How to open a courier delivery service? How to Start Your Own Courier Business Own Courier Service

* Calculations use average data for Russia

Starting investments:

Revenue:

Net profit:

Payback period:

Courier service is a business without serious investments and requirements, so anyone can start it. The advantages of this area: high demand for services, a wide range of customers and profitability up to 90%.

Delivery service is a business that will suit both an experienced and aspiring entrepreneur. In Russia, the industry began to develop actively since the 90s and today is one of the promising areas in the service sector. The idea is attractive because it does not require large investments and at the same time guarantees a fairly high profit. You can start with a minimum set of resources and gradually develop your business. Moreover, with the growth of online commerce, delivery services are more relevant than ever. That is why starting a courier service is a great solution for an entrepreneur.

Professional kit for creating business ideas

Delivery service

Types of services. The courier service provides the population with prompt delivery of letters, documents, small and bulky cargo for a fee. Depending on the scale of activity, the courier service can deliver between countries, between cities and regions, within the same city. Another important criterion is the specifics of the cargo. Conventionally, the work of courier services is divided into the delivery of correspondence and cargo. In practice, most players specialize in both directions.

The types of services provided by the courier service may be different. The most demanded delivery of goods from online stores. Most often this is a small-sized cargo.

What options do courier services offer their customers:

pre order;

urgent order (within a day);

courier rental;

shipment insurance;

order at night - delivery of goods from 22:00 to 7:00;

lifting cargo to the floor.

Business area. At the initial stage of work, it is better to focus on work within the same city. Get a good reputation, gain experience - and then gradually develop. For a good start, you will need to find 2-3 large clients with whom you will cooperate on an ongoing basis. Qualitatively fulfilling these orders, you can count on a stable profit and invest it in further development.

Cargo specifics. Immediately decide what kind of cargo you will work with. Because the organization of all activities depends on it. A comparison table will help you make a decision, which shows the characteristics of different types of cargo.

Comparison of areas of work of the courier service

	Correspondence	Small cargoes	Small cargoes
	Not required	Required	Required
Car park	Not required	Required	Required
Loading and unloading equipment	Not required	Not required	Required
Material liability		Low/high
Security and alarm costs	Minimum	Minimum	Depends on the size and workload of the warehouse

An ideal option for a beginner in this business: delivery of correspondence and small cargo around the city. It will be much cheaper and easier. The specifics of the delivery of oversized cargo has its own difficulties, which will not only “eat up” part of your budget, but also require certain experience, skills and responsibility. In the future, of course, it makes sense to add cargo delivery to the services and expand the geography of activities.

Method and type of delivery. Also, choose in advance what type of delivery you want to deal with. Limit the scope of the target audience and develop a profitable offer for your potential customers.

The cargo service industry offers many options: online shopping products, delivery of flowers, gifts or food, important documents, etc. You can combine several directions.

To decide, study the demand in your city. What is missing in the courier services market? What niche is free? What can be improved in this area? What problems do your future clients face? When you answer all these questions, you can choose a promising direction.

Every day, many companies and people use the services of courier services. Your potential clients are:

online stores;

cafes and restaurants;

flower shops.

Today, almost all online stores cooperate with courier services and use their outsourcing services. Moreover, many prefer to conclude contracts with local small firms.

Ready-made ideas for your business

Another large segment is cafes and restaurants. Almost all catering establishments provide a delivery service to their customers. And this is also done by a third-party courier service.

Separately, it is worth mentioning about flower shops. Many of them trade through social networks and offer delivery services. But it is not profitable for them to keep their courier on staff, so they resort to outsourcing.

Almost all large companies need couriers to deliver various documents. In addition, there is such a service as "courier rental" - i.e. an employee can not only deliver documents, but also perform additional assignments. For example, stand in line at the tax office and hand over / pick up documents. Thanks to this service, the client saves time, and you get additional profit.

Ready-made ideas for your business

So the range of potential customers of the delivery service includes an unlimited number of individuals and legal entities. Courier services are in demand in all areas of activity.

After you decide what we will deliver and who will be our client. Now we need to figure out how to deliver it. The method of delivery depends on the specifics of the order, and on the territory, and on your strategy. Let's consider in more detail.

Possible delivery methods

Pedestrian courier. If you work within a small town, you can get by with a pedestrian courier. The method is reminiscent of the classic image of the postman. You can also use bicycles, mopeds, scooters. It is clear that only correspondence and small parcels will be delivered in this way. This may not be a very profitable solution.

Courier with car. First, the volume of initial investments will increase. You will need to purchase a car or hire a courier with a personal vehicle (and this is paid extra). Secondly, fuel costs will increase. But on the other hand, you will get a faster delivery method, more orders and the ability to deliver large and heavy packages. In addition, you can use unusual delivery formats. This will allow you to stand out and form a competitive advantage.

bike mail. Fast delivery of documents on small vehicles (bicycles, scooters, mopeds). It is cheap, environmentally friendly, and in the case of traffic jams, even faster. Also, for example, argues the American express mail UPS, which delivers parcels on bicycles with a trailer. Students can be hired. One downside is seasonality. It is not very comfortable to ride a bike in rain or snow. But this method of delivery can be made an additional service in the warm season.

