Just the idea of starting your own business can be thrilling and now that you have a late model van, you’ve decided that you’d like to put it to good use. Whether you are in between jobs at the moment or simply wanting to start your own business, why not use that new van as the backbone of your business?
There are so many business ideas you can pursue if you own your own van. Provided you have the right van insurance in place, and the appropriate commercial license if that’s a requirement in your area, you should be in a position to give one of these van-based ventures a go.
Let’s look at eight interesting business ideas for van owners.
1. Speedy Delivery Service
Many businesses now offer next-day (or even same-day) delivery, but for customers that need something delivered as a matter of great urgency (an important business contract, for instance) next-day delivery just might not cut the mustard.
If you’re willing to use your van to offer these b2b customers a speedy delivery service you could soon build up a sizeable clientele in your area. The other option is to offer your services to floral shops. Many of them are delivering flowers and engaging outside employees. Global flower services such as MyGlobalFlowers.com deliver fresh blooms across the country using the help of couriers. Being a delivery service, it’s especially important that you maintain proper vehicle insurance coverage. Many delivery services, such as Amazon Fresh, offer their own insurance policies for delivery drivers. If you work independently, however, you will need to find your own insurance provider that specializes in commercial policies.
2. Outbound tours
Many people spend a huge amount of time in the city, and each of them would like to go out of town for the weekend. But each of us has a bunch of “urgent” things to do on our weekends. But even if we have time for ourselves, many of us do not know how to spend it.
You, as the owner of the van, can provide the service of an out-of-town tour to a lake or a river. To do this, you need a van (already have one), some sturdy kayaks for big people (Cause you do not know in advance which person will come. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and take strong kayaks), and a route people can take. We are sure that many people will enjoy this kind of relaxation from the bustle of the city.
3. Local Removal Service
Starting a removal service will almost always require you to have the ability to lift heavy boxes and items of furniture, and you’ll also need to be agile enough to negotiate steps, stairwells, and narrow corners. But if you’re up to it physically this type of business venture could prove to be a nice little earner…especially if you add another removal person to the team in order to be able to take on larger jobs.
4. Hauling Waste for Disposal
This is another idea that needs special consideration. You should never handle any hazardous materials unless you have special training and equipment, but there are other forms of domestic and business waste you can use your van to remove.
The type of waste you may be disposing of might be such things as furniture and other large items which the regular recycling collection will not take.
Again, be extremely careful of the types of waste you are willing to carry because some substances are extremely toxic – lethal, in fact.
5. Catering
While the substance of your business will be the foods you prepare and serve for events of your choosing, you will almost always need a van to transport those delicious edibles. Here, you will probably need mobile coolers and/or warmers, but those can be fitted to your van and easily removed when not in use. Some require being connected to your vehicles electrical system, but in any event, catering is a huge business, especially during the holidays.
6. Mobile Car Washing Service
So many people simply don’t have time or the inclination to wash their own vehicles regularly. Sometimes it’s a matter of not having access to hoses and outdoor faucets and other times it’s simply not having the ability to do the physical labor involved.
A large enough van could transport large barrels of water to be used on-site as well as the hoses and cleaning equipment needed for the job. This is an especially lucrative business in large cities where outdoor water access is sometimes at a premium.
7. Transporting Equipment for Events
Sometimes businesses book a venue to host an event but then are left wondering how to transport any equipment and materials needed for that event. Why not offer an equipment transport business?
There is no reason why you can’t do this and run a delivery service as well! Again, you may need to be strong enough to lift heavy weights, but you could even hire your van out for transporting musical equipment for bands doing weddings and parties.
8. Cleaning Services
Then there are cleaning businesses that necessarily carry a lot of equipment and cleaning materials. With a large enough van, you could offer both exterior and interior cleaning services because you could carry along a pressure washer for the exterior, as well as any other tools such as rakes and barrels to haul off debris. Whether offering house or office cleaning or pressure washing and gutter cleaning, a van is a necessary investment.
So, there you have eight novel business ideas for van owners. Maybe you want to keep your daytime job and maybe you want to go full-time into your own business. In any case, you have a lovely new van so why not let it pay for itself? These business ideas will have you working in no time at all.
Now you’ve got that great business idea worked out, and you might be thinking, “How do I market it?”. Most entrepreneurs and business owners use videos for marketing. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about those expensive, commercials you see on TV. Nowadays, it’s a totally acceptable practice to create animated videos for business using an app.
Again, you may need to be strong enough to lift heavy weights, but you could even hire your van out for transporting musical equipment for bands doing weddings and parties. If you need financial help getting started, try applying for a financial resource like a title loan.