D
Deleted member 231954
- Original Poster
- #1
The reason I want to talk about man and van start ups is to provide those thinking of getting a van to do deliveries with a balanced view of pros and cons.
I'm NOT here to sell the idea that it's easy and that there's lots of money to be made. I'm not rich.
The aim of my advice is to advise people who have been actively searching for answers and would like some first hand advice from someone who's done it themselves.
Are there any guarantees of success? NO!
Although I earned a good living from about my second year in business, and then probably an above average income for the next 4 years before retirement, many don’t have the success I enjoyed because they fail to see the bigger picture beyond just doing the usual man and van work or small removals and that type of thing. It was not by chance that I became one of the busiest guys in my area! But like with any successful small business, it takes effort to get there. I did indeed find running my man and van business from home to be very rewarding and satisfying.
It's true to say that many new delivery business startups get it wrong, ending up having to compete with the thousands of other small one man and van businesses out there just to earn a minimum income. Many more fail miserably and have to give up because they don't know how to even get their business off the ground. The truth is, it requires little to no skill and very little capital, which is why it's such a popular business to start.
So, rather than jump in to it like so many other do, here are some reasons why you should reconsider. I will then talk you through my own experiences.
Reasons NOT to start man and van business:
I would encourage anybody that's already made up their mind to start a man and van business to think seriously about the bigger picture from the very start. There are many wonderful opportunities for van owners to start a small business by exploring niche sectors within the small independent one-man businesses relating to the transport industry. These opportunities will earn you much more than your average man with a van business ever will.
What Type of Work Can You Expect To Do?
When starting out you can expect most of your initial inquiries to come from people wanting to save some money on a self-move, or someone seeking help to collect and deliver a single item that's been purchased on ebay etc.
Of course there are many different types of deliveries that you'll be able to quote on.
I can say from my own experience that no two days were ever the same.
My Own Experience
I started out part time on weekends to earn a bit of extra money doing small local deliveries so that I could get out of debt. By the time I retired in August 2012, I had completed over 2,400 eBay deliveries, small home removals, motorcycle deliveries, office moves, piano moves and student moves.
Other opportunities
Some of my biggest earning jobs had nothing to do with man and van work at all. They came from recommendations and word-of-mouth from past clients who recognised my work ethic, reliability and desire to please. In one case, Medway council employed me to help them erect a marquee at a jobs fair in Rochester. The going rate was £1,800 for what was essentially 2 hours’ work a week spread over 4 weekends.
I was also paid £800 for 3 days’ work on stage at the Marlow Theatre in Canterbury by helping set up props for The King's School. This came about as a result of me delivering their props, a job I was originally employed to do as part of my man and van business.
There are PLENTY of opportunities out there for those start-ups that keep their eyes open. Starting a man and van business could be just the beginning for you, a stepping stone. You could use it to earn money in the short term while keeping your options of expansion open. I taught myself to move upright pianos by buying a cheap second hand piano on eBay for £20 and then practiced moving it on and off a piano dolly. I also advertised motorcycle transporting and ended up helping people with over 160 motorcycle deliveries to track days, ebay purchases where the buyer would prefer to ride along to pay in cash, non starters etc to be taken to workshops etc, etc...
In my opinion starting a service providing company such as man and van or specialist delivery business is preferable to potentially wasting money starting a business that requires a large capital outlay for stock and premises rentals.
There are plenty of ways to get business provided you are motivated. Luckily this business does not rely on your ability to sell anything – otherwise, I would have failed! But what you DO need to get right is:
Use your first month start-up period in business to familiarise yourself with various ways of finding clients. Get the basics right such as printing up some flyers and distributing them through letter boxes – especially where you see estate agent boards outside houses and apartments! These people will need a man and van soon! Many storage depots take temporary furniture deliveries for people who are renovating their homes. There are eBayers who buy and sell job lots of CDs and don’t have the time to hire a van themselves. Fragile items are being delivered all the time, and courier companies won’t transport certain items such as sofas, glass, antiques, etc. How do you think the thousands of bulkier eBay items get delivered after hours when people are home to accept delivery? That’s right – man and van businesses do it! Also, think about all the office moves, student moves, not to mention the vast opportunity already mentioned in niche transportation services such as fragile loads, time sensitive deliveries, and more. You will be exposed to many new and exciting ideas that will help you make money with your van. Just keep your eyes open.
Your First 6 Months to 1 Year
My advice is to start with the smaller loads such as eBay deliveries, small office moves, student moving, etc. This way you gain valuable on-the-job training while perfecting your manual handling techniques. This approach will fill you with confidence moving forward, enabling you to take on more challenging moves or to start to specialise in transporting fragile, heavy, or high value items where there is so much more money to be earned.