Congratulatory courier service delivers flowers, balloons, gifts and other holiday paraphernalia. The services of such an organization are used by people who cannot personally congratulate their loved ones. The courier service does it for them. With proper advertising, the service will be in demand. In this case, the bright design of the courier car will be an excellent marketing ploy, so that it is immediately clear: “this car is carrying a holiday.”

Round the clock delivery. Not every courier service provides such a service. Therefore, you can occupy a free niche and start with less competition. Delivery at night has many advantages: the tariff for such orders is higher, and they are delivered faster (because there is less traffic and traffic jams). The downside is that you will have to hire additional employees for shift work.

Delivery of auto parts, building materials, assistance with moving. There are very few companies that would provide such services, but there is demand. The car broke down on the road, it is necessary to transport things or building materials for construction or repair. In all these cases, you will need the service of your courier service. But then you have to buy trucks and hire movers.

As you can see, the delivery service is a very variable business. You can combine characteristics in different ways: type of cargo, target audience, delivery method - and look for the “formula” that will be successful for you.

Business registration

From theory we pass to practical actions. The first serious step to start is the registration of a business.

The courier service can work both in the status of an individual entrepreneur and an LLC. Most often, small firms prefer to work as an individual entrepreneur - there is less paperwork with him. To register, you must write an application in the prescribed form and attach to it a receipt for payment of the state duty, which is 800 rubles. The following should be indicated as types of activities according to OKVED: 64.12 - Courier activities. You can immediately enable additional codes:

52.61.2 - Retail sales through teleshops and computer networks (electronic commerce, including the Internet)

63.40 - Organization of cargo transportation

64.11.11 - Activities for the reception, processing, transportation and delivery (delivery) of postal items

74.82 - Packaging

74.84 - Provision of other services

So, you submit the documents necessary for registering an individual entrepreneur, and after the period specified in the notification, you collect an extract from the USRIP from the tax. On the same day, it is recommended to write an application for the transition to the selected tax regime. You can choose STS 6% of income or STS 15% income minus expenses.

Premises and office

The courier service belongs to the category of business where the location and office do not play an important role. In this case, you will need a mini-office to receive corporate clients and conclude contracts with them. You can also place a small warehouse there.

An office for a courier service does not have to be located in the city center. For the client, it is more important how quickly you can deliver the package and how much it will cost. Therefore, the ideal space for an office is 20 sq.m. with internet and telephone, away from the city center. In the office, it is enough to equip one workplace for a manager who will look for clients, communicate with us, distribute tasks between couriers, control deadlines and payment for orders. The set of equipment in the office is minimal: a computer, an MFP, a telephone, a document rack.

When looking for a suitable office, pay attention to various business centers where you can find a premise already furnished and equipped with all communications. The cost of renting such an office will cost you about 10-15 thousand rubles per month. It all depends on the city and the territorial location of the building itself. Also, do not forget to buy stationery for your office: paper, pens, paper clips, tape, etc.

Equipment

The main production equipment in this case is a car. Well, of course, if you have not decided to open a bike mail. The choice of transport on which orders will be delivered should be approached with special attention.

How to choose a car for a courier

Characteristics. To begin with, let's define the main characteristics that an ideal car for a courier service should have:

low fuel consumption;

low cost of maintenance and repair;

small dimensions of the car: compactness and mobility makes it easy to park and move around the city faster.

So the main requirement for a courier car is efficiency and mobility. This way you save money and time.

Models. Based on these characteristics, we will give examples of popular cars that are most often used for delivery services.

If you give preference to the domestic auto industry, then the suitable options are:

OKA (VAZ 1111).

If you choose among foreign cars, then this:

German cars (Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen Golf, Opel Corsa,);

Korean (Kia Picanto, Hyundai i20, Daewoo Matiz, Hyundai Getz).

French (Citroen C1, Peugeot 107);

Japanese (Toyota Yaris, Toyota Vitz, Nissan Cube, Nissan March, Honda Fit);

Italian (Fiat Panda).

All of these cars have a small engine capacity - this allows you to save on fuel consumption. The average cost of a car for a courier is 400 thousand rubles. You can save money by renting a used car. But keep in mind that in this case you risk buying a car that will often break down. And delays in the work of the courier service can lead to serious consequences.

Scheme of the courier service

Before proceeding to the selection of personnel, you need to draw up a detailed scheme of the courier service and prescribe the functions of each employee. The general scheme of work looks like this:

An order is received from a customer.

The manager accepts the order, negotiates the amount of payment with the client, records all the necessary data (name, contact phone number, order parameters). Next, the manager passes the task to the courier.

The courier, according to the received task, goes to point A to pick up the correspondence/parcel and payment. Then he takes him to point B, where the receiving party signs the acceptance certificate, thereby confirming the fact of receipt.

