Starting a Personal Delivery Business

[wayiwalk]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

You know what has a good margin and is easy to do at home is canning fruit. Check the price on jam at the supermarket. Premium jars of jam cost big bucks.

Your boat idea sounds like a winner long term. Very low cost of entry and looks like high margin. Do you like to dive? Professional divers to clean and repair boats make a small fortune.

I bet your right about jam. My daughter's best friends mom makes jam and sells it this way. Last weekend she paid my daughter and her daughter $20 each to spend a few hours to help tie bows and label the jars. If she could afford that much - I imagine her profit margin can't be all that bad.

[wayiwalk]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

Agreed that the summary of advice here is terrific.

My alma mater has career courses webinars for alumni, I just participated in one yesterday that included a focus on the "know theyself" aspect of starting a business, and saw that sort of advice was offered above, along with the more techical aspects.

[shiny!]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

I bet your right about jam. My daughter's best friends mom makes jam and sells it this way. Last weekend she paid my daughter and her daughter $20 each to spend a few hours to help tie bows and label the jars. If she could afford that much - I imagine her profit margin can't be all that bad.

If you make food at home for sale you have to have a business license, a food license, have your kitchen frequently inspected by the Health Dept, carry liability insurance... You might be able to get away with unlicensed food sales at a farmer's market, but maybe not. Just make sure you know all the laws and requirements ahead of time.

[wayiwalk]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

I'm pretty sure she is falling under the farmer's market sales umbrella. This is a side interest of hers, she actually works at a company that produces 3-D printing equipment, ideas, software and support.

[doom&gloom]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

Agreed that the summary of advice here is terrific.

My alma mater has career courses webinars for alumni, I just participated in one yesterday that included a focus on the "know theyself" aspect of starting a business, and saw that sort of advice was offered above, along with the more techical aspects.

gonna share that website with those who need it maybe?

[Ghent12]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

If you make food at home for sale you have to have a business license, a food license, have your kitchen frequently inspected by the Health Dept, carry liability insurance... You might be able to get away with unlicensed food sales at a farmer's market, but maybe not. Just make sure you know all the laws and requirements ahead of time.

Very good point, and I would imagine that the plan laid out in the original thread which included picking up medicine might also require additional licensing though I am not certain.

The law is seemingly a very significant obstacle to starting up a business in most cases. Definitely check all applicable laws so you don't get burned by not having some random license that happens to be required. Did you know that you are required to have a license to be a florist in some jurisdictions? That's how asinine the government can be.

[doom&gloom]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

I don't think there is an issue with picking up and delivering meds as family members routinely pick up meds for others at pharmacies. Now failure to deliver some narcotic would certainly be a big issue above say failure to delive some prescription hemmorid creme or similar. There IS an issue in some states regarding the purchase of OTC meds that can be broken down into meth, and if you buy too many in too short a time all of a sudden you can find yourself in jail and prosecuted for being a potential drug dealer. see: http://www.copblock.org/14710/woman-...cold-medicine/ and http://archive.mises.org/13834/buy-s...nd-go-to-jail/

That said, there are way too many 'improvers' out there always looking for a new way to 'improve' our lives and make us 'safer'.

[BadJuju]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

I wish to thank everyone for their fantastic advice. I appreciate that you have all taken time to come out and offer advice to me. It has been profoundly good!

I will, however, not need to make use of it this fall at least as I have managed to find an electrical job as of this week. Even so, I have recorded all of this into a notepad to reflect on and use in the future as it is very valuable. Thank you all!!!

It could be very useful once I move into a larger city where things like this are generally more popular. It could tide me over until I find a good job.

[Ghent12]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

Just be careful to not be too successful. Don't want to draw too much attention to your business...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_1948660.html

[metalman]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

Just be careful to not be too successful. Don't want to draw too much attention to your business...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_1948660.html

FIRE STRIKES AGAIN....

"Right now the concern is that if I were to be picked up by one of these cars and there is some kind of accident, that [driver's] insurance company may deny that claim," CPUC general counsel Frank Lindh told the Chronicle. "And I would be stuck with those medical bills."

[flintlock]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

I wish to thank everyone for their fantastic advice. I appreciate that you have all taken time to come out and offer advice to me. It has been profoundly good!

I will, however, not need to make use of it this fall at least as I have managed to find an electrical job as of this week. Even so, I have recorded all of this into a notepad to reflect on and use in the future as it is very valuable. Thank you all!!!

It could be very useful once I move into a larger city where things like this are generally more popular. It could tide me over until I find a good job.

Sorry just saw this. Thats great news. What kind of work are you doing?

[flintlock]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

I wish to thank everyone for their fantastic advice. I appreciate that you have all taken time to come out and offer advice to me. It has been profoundly good!

I will, however, not need to make use of it this fall at least as I have managed to find an electrical job as of this week. Even so, I have recorded all of this into a notepad to reflect on and use in the future as it is very valuable. Thank you all!!!

It could be very useful once I move into a larger city where things like this are generally more popular. It could tide me over until I find a good job.

Sorry just saw this. Thats great news. What kind of work are you doing?

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

I've met a fella here in Afghanistan.......he's an older guy(probably 55-60 but looks older).

He has a very small business.

It's him and his donkey.

They move stuff from Point A to Point B.

He(and his donkey) have been contracted to work on a job site.

He actually moved in and set up a tent on sight and has bee there for a couple of weeks.

I always try to go out of my way when visiting to say G'day(Salam! Kobasti! Jew ^Rosti Jo!) to him because he's such a positive happy guy in a very, very harsh world.

My Dari is pretty weak, but I'm trying to pick up speed because I'm a bit intrigued to learn what makes this guy tick and why he is so happy.

Even his donkey seems a bit happy as far as donkeys go.

I don't envy his job, nor do I think most would......it's a hard spartan existence.......but I think most(including myself) would envy his ability to find so much happiness and joy in his own personal existence.

I keep forgetting to get a photo of this fella and his donkey..........

[doom&gloom]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

WHAT are you doing in Afghanistan?

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Starting a Personal Delivery Business

WHAT are you doing in Afghanistan?

Capacity Building............

EDIT:

Here's the local delivery guy and his donkeys:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...sc00393ct.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/dsc00398t.jpg/

He's about the hardest working and happiest guy I know around here