To Start, You Need To Do the Following:
If you haven't got a van already then I recommend getting something like a large Ford Transit with a high roof and long wheel base, or a Luton van if you plan on doing bigger removals. Have a look at the eBay commercial van section for some bargains, but also do some research into leasing. I started a company 1manandvan in Sevenoaks with a secondhand Transit that cost me £190 a month on H.P. (that's less than a days profit on a good day)
My van had over 100,000 miles on the clock when I got it and it lasted all 5 years. Your van needn't be new, just keep it clean, taxed, MOT'd and insured.
Make sure your van insurance covers you for Hire and Reward. Don't take chances with insurance, it's not worth it.
Remember that your van insurance is different to your Goods-in-Transit insurance. G-I-T will cover any damages to your clients goods. Many policies can also be purchased with Public Liability insurance, which in my opinion is worth the small extra cost just so that you can advertise the fact that you are correctly and fully insured. The fact that I was fully insured earned my more in business that the cost of my insurance, and it gives you peace of mind.
When you start a man and van company you will NOT need to register for VAT or to go through a difficult company registration process. The only time you need to worry about charging VAT is when you reach the vat threshold which is currently (£81,000 as of today, 7th August 2014) This represents the amount of sales you as a sole trader can make within one year before you are required to register to charge VAT. You are NOT going to earn that. If you do, then please come back and re-write this guide for me.
Start advertising your services in the right places such as on notice boards in local supermarkets, ebay, houses and flats with estate agents boards outside...there are so many opportunities to get the correct exposure for your business. You'll need to be proactive and get out there.
Hopefully my tips will have answered many of the questions you may have BEFORE you commit to the idea of setting up as a man and van.
Use the many talents on this site to ask as many questions as you can BEFORE starting. These people have all run businesses before and will think of things that I've not. I just know what worked for me.
Thanks and good luck.
Craig Bruun
I'm NOT here to sell the idea that it's easy and that there's lots of money to be made. I'm not rich.
The aim of my advice is to advise people who have been actively searching for answers and would like some first hand advice from someone who's done it themselves.
Are there any guarantees of success? NO!
Although I earned a good living from about my second year in business, and then probably an above average income for the next 4 years before retirement, many don’t have the success I enjoyed because they fail to see the bigger picture beyond just doing the usual man and van work or small removals and that type of thing. It was not by chance that I became one of the busiest guys in my area! But like with any successful small business, it takes effort to get there. I did indeed find running my man and van business from home to be very rewarding and satisfying.
It's true to say that many new delivery business startups get it wrong, ending up having to compete with the thousands of other small one man and van businesses out there just to earn a minimum income. Many more fail miserably and have to give up because they don't know how to even get their business off the ground. The truth is, it requires little to no skill and very little capital, which is why it's such a popular business to start.
So, rather than jump in to it like so many other do, here are some reasons why you should reconsider. I will then talk you through my own experiences.
Reasons NOT to start man and van business:
- You need to tolerate driving long distances, better still, enjoy driving long distances if you plan on taking on national deliveries.
- There is no guaranteed fixed income. In fact there is a brilliant chance you'll earn ZERO unless you are really prepared to work hard.
- It's a physical job. It's NOT for the work shy. You need to be able and willing to help your clients carry and load their stuff.
- Dealing with the public can be challenging to say the least. It helps to be friendly at all times.
I would encourage anybody that's already made up their mind to start a man and van business to think seriously about the bigger picture from the very start. There are many wonderful opportunities for van owners to start a small business by exploring niche sectors within the small independent one-man businesses relating to the transport industry. These opportunities will earn you much more than your average man with a van business ever will.
What Type of Work Can You Expect To Do?
When starting out you can expect most of your initial inquiries to come from people wanting to save some money on a self-move, or someone seeking help to collect and deliver a single item that's been purchased on ebay etc.
Of course there are many different types of deliveries that you'll be able to quote on.
I can say from my own experience that no two days were ever the same.
My Own Experience
I started out part time on weekends to earn a bit of extra money doing small local deliveries so that I could get out of debt. By the time I retired in August 2012, I had completed over 2,400 eBay deliveries, small home removals, motorcycle deliveries, office moves, piano moves and student moves.
Other opportunities
Some of my biggest earning jobs had nothing to do with man and van work at all. They came from recommendations and word-of-mouth from past clients who recognised my work ethic, reliability and desire to please. In one case, Medway council employed me to help them erect a marquee at a jobs fair in Rochester. The going rate was £1,800 for what was essentially 2 hours’ work a week spread over 4 weekends.