The courier calls the manager, and he, in turn, notifies the customer about the receipt of the parcel or envelope by the addressee.

At the end of the working day, the courier delivers the signed documents and proceeds to the manager.

This scheme is not generally accepted and the only correct one. You can customize it to suit your business concept.

Courier service staff

An entrepreneur can open a courier business on his own. It is quite possible to combine the functions of a dispatcher, courier and director. At the initial stage, when there will be few orders, you can handle it alone. This will help save on salaries for employees. But then you still need help. By the way, replacing the entire staff of the courier service is a very useful experience. You will feel the business “from the inside”, understand the process of work, learn the nuances and then be able to better navigate the business.

The staff of the courier service usually includes a dispatcher (manager), courier drivers, foot couriers and an accountant. If you plan to deliver bulky goods, you will have to hire movers. Students can be hired as walking couriers: they are usually paid from 300 rubles a day - the costs are small, but their work relieves the volume of orders well.

Ready-made ideas for your business

The main requirement for courier drivers is that they must be able to navigate freely in the city. But you can not rely only on the ability of drivers. Be sure to equip courier vehicles with navigators. For a small company, two couriers will be enough. Their salary usually consists of a fixed salary and a percentage of the amount of completed orders. If you want to save money, you can find employees with a private car. But then you have to pay them more.

Try to find employees with similar experience. In the early stages, their experience will help you, especially if you are new to this business.

You can assign the functions of an accountant to yourself. There is nothing difficult in the IP documentation to understand and maintain accounting on your own. There would be a desire and time. Because your main function in this business is management. You must monitor the work of all staff, coordinate their actions, solve problems that arise, look for new customers and promote your business.

Advertising courier service

It's time to ask the question "where to look for customers"? Let's try to figure out where you can meet your potential customers and how to attract their attention.

Participation in tenders. On the Rostender website you will find many offers to conclude a contract for the provision of courier services. Contract amounts vary from a few thousand to millions of rubles. It all depends on the capabilities of your courier service. To see the right options, please select the region you plan to work in, check the terms of current offers, make sure you meet the stated requirements and apply. At the end of the tender, the results will be posted on the site and you may receive this order.

Electronic reference books. If your activity is limited to the territory of one region or city, then you can use electronic directories. Find the phone numbers and e-mail of those companies that are your target audience. Call or send an electronic proposal for cooperation. Try to come up with a commercial proposal that reflects the individual needs of a particular business.

Announcement Sites. Place ads about your services on various resources such as Avito. There you can also study the demand for courier services and respond to the application.

Intermediary sites. You can use third-party portals - for example, You Do. This platform is an intermediary between those who are looking for certain services (including courier services) and those who provide them. Register on the portal as an executor-courier.

Printable advertisement. Use brochures, business cards, flyers. Make flyers describing your services and a great offer. Arrange to place them on stands near cash desks in stores, in organizations, on bulletin boards.

As you can see, there are many channels for promoting courier services. At first, use all available advertising methods. Plan marketing expenses right away to get orders from the first month of work.

financial question

When an aspiring entrepreneur seriously thinks about starting a business, he is interested in two main questions: how much should he spend and how much can he earn? Let's figure it out. The table shows the main items of initial expenses. Based on this, in order to open a courier service from scratch, you will need at least 260 thousand rubles.

Initial investment to open a courier service

In addition to the initial investment, plan monthly expenses. The table shows an approximate calculation of fixed costs. In the first months when you will be self-employed, there will be no such payroll costs. However, when drawing up a business plan for a courier service, be sure to include this article.

Fixed costs of courier service

Now that you've got your costs figured out, let's move on to the fun part of planning: calculating your expected profit. To do this, you need to know how much courier services will cost and the number of orders. The cost of delivery depends on many factors (city, cargo specifics, route complexity, additional options, delivery time, etc.). Therefore, it is difficult to give any exact figures. On average, one order for the delivery of correspondence will cost 80-100 rubles in the city; delivery of small cargoes is approximately 250 rubles, and a contract concluded with one legal entity. face will bring already 20-30 thousand rubles.

Having a stable flow of orders, a courier service can earn 100-250 thousand rubles a month. Of this amount, you will be left with 50-150 thousand rubles of net profit. The profitability of the business reaches 90%.

Thus, the approximate indicators of business profitability will be as follows:

Revenue - 250 thousand rubles per month

Net profit - 150 thousand rubles per month

Profitability - up to 90%

Payback period - 4-5 months.

Risk factors

When compiling your business plan, be sure to pay attention to the risk component. Think about the risks you may face when providing courier services and how you can avoid losses. Any risk is a loss of profit. Therefore, precautionary measures should be taken to avoid problems.

What you need to pay attention to the owner of the courier service:

High competition. Earlier, we talked about the fact that there are many participants in the courier services market that a novice entrepreneur may encounter. You can solve the problem of competition even at the level of choosing a strategy, if you correctly identify your target audience, form an interesting and profitable offer for it. When you become a full-fledged participant in the market, you can attract customers by providing additional services at competitive prices, by competently advertising your services.

