One ingenious way to earn extra cash in your spare time is to become a part-time delivery driver. If you enjoy driving, have an outgoing personality and a clean driving licence, then this is absolutely perfect for you.
All you really need is a phone, a vehicle and insurance. Below are some key pointers on how to start up a side courier service.
First things first you will need a vehicle. The size and style of your vehicle will dictate what kind of deliveries you can undertake. If you only have a regular hatchback car or a bicycle even, then delivering boxes and parcels would be much more suited to you. But, if you are lucky enough to own a van then you can deliver much bigger loads and earn even more money.
Make sure you have a good plan with your mobile phone dealer that allows you a lot of free calls a month.
Next, you need to sort out your insurance. Of course, it is a legal requirement to have vehicle insurance to drive on the road, however, you will also need Goods in transit Insurance for this type of business. This will cover you if the worse should happen and any of your customer’s items get damaged, stolen or lost in transit. You can get free comparison quotes online from websites like Confused.com.
You are now technically self-employed so it’s important to let Inland Revenue know before you start doing any deliveries. You can do your own accounts to save yourself money on an accountant.
All you need to do now is find some customers! This can be easily done by signing up to websites like Shiply. Customers list their requests and you can bid for the delivery in your area in a reverse auction format. Just like eBay it allows customers to leave you reviews, allowing you to build up real feedback and gain a fantastic online reputation, saving you on advertising costs.
You can also advertise offline by putting an advert in the yellow pages or simply putting up a notice in your local supermarket, church or pub. Ask your family and friends to spread the word around and give you a shout out on social media.
Make sure to set a decent price for the deliveries you undertake. Note that most delivery prices are usually charged per mile. Don’t forget to factor in how much fuel the job is going to cost you, this needs to be included in the price to ensure you are not making a loss.
The great thing about starting a part-time courier business is you can work around your current job and make some serious extra cash by maximising your spare time.