How To Set Up A Successful Courier and Logistics Company

Setting Up a Successful Courier and Logistics Company

With the increase in trials for citizen deliveries in major towns and cities and the amount of online shopping that is carried out in the UK, it is no surprise that courier companies are a lucrative opportunity for starting up a business. With some proper planning and speaking to the right people for organization, you can acquire some knowledge about the industry prior to starting. We have put together a quick reference or a “how to” guide to help you on your way.

Make a plan

This should be fairly obvious to anyone starting any business, and it is worth bearing in mind that 70% of startups fail in the first year. This should be reason enough to motivate you. Since a large part of courier services rely on logistics, make sure you have really thought about how you plan to make your business stand out from competitors. It may help to observe other courier services like Ask Absolutely to discover their success. How will you get parcels delivered? How will you guarantee safety? Will you offer services such as deliveries on evenings and weekends, and how will you go about this? The more thorough your planning and the more crisis management you can implement, the better chance you will have of making a success out of your business when the time comes to launch. You may consider using an aggregator like Whistl to start you off with getting work, and then develop a reputation through word of mouth.

Meet business advisors

Once you have put some thought into exactly how you want your business to look, then you can start meeting with advisors. Unless you have studied business, there are different angles to consider, such as accounting, marketing, and the legal side. Speak to as many professionals as possible so you have a strong, broad knowledge. If you are going to employ people, you may need to speak to an HR advisor too. At this stage, you will be thinking of advice about how much to charge and how to start up with the right equipment. Also, you will need to consider your monthly expenditure. You can then begin a forecast, which will help put your plan into action.

Hire employees and get started

Once you have the correct insurance in place, you can start employing people. Your couriers will need to be insured on their mode of transport, and they may need some training. To operate a courier and logistics business, you will need some permits and legal documents, which should all be in place for when you get your first orders in.

Try to have fun with it; starting a business can be really hard work, so it’s important that you enjoy it.

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