Work where you want – Four businesses you can start with a van

THE days of working for 30 years in the same office seem to be over. For some that is great news as the thought of sitting in an office for that long is terrible.

If you love working for yourself and would rather be on the go, then a business done from a van may be the answer for you.

You can grow a business that can be much more profitable than a day job or simply use our existing van as a way to make some extra money for your holidays.

Whatever way you plan to work it, here are some ideas on how to use a van as a business.

1 – Delivery Business

Online sales are growing every year with the majority of shopping being done with the click of a mouse.

In fact, the Post is having trouble keeping up with the shipments. Many times the deliveries get outsourced to independent contractors. 

If you’re a man with a van then you could be picking up the slack from those companies and seeing a tidy profit because of it.

2 – Removals

This is definitely one of the easiest ways to get started making money with your van.

As long as you don’t mind doing some heavy lifting and getting dirty then there is a lot of work waiting for you. 

There are two ways to go about marketing yourself. You can offer your services for those moving home and need you to haul their boxes to the new house. Or you can be a debris removal service for when people are cleaning out an old home and need to throw a lot of old stuff out.

3 – Mobile Bookstore

Many people are very busy and would love nothing more than peruse a bookstore if only time permitted. You can be the one to put them into some good books by fitting your van out to be a mobile bookstore and bringing the bookstore to them.

Finding bestsellers is easy. Just look at what is selling on Amazon and stock your truck with those titles. 

4 – Mobile Document Shredder

Shredding important documents is a big time commitment that many businesses would rather outsource. If you buy yourself a large paper shredder, you can offer to do it for businesses on the spot.

How to cut your costs

When using your van as a business it pays off to keep your expenses low. Manage your fuel consumption and using the services of a UK oil company that specializes in B2B solutions is the most obvious way to keep yourself profitable. 

Shopping around for the cheapest insurance that still provides the right coverage is another way to keep your expenses down. 

Lastly, start out lean and only hire somebody when you are in a position to grow the business. Once the orders are coming in faster than you can fill them, then look for somebody with a good driving record to take on the extra business. You may even find yourself in the market for a second van!