Dependence on weather and transport conditions. The quality of the courier service does not always depend on internal factors. Bad weather or traffic jams in the city can prevent the courier from delivering the order on time. It is almost impossible to solve this problem, as well as to insure against it. In addition, in such conditions, there is a possibility of damage to the vehicle. For example, sudden ice can lead to an accident. All this will bring you unforeseen expenses. The use of various programs to identify traffic jams and competent logistics solutions will help reduce the risk.

Personnel problem. The courier delivery business is characterized by high turnover. The salary is small, there is often no career growth, the work, albeit simple, but dreary. It is not uncommon to accept students who consider the work of a courier as temporary. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that you will often have to look for employees, and these are also certain costs. If you are interested in your company's employees working for a long time and with dedication, set a decent salary, provide good working conditions, use various methods of motivation. Or be prepared to be constantly on the lookout.

The start of any business is impossible without a detailed analysis, market research and preparation of an indicative development plan, the so-called business plan.

One of the most rapidly developing areas is the courier delivery service, whose services consist in the fast and high-quality movement of goods or documents of the customer from one point to another destination.

Main advantages and disadvantages of business

Of course, like any other type of entrepreneurial activity that is quite developed, popular and, accordingly, profitable, the organization of courier delivery has many more advantages than disadvantages.

The main beneficial and advantageous indicators in relation to the owner and organizer of this type of activity include:

Sufficiently high level of profitability and profitability. In this case, it should be noted that the concentration and universalization in the face of one delivery operator can significantly save on costs that are aimed at moving cargo. It is much more profitable for both individuals and legal entities to contact a specialized company in order to receive cargo transportation services than to do it on their own, especially when it comes to small volumes. That is why various similar ones are so popular lately, which, in turn, caused a round of growth in the number of operators.
To organize a small-scale service provision relatively small capital investment required. At the first stages of its development, the enterprise can use both rented warehouse premises and cars or other vehicles necessary for business activities.
No special requirements for ordinary personnel(this thesis does not apply to the administrative group of employees and specialists). When recruiting, it is enough to conduct a small introductory briefing or internal training in the basics of logistics, internal procedures and methods. In this connection, a simple conclusion should be made that the cost part related to the wages of ordinary employees will be at an acceptable level for the business owner, if we talk about the average indicators of this cost item among similar enterprises and institutions.

The disadvantages include the following facts from the experience of developing and already on the “big rails” companies:

If you have your own fleet, there are high costs for its maintenance, such as current and major repairs, licensing, insurance, mandatory state payments and fees, etc.
A rather large number of small operations that require perseverance from the staff and a large share of responsibility, since we are talking about handling other people's property, often very expensive.

In order to determine all the advantages and disadvantages of this type of business, one should clearly understand the level of investment in its development, the territorial level of coverage of the serviced area and other important factors.

You can watch the conference on the opening of such an enterprise on the video:

Required permits

In accordance with the current legislation, business entities that want to provide services related to the delivery of goods, are required to obtain a license for forwarding and transportation activities. This permit is issued in case of mandatory compliance with technical and environmental standards and requirements.

The license, in accordance with the requirements put forward, is issued for a period of 5 years. Particular attention should be paid to the possible transport of dangerous goods, which is regulated on the basis of separate rules and regulations.

It should be noted that activities related to the transportation of goods through the territory of one city or region are not subject to licensing, if third-party or even public transport is used.

If you have not yet registered an organization, then the easiest this can be done using online services that will help you generate all the necessary documents for free: If you already have an organization and you are thinking about how to facilitate and automate accounting and reporting, then the following online services come to the rescue, which will completely replace an accountant at your plant and save a lot of money and time. All reporting is generated automatically, signed with an electronic signature and sent automatically online. It is ideal for an individual entrepreneur or LLC on the simplified tax system, UTII, PSN, TS, OSNO.
Everything happens in a few clicks, without queues and stress. Try it and you will be surprised how easy it got!

First steps to get started

Any activity that is aimed at making a profit is recognized as entrepreneurial, respectively, it must go through all the stages and stages of state registration provided for by the norms of the current legislation:

After it was or, the main activity of which is the delivery of goods and other material assets, you should take care of branding your business, the so-called take-out to the masses. Even if at this stage the founder does not have the necessary assets (real estate, transport, personnel, automated accounting and control systems have not been established), it is necessary to start with advertising, albeit with suspensive conditions, for example: “SOON! Opening of a new courier delivery service. It should be taken into account that a bright and sonorous name will instantly stick in the head of potential consumers of these services, and the time during which the owner will be engaged in processing transactions for the sale or lease of real estate and vehicles will only play into his hands.
At the next stage, of course, you should decide on the location of the warehouse where loading and unloading operations will be carried out. This room should have the most advantageous geographical location within the city, be close to the main transport interchanges and junctions, with public transport stops nearby. As such, there are no special requirements for the premises, however, it should be noted that it must be heated, dry, electrified. Deratization work must be carried out, since the presence of rodents in a warehouse is not the best bonus for a novice entrepreneur in disputes with affected customers. Office premises for administrative staff should preferably be located in close proximity to the place where the main activity is carried out.
Rent or purchase of vehicles. Particular attention should be paid to this stage, since the quality and timely provision of services to consumers depends on it. In many ways, the choice of transport depends on the owner's plans for the development of his business. If the delivery service provides only for movement within the city, then the presence of huge trucks in the fleet is not at all advisable, and the delivery of bulky goods to the cities of the neighboring region on scooters is unrealistic.

