Do you own a solid running car or truck, a cell phone, a computer and have internet access?

Then you have the very basics for a courier business.

Starting a courier service requires one to wear a few different hats but if you can pull off some multitasking you could end up with a solid business with repeat customers. Repeat business means that you can almost put your operation on cruise control once you have the accounts in place and the routing set up.

A lot of people think that a courier business is one where you get a call and pick up an envelope and deliver it across town for a small fee. There is a small amount of truth in that thinking but a successful courier service is so much more.

The real money in the courier service are set routes where you deliver interoffice mail from one company location to another or running routes for banks where you are carrying copies of deposit slips to a central location for the bank.

Essentially, the profits are in the daily repetitive routes that are available in almost every city in America. Once you win the bidding on a route, you can expect a steady income for years to come if you provide steady timely service. You can choose to run the routes yourself or hire others and oversee the business.

When hiring others you can either buy more vehicles and have employees or outsource the routes by hiring independent contractors. Both ways have their pros and cons and you would have to weigh your options before making a decision but I can tell you for sure that the big courier service companies prefer the contractor method.

Once you nail a few routes and have a few employees it is easier to run your business as you can now optimize the routes and mix in some on call business so you and your crew can make some extra money.

It is truly a good business and set up properly you can be set for quite some time financially.