent solution is to hire couriers who have their own vehicles.
The territory served by couriers at first will be small. But if orders are delivered without the slightest delay, they will quickly find out about the open courier organization. Carefully fulfilling the requirements of your first customers will turn them into permanent ones for your business. This will help generate profits and serve as good advertising for the delivery establishment.
If you want to open an international express delivery service, it is better to buy a franchise. They will help you write a plan for the development of your business, register your business and make it profitable.
Advertising
Any new company you decide to open needs advertising. To do this, create a step-by-step plan for an advertising campaign for your business. Don’t skimp on a colorfully designed website with detailed information about the activities of the delivery establishment. Contact professionals who will create an Internet page that represents the company you have opened in a favorable light.
Customers may be attracted to a business card if it is made of high-quality paper, is pleasant to look at, and contains comprehensive information about the activities of this service. Having seen the meticulousness with which business cards are made, a person will become confident that his order is guaranteed increased attention. This will encourage customers to seek the services of such a service.
It is necessary to organize the dissemination of information about the courier company in accessible media. Discuss your business or the fact that you are thinking of opening one with relatives, friends, and classmates. Often such conversations bring more popularity to the company than expensive advertising.
Courier service personnel
When thinking about setting up a courier service, be sure to consider the topic of hiring employees. To open and properly organize a successful drinking bottled water, sushi, alcohol, barbecue, set lunch and other food products, you should hire a director, couriers, dispatcher, accountant, and technical staff.
Be especially careful when hiring employees. The company’s reputation and income depend on their interaction with customers. You need to develop instructions for customers and create a book of complaints on your website.
Couriers must have such qualities as punctuality, communication skills, tact, and diligence. Their responsibility is to deliver the goods safely and within the time period specified by the customer.
Many people believe that being a courier is not prestigious - and this is a big disadvantage for your business. Therefore, the company needs to ensure that employees understand the value of their work. To prevent cases of missing money, it is best to enter into official employment contracts with the courier.
It is necessary to establish clear interaction between employees of the organization, especially between the dispatcher and the courier. The dispatcher receives and registers orders, informs the delivery people about them, and is in touch with both parties simultaneously.
There will always be a need for a messenger
Despite the widespread use of electronic document management, no organization can do without paper copies. Financial, legal and other firms need to constantly send correspondence to their partners. Industrial enterprises may also require urgent delivery of any goods. This is a huge plus for your courier delivery business from scratch.
They may contact you if you have a well-organized delivery service.
There are delivery companies that only serve online stores. If you open a delivery business, it can bring good profits. In any city there are companies engaged in trading through online stores. Small firms do not have the ability to independently deliver their goods to customers. It is more profitable for them to contact a courier organization.
An interesting direction is servicing restaurants, pizzerias, and shops that do not have the conditions to organize their own network of delivering goods to customers at home. Such a business is very profitable, since the demand for these services does not weaken. If the business is related to the transportation of products, couriers must obtain health certificates.
Separately, it is worth highlighting the delivery of flowers and gifts. The development of your courier business depends on you.
Use your imagination!
If you decide to open a business, then you should remember that pleasant bonuses and discounts play a big role. Your company must be different from those of your competitors. It is necessary to come up with a “zest” for the service that will attract customers. Today, the business of delivering food and other goods includes a large number of different companies advertising the speed of cargo transportation, low prices, and high-quality service. But this has long become boring. Customers want novelty.
The “trick” can be absolutely anything. Business can be influenced by female couriers with model appearance. With such a “twist” the number of male clients will greatly increase. If athletic, attractive young men appear among the messengers, it will become clear why the female contingent will choose your business.
A business idea for delivering small and large goods in a box is a great idea for attracting customers.
Create a catalog on the service’s website that will feature photographs of your charming workers and lovely female employees. In this case, when applying, the client can indicate a specific courier who will fulfill his order.
A non-standard offer for your business will be the ability to use a courier during a set period of time. This “rental” is beneficial to large clients who need constant delivery of various goods. In this case, only the amount of time required to transport orders is paid, and the courier is always nearby.
Introducing a night shift is a great idea. Such services operating around the clock are rare. Therefore, the ability to deliver at night will attract more customers.
Try to open a delivery service with a variety of “features”, thanks to which any customer will always want to contact you.
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