Required personnel

Recruitment is the most important stage in the development of a high-quality, reliable and popular delivery service. The composition of the administrative staff, which acts as an auxiliary or serving the main administrative processes, must necessarily include:

director or directorate.
Chief accountant or accounting department, cashier.
Responsible for the condition of the fleet (for example, chief mechanic).
Safety engineer, since the work is associated with equipment and fixed or working capital hazardous to the life and health of personnel (cars, racks and loads on them, etc.).
Head of warehouse.

The main working personnel must have knowledge in the field of logistics. To do this, either select employees with relevant work experience, which in itself is optimal, or organize small courses for them to obtain the appropriate qualifications.

Customer acquisition and marketing campaigns

None of the modern enterprises or organizations will fully and quickly develop without a proper advertising campaign and high-quality positioning of itself in the market of services of a certain segment.

In addition to visual advertising of the opening of a new service, various marketing "traps" should be used. These include bonuses and privileges for the first certain number of customers and consumers, the introduction of a system of discount cards or the organization of a so-called customer club.

At the same time, it is important to remember that the majority of both potential and existing customers will be attracted by financial advantages - discounts or gifts.

A plastic discount card with the logo and slogan of the courier company will always be in front of consumers, and the system of discounts and accumulative terms of the affiliate program will be able to significantly increase the number of customers.

Business development options. Summary of costs and profitability

Of course, the development and direction of the functioning of the business, its volume and sphere of influence largely depend on the initial capital that the owner allocates at the stage of formation. In the case of a courier service, several types of organization of its activities are possible, depending on the territorial coverage, these are:

city service, which operates within the same city and is the most economical in terms of cost.
Service carrying out its activities throughout the state. In this case, the initial costs for its organization are many times different from the city counterpart.
International Format. Here, the company covers not only individual countries, but also continents. It is easy to conclude that the costs of organization are incommensurable with previous analogues, and the development of any service to the level of an international one testifies to the colossal work of top management and financial injections.

Of course, in history there are many examples of the development of enterprises from small unitary to international and transcontinental concerns, all this depends on the approach to doing business, compliance with international development schemes and standards, and, importantly, the desire of the owner.

The issue of costs when establishing a delivery service is also very relative and largely depends on the capabilities of the owner, the level of expected compliance with world leaders and many other factors.

Based on the existing experience of registering and founding such startups, we can conclude that the minimum amount, which includes only the costs of acquiring the necessary fixed assets, office equipment, furniture, equipment, can start from 100,000-150,000 rubles. Payback on average can take up to several months, which depends on the right advertising campaign, geographic location, loyalty to the first customers and the quality of the services provided to them.

It is also necessary to take into account the fact that due to the expansion of the business and the increase in the total volume of services provided, the expenditure side also increases, and it is in this case that it is very important not to lose the balance and the ratio of expenditure and income, skillfully using the potential of professional administrative staff.

Do you want to open your own business, but the trouble is that the start-up capital is not just small - it is completely absent? Well, then this idea is for you! For its implementation, you will need at first: a clear head, a burning desire, and quick feet. Or, if possible, some kind of transport. Today we will talk about how to open a courier delivery service.

Mobility, speed and reliability are the main trump cards of small companies involved in the delivery of goods, helping to compete very successfully with such large giants as Russian Post, SPSR, or Zest-Express. It is good to resort to the help of such “monsters” when it is necessary to deliver bulky cargo, associated with the provision of additional services for security, cargo insurance, forwarding, etc. As a rule, delivery in such companies takes from a day to several days, depending on the distance.

The term for the execution of an order by a small company takes from several minutes to several hours. Opening a courier delivery service is not easy, but very simple. But first, let's decide what order format will be "your bread":

Documents, business letters, receipts, etc.. No need to think that with the development of the Internet and the advent of e-mail, faxes, etc. there was no need for circulation and transfer of paper and other information carriers. After all, an electronic copy is one thing, and the original document is completely different.
Parcels and parcels. Your advantages, and therefore the benefit of customers in the delivery of this category of goods in comparison, say, with the same Russian Post: speed (remember the slowness of the postal giant!), Reliability and delivery guarantee (how many goods were lost due to the fault of the monopolist for postal services !), attentive and careful attitude to the transported object.
Flowers. Arrange with flower shops, kiosks, boutiques, you can just leave a few of your business cards with them so that they pass them on to customers.
Food. Establish contact with a cafe, or other fast food company regarding the delivery of dishes from their menu to offices and homes.
Goods. Recently, the possibility of ordering various products in online stores has become widespread. Which, by the way, is much more profitable to contact the courier service than to maintain their own delivery department.

What you need to open a courier service

In order to open a courier delivery service, you really need a little:

Transport. Of course, you can use the public one, but you must admit, it is always more convenient to have your own, at least a scooter or a bicycle, which, by the way, are one of the best means of transportation in today's traffic jams. Alternatively, you can conclude an agreement with a taxi service or involve a temporary courier with a personal car.
Dispatcher who will take orders by phone. By the way, orders can be taken around the clock. This feature will set you apart from your competitors.
Several couriers.

Have you noticed the main feature of this business idea? All of the listed positions at the beginning of the organization of activities can be combined by one person - you! Of course, you will have to work hard. And with the development of the business, it is possible to expand the staff. Only at the same time, do not forget those distinctive points that helped you open a courier delivery service and brought you to the pinnacle of success: mobility, guarantee, attentiveness. I recommend that you read the article on working on personal transport.

Organizations daily need to send correspondence, goods and cargo using couriers. Therefore, debutant entrepreneurs are thinking about how to open a courier delivery service, bypassing the existing "pitfalls". In addition, to open and develop such a company does not need huge financial investments.

Existing services do not fully satisfy the demand for goods delivery services, therefore, such a business is a sought-after direction for novice merchants.

Often the delivery of goods by mail occurs with long delays. Good money is charged for urgency. Many begin to look for such a service, and some are thinking about how to open such a business.

Creating a company for the delivery of goods: the first steps

If you are a law-abiding entrepreneur, then you must follow the order in starting a business:

initially it is necessary to open and visit the tax authority for the official registration of the delivery company;
then - a bank in order to open a current account of its own service.

This concludes the basic legal formalities for business. The next stage is the solution of material issues, without which it is impossible to open a delivery company:

office;
equipment: computer, telephone, car;
advertising.

The ideal office is its own space. If you do not have enough money to buy, then use the lease.

How to start your own courier service from scratch

To open a delivery establishment, it is not necessary to look for an office in the city center.

Without technical support, a courier company will not be able to work. Computers, telephone and Internet connections, vehicles are needed. You can use your own car or rent.

But it is impossible to open or organize a profitable delivery business with one car. Several cars, mopeds, scooters or bicycles are needed. 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 the delivery of orders takes place without the slightest delay, they will quickly find out about an open courier organization. Carefully fulfilling the requirements of the first customers will turn them into permanent ones for your business. This will help generate profits and serve as good publicity for the delivery agency.

If you want to open an international express delivery service, then it is better to buy a franchise. They will help you write a plan for the development of your business, formalize the business and make it profitable.

Advertising

Any new firm that you decide to open needs advertising. To do this, create a step-by-step advertising campaign plan for your business. Do not skimp on a colorfully designed website with detailed information about the activities of the delivery institution. Contact professionals who will create a page on the Internet that represents the company you have opened in a favorable light.

A business card can attract customers if it is made of high-quality paper, is pleasant to look at, and contains comprehensive information about the activities of this service. Seeing the scrupulousness with which business cards are made, a person will become confident that increased attention is guaranteed to his order. This will push customers to apply for the services of such a service.

It is necessary to organize the dissemination of information about the courier company in the available media. Discuss your business or the fact that you are thinking of opening it with relatives, friends, classmates. Often such conversations bring more popularity to the company than expensive advertising.

Personnel of the courier service

When thinking about designing a courier service, be sure to consider the topic of hiring employees. To open and properly organize a successful business for the delivery of drinking bottled water, sushi, alcohol, barbecue, set meals and other food products, you should hire a director, couriers, a dispatcher, an accountant, and technical staff.

Be especially careful when hiring employees. It is on their interaction with customers that the reputation and income of the company depends. You need to develop instructions for customers and create a complaint book on your website.

Couriers must possess such qualities as punctuality, sociability, tact, diligence. Their duty is to deliver the goods safely and within the time specified by the customer.

Many people think that being a courier is not prestigious and this is a big disadvantage for your business. Therefore, the company needs to make employees understand the value of their work. To prevent cases of missing money, it is best to conclude official employment contracts with the courier.

It is necessary to establish a clear interaction between the employees of the organization, especially between the dispatcher and the courier. The dispatcher receives and registers orders, informs the peddlers about them, and is in touch with both parties simultaneously.

There will always be a need for a messenger

Despite the ubiquity of electronic document management, no organization will be able to do without paper copies at all. Financial, legal and other firms need to constantly send correspondence to their partners. Industrial enterprises may also need urgent delivery of some goods. This is a huge plus for your courier delivery business from scratch.

You can be contacted if you have a well-organized delivery service.

There are delivery companies that only serve online stores. If you open a delivery business, then it can bring good profits. In any city there are companies involved 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 the courier organization.

