Moving your mind out of your employee role and into a self-employed role can be relatively easy. However, the hard bit can be letting go of that financially secure job and stepping into the unknown.
The secret of success is in choosing a business sector that you are interested in or have a strong familiarity with and making sure that there is plenty of work to keep you busy. Undoubtedly, when it comes to the shipping industry, you will probably start small. These early stages are important as they will provide a platform to learn without the stress of having employees to account for or pay wages to.
So, before you step off of the security step of your employed job role, you should do some in-depth research into what you will need.
#1 What sized vehicle to start out with
Your vehicle size will determine the size of the packages you will be able to ship and the quantity. With this, you will have to consider whether you are delivering these items on your own or if you will be budding up with someone. If you are going alone, you will want packages you can carry without injuring yourself.
You may find that, initially, your car will be suitable. This will provide you time to see if you like your newfound role, as well as being able to source a little van. You should keep in mind that the larger the vehicle, the more work you will be able to take on.
#2 Plan how far you are happy to travel
Having an idea of how far you would be comfortable traveling will also focus your mind on what jobs you will be able to take. For instance, if you are happy to stay away from home or drive abroad, you will be looking at long-haul shipments. If you are not, then the more local will be ideal. Although it doesn’t necessarily follow, you may find that there will be more work available to you the further you are willing to drive.
#3 Seek workloads to fill your time profitably
When it comes to being self-employed, time is money, so you will want to fill your time profitably. Luckily you will not necessarily be relying on just your local businesses to fill your delivery quota. There are shipping brokers that list shipping work for self-employed delivery drivers to bid on and therefore gain work. Obviously, as you would be your own boss, you could decide which of these jobs you want to take and which you would rather leave to someone else.
To make your time on the road the most profitable, you should look at collecting deliveries in areas where you will also be dropping off. This way, your vehicle will not be on the road without a paying job waiting to be delivered.
Final thoughts
Being self-employed and playing the part of the boss is not for everyone. Although you will undoubtedly feel the freedom that you have longed for, you will also be faced with the stress and panic of workload dropping and your bank account emptying fast. Therefore, you must conduct research to size up the amount of work available to you and what you will have to compromise to match your current wage.