Retirement Jobs – Courier Services and Pet Transportation

Retirement Jobs – Courier Services and Pet Transportation

Find a need and fill it – that’s the golden rule followed by successful entrepreneurs and taking pets to the vets is a service not readily available to many pet owners who would be willing to pay handsomely for such a service.

Add to that, a courier service for letters and parcels – one service could feed off the other. You may think that going against the big guns in the courier business would be tough, but remember, this is a retirement job, and the plan is to develop a personalized service for both pets and parcels.

To start your courier retirement job all you need is a good-sized and reliable van or SUV - there isn't much else you will need to get started.

Let’s turn first to the pet transportation part of this retirement job – as any pet owner knows, a pet may end up not feeling well at any time and the upset can come when the owner is very busy, and hasn’t the time to take their pet to the Vet and they’re willing to pay for such a service.

You could charge about $20 for the transportation service, which includes the back and forth journey from their home to the vet - but if the vet is say, more than 3 miles from the pet owner’s home you could charge higher rates; like a fixed rate of $20 for the journey, plus a dollar a mile for each additional mile.

You will need to buy a cat and dog carrier – there’s many to choose from; plastic, metal, and aluminum carriers. It is better to buy a carrier that is durable, and at the same time, a secure place for the pet when transporting it.

Sometimes, a pet may try to chew through the carrier, while traveling! You will need to have some pet treats and toys handy to keep the pet entertained while traveling.

Of course, you should have a loving interest in looking after animals and a knack with handling pets; as you will never know, the pet may get violent or panic suddenly and act strangely!

If you do not love animals, or are frightened of them, then this is not a good business choice for you. Animals need to have someone comfortable caring for them, especially if they are not feeling well, for this business to be successful. They can quickly sense an uneasy human around them, and act up.

Your courier services and pet transportation service will also do better if you place an advertisement in the yellow pages. You could also have some pamphlets printed, stating the service you provide and leave these pamphlets in Veterinarian's offices and pet stores; any places that are frequented by pet owners.

Also, visit all the Vet offices in your area and work a referral deal – offer a discount to the Veterinarian if the transