The shipping industry is one of the fastest-growing of today’s time because it helps generate good revenue, many businesses need it for importing and exporting, and the need for a shipping business is always there. As businesses across the globe grow so does the need for a good shipping service.
There are many shipping companies that have become successful and made a good profit and are still growing. However, a shipping business is a lot more than just buying a truck and delivering goods, there is a lot that you need to consider in order to make it thrive.
Letting have a look at some of the areas you need to consider if you are thinking of starting a shipping business:
Write A Solid Business Plan
You can’t start any business out of the blue, you need to know exactly what the end game is and where to start. Meaning you need to have a business plan in place. Your business plan needs to address things like facts and figures, strategies, short term, and long term goals. If you are seeking help from investors you need to be able to show how you are going to run the business and make it profitable. This is, of course, easier said than done. You need to think about things like your selling proposition, skills, prices, costs such as lorry fleet insurance, financial plans, and your core competencies.
Start-Up Costs
More businesses fail in their first year than any other year of trading. This is usually because they underestimate the costs of starting a business. Think about every single cost you are going to need to pay out from recruiting your drivers, through to the cost of hiring a yard to keep your lorries. Look closely at all the numbers, you need to figure out exactly what you’re running costs are going to be, or, at least, your best estimate. It’s always best to overestimate when it comes to the costs of running any business.
Choosing An Office Location
When you’re new to the shipping industry, it can sometimes be hard to get clients to trust your business, this is because they want to be sure that they’re goods are going to be looked after. This becomes even more difficult when you are competing with already well-known companies in the industry. Therefore, the first rule you need to consider when looking for an office is to look for a location where the competition isn’t as steep and there is a place in the market. You should also make sure you are familiar with the local laws in the shipping industry.
Staff
This is can be a technical business, so, you need to hire technical people. When you are first starting out, it’s a good idea to recruit drivers who already have experience in the market, especially if you don’t have this experience yourself. It will come in handy when it comes to dealing with mishaps, clients, the orders, and the accounts. Finding the right people can sometimes be difficult so it might be a good idea to use a professional recruitment service.
It’s important to consider all of these areas when starting a shipping company. Are you thinking about starting this type of business? What considerations are you making?