An interesting direction is serving restaurants, pizzerias, shops that do not have the conditions for organizing their own network for delivering goods to customers at home. Such a business is very profitable, as the demand for these services does not weaken. If the business is related to the transportation of products, it is necessary for couriers to obtain health books.

Separately, it is worth highlighting the delivery of flowers and gifts. The development of the courier business is up to you.

Use your imagination!

If you decide to open a business, then you should remember that nice bonuses and discounts play a big role. Your company must be different from those of 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 has a large number of different companies that advertise the speed of cargo transportation, low prices, and quality service. But that's long overdue. Customers want novelty.

"Chip" can be absolutely anything. Business can be affected by couriers-girls with a 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 opt for your business.

The business idea for the delivery of small and large goods in a box is a great idea to attract customers.

Make a catalog on the website of the service, where photos of your charming employees and lovely employees will be presented. In this case, when applying, the client can indicate a specific courier who will fulfill his order.

A non-standard offer of your business will be the ability to use a courier for a set period of time. Such a "rent" is beneficial for large customers who need a 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.

The introduction of the night shift is a great idea. Such services, working around the clock, are rare. Therefore, the possibility of delivery 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.

Ideas for business -> Finance, consulting services, education

Courier service - right to the customer!

The courier service is a rapidly growing business in recent years for the delivery of correspondence or goods in the shortest possible time - "door to door" or from the customer's door to the city of destination.

Two unconditional pluses of creating a courier service ( courier company), which are able to attract start-up entrepreneurs to this business, is a low level of initial start-up investments and a fairly wide field of activity. The choice of courier services is small, and the cost of delivery remains high. In addition, many commercial structures prefer not to use the services of the Russian postal service - the most powerful delivery player - because of the slowness and unreliability.

Even despite the fact that today large transnational companies are represented in this market, small courier companies, due to their mobility, low prices and a more attentive attitude to each client and small orders, are able to compete with them adequately, providing even faster delivery of important documents, small parcels and even flowers. Large courier services, as a rule, guarantee next day delivery, small courier companies, due to their flexibility, usually work within one working day.

This means that all shipped shipments will be delivered on the day of dispatch. But it is precisely the timely delivery and careful processing of parcels that is the main key to success in the courier business.

How to start a courier business?

There are several key points that should be decided at the very beginning.

First, small towns and rural areas are not very suitable for this type of business.

Secondly, decide on the specifics of the cargo you are going to work with. It is clear that the delivery of documents and the transportation of, say, medicines are somewhat different topics.

Thirdly, decide whether you need a car for courier delivery, if so, which one. It is clear that for the delivery of documents within a small settlement, it is quite possible to get by with a pedestrian courier, but the delivery of large-sized heavy parcels clearly implies that your courier company has at least one car. In addition to the actual purchase of transport, you will have to resolve the issue with the driver and payment of operating costs and parking. Although such an option is also possible here, such as concluding a long-term contract with a taxi service or hiring a courier driver with a personal car.

An important point in organizing a courier service is the presence of a dispatcher who must be available to the client around the clock. Despite the fact that the bulk of courier deliveries are carried out during normal daytime hours (from 9 am to 6 pm), delivery, at the request of the customer, can be made at any time of the day. This can be the feature that will make your courier company stand out from the competition.

Basically, start a courier business you can have one. At first, you will be able to combine the functions of a dispatcher, a courier, and a business owner in one person. But once the business is up and running, you will need help. Usually the staff of a courier company consists of a dispatcher, couriers, drivers, a secretary and an accountant. If your courier company will have a fleet of several cars, you should also think about your own mechanic who can serve your fleet. And if your courier service delivers heavy bulky items, then you definitely cannot do without movers.

As for the actual couriers, this work can be performed by people with relatively low qualifications or without it at all, the main thing is diligence and accuracy. So there is a clear savings in wages.

Naturally, all staff must be able to competently work with documentation, and drivers and couriers must be able to navigate freely in the city (a GPS navigator can greatly help in solving this problem).

Additional costs may arise when insuring the transported goods and obtaining a certificate for the transport of dangerous goods (in the event that you intend to do this).

Courier service. And who are the clients?

In general, there are no special problems with clients. Even in the days of faxes and e-mails, no one canceled paper documents.

Where to begin

Banks, law firms, various organizations that send documents to clients and partners are all your clients. Manufacturing businesses that need express delivery, as well as other types of businesses that need fast courier delivery - and these are your customers. There are courier services that specialize only in the delivery of goods from domestic online stores or in the delivery of invoices of organizations. The main thing here is to convince them to use the services of your courier service.

Another idea that we have already talked about is the delivery of lunches to the office. You can offer your services for the delivery of meals to catering enterprises. True, according to current legislation, in order to provide such a service, your couriers or drivers will need to have health books, transport - a health passport, and the dishes themselves - a safety certificate.

You can conclude agreements with ordinary stores that deliver goods to your home (this service, by the way, is gaining popularity in many cities today).

02/2012
Sergei Pankratov. How to start your own business.

Share this page with your friends! Thank you!

More ideas? See section

If you do not have any special knowledge in a particular area of entrepreneurship, this does not mean that you do not have a chance to open your own business. If you have some (not necessarily impressive) amount of money that you are ready to give in favor of developing 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 kind of activity does not require special skills or knowledge, the purchase of expensive equipment or the investment of sky-high funds, so this business idea is a great solution for a novice entrepreneur with a limited budget.

Of course, it is better to open such a business in a large settlement, where home delivery services are more in demand, but with perseverance and desire, you can achieve success in any city. Where to start? Of course, the first step is to draw up a business plan to take into account all costs and calculate the possibility of making a profit.

Organization of a courier service: where to start?

So, if the desire to earn income from your personal business is tenaciously stuck in your head, and you don’t know what to do, then this article is just for you.

Legal business requires state registration, so the first step is to 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 beneficial for you (here you will be required to provide documents from the tax service on 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 execution of all documents, proceed to the search for an office space. If your budget is very tight, then rent it. In case of success and prosperity in this matter, in the future it will be possible to purchase your own corner.

Then, when writing 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 desirable that it be your own, although at first you can rent it. If the budget allows, you can create a whole fleet of several cars, as well as get bicycles to deliver mail. And it is even better to hire couriers with personal cars.

The scope of your activity at first, most likely, will be limited to one city. Indeed, 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 customers who would carry out regular orders. By qualitatively fulfilling the instructions of such customers, you can count on receiving a stable profit, which can immediately be used for advertising.

How to promote your business?

The courier service, like any other business, requires an investment in advertising. Start by creating a website. This marketing tool is considered the most effective today. Do not save on creating your site on the Internet, because in the future it will 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 business card costs in your courier business plan. They should also characterize you from the best side.

A high-quality tactile and eye-catching business card with full information (clearly visible name of your company, all necessary contacts, hours of operation, any special conditions or discounts, etc.) will encourage its owner to contact your courier service again.

Place ads in the most popular newspapers in your city, do not forget about radio and television. And just share information with your friends and acquaintances. This simple form of advertising is often the most effective.

You can also distribute flyers, the presentation of which guarantees the client a discount. It may be quite small, but the opportunity to save at least a little always encourages customers to further cooperation.

Connect fantasy!

Promotions and discounts are, of course, good, but it’s even better to come up with your own “chip”, which can be a decisive factor in choosing a courier organization by a customer. After all, there are many such services today, they compete with each other in the quality and speed of delivery, the cost of their services, etc. But modern people want diversity, and this can play into the hands of a newly minted courier company.

Anything can be your "chip". For example, let female models deal with the delivery of goods, then the circle of your customers (especially males) will definitely increase.

You can hire a few 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 place photos of your charming employees and employees.

Thus, leaving a request, the client gets the opportunity to choose the desired couriers provided to him. In general, connect your imagination, creativity is always welcome!

Such a "highlight" of your business will allow you to slightly inflate the cost of your services, but in most cases this will not affect the choice of the client.

Recruitment is important

It is impossible not to include labor costs in your business plan for a courier service. 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 the provision of courier services, then it is all the more desirable to hire professionals in this field who will help you establish the whole process and organize the correct work with clients.

Do not hire people who want to make good money and still work from 9 to 6. Such employees usually do not give their best to help grow the business. Before official employment, arrange a trial period of at least a week. This will help to understand how the future employee treats the client, whether he is able to provide the level of service you set.

Price policy

In the matter of 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 using the Internet, because today every serious company has its own website. But don't just rely on the information you get online. It is better to call the courier service you are interested in.

Usually 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.

The provision of services for the delivery of documents and goods within the same city usually requires insignificant expenses, therefore, the cost of such delivery should also be small. But do not underestimate your prices too much in order to fully recoup your expenses. To do this, carefully consider all possible exit options and the distances that will need to be overcome. A well-designed 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 use its example to see how to open a courier delivery service and make good money abroad while in Russia.

If you follow French laws, then the delivery service staff must consist exclusively of French citizens. Therefore, to begin with, find a native Frenchman for the position of director, preferably a friend. You, respectively, 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 entitles its holder to many rights, which will be more than enough to bring your business idea to life. The courier service can now be led by you personally.

What other formalities must be observed in France?

French legislators have clearly determined 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 carefully familiarize yourself with the norms of local legislation. In general, it all comes down to a few basic questions:

to begin with, it is necessary to submit all the registration documents of the founder to the commercial court of the city you have chosen for carrying out activities;
after considering the above papers, the commercial court decides on the registration of the enterprise in the unified commercial register;
after that, 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, then it is automatically extended for the duration of your leadership.

Summing up

After reading this article, you have a general knowledge of how to open a courier delivery service and how to start working in the domestic or foreign market for these services. In general, the most painstaking activities require the recruitment, organization of work processes and their improvement, as well as the policy to attract customers.

Your individuality and creative approach to work is also important - only interesting and exclusive projects reach the desired heights.

Remember to take all these points into account when you write your courier service business plan.