I was also paid £800 for 3 days’ work on stage at the Marlow Theatre in Canterbury by helping set up props for The King's School. This came about as a result of me delivering their props, a job I was originally employed to do as part of my man and van business.
There are PLENTY of opportunities out there for those start-ups that keep their eyes open. Starting a man and van business could be just the beginning for you, a stepping stone. You could use it to earn money in the short term while keeping your options of expansion open. I taught myself to move upright pianos by buying a cheap second hand piano on eBay for £20 and then practiced moving it on and off a piano dolly. I also advertised motorcycle transporting and ended up helping people with over 160 motorcycle deliveries to track days, ebay purchases where the buyer would prefer to ride along to pay in cash, non starters etc to be taken to workshops etc, etc...
In my opinion starting a service providing company such as man and van or specialist delivery business is preferable to potentially wasting money starting a business that requires a large capital outlay for stock and premises rentals.
There are plenty of ways to get business provided you are motivated. Luckily this business does not rely on your ability to sell anything – otherwise, I would have failed! But what you DO need to get right is:
- Putting your business in front of willing clients who NEED a reliable man and van, and
- Be different from the rest of the chaps doing the same thing and give people a reason to choose YOU instead of your competition. This is best done by NOT focussing on typical man and van work such as moving people, etc. Although admittedly this is where you'll have to start in order to build credibility and reputation.
Use your first month start-up period in business to familiarise yourself with various ways of finding clients. Get the basics right such as printing up some flyers and distributing them through letter boxes – especially where you see estate agent boards outside houses and apartments! These people will need a man and van soon! Many storage depots take temporary furniture deliveries for people who are renovating their homes. There are eBayers who buy and sell job lots of CDs and don’t have the time to hire a van themselves. Fragile items are being delivered all the time, and courier companies won’t transport certain items such as sofas, glass, antiques, etc. How do you think the thousands of bulkier eBay items get delivered after hours when people are home to accept delivery? That’s right – man and van businesses do it! Also, think about all the office moves, student moves, not to mention the vast opportunity already mentioned in niche transportation services such as fragile loads, time sensitive deliveries, and more. You will be exposed to many new and exciting ideas that will help you make money with your van. Just keep your eyes open.
Your First 6 Months to 1 Year
My advice is to start with the smaller loads such as eBay deliveries, small office moves, student moving, etc. This way you gain valuable on-the-job training while perfecting your manual handling techniques. This approach will fill you with confidence moving forward, enabling you to take on more challenging moves or to start to specialise in transporting fragile, heavy, or high value items where there is so much more money to be earned.
To Start, You Need To Do the Following:
If you haven't got a van already then I recommend getting something like a large Ford Transit with a high roof and long wheel base, or a Luton van if you plan on doing bigger removals. Have a look at the eBay commercial van section for some bargains, but also do some research into leasing. I started a company 1manandvan in Sevenoaks with a secondhand Transit that cost me £190 a month on H.P. (that's less than a days profit on a good day)
My van had over 100,000 miles on the clock when I got it and it lasted all 5 years. Your van needn't be new, just keep it clean, taxed, MOT'd and insured.
Make sure your van insurance covers you for Hire and Reward. Don't take chances with insurance, it's not worth it.
Remember that your van insurance is different to your Goods-in-Transit insurance. G-I-T will cover any damages to your clients goods. Many policies can also be purchased with Public Liability insurance, which in my opinion is worth the small extra cost just so that you can advertise the fact that you are correctly and fully insured. The fact that I was fully insured earned my more in business that the cost of my insurance, and it gives you peace of mind.
When you start a man and van company you will NOT need to register for VAT or to go through a difficult company registration process. The only time you need to worry about charging VAT is when you reach the vat threshold which is currently (£81,000 as of today, 7th August 2014) This represents the amount of sales you as a sole trader can make within one year before you are required to register to charge VAT. You are NOT going to earn that. If you do, then please come back and re-write this guide for me.
Start advertising your services in the right places such as on notice boards in local supermarkets, ebay, houses and flats with estate agents boards outside...there are so many opportunities to get the correct exposure for your business. You'll need to be proactive and get out there.
Hopefully my tips will have answered many of the questions you may have BEFORE you commit to the idea of setting up as a man and van.
Use the many talents on this site to ask as many questions as you can BEFORE starting. These people have all run businesses before and will think of things that I've not. I just know what worked for me.
Thanks and good luck.
Craig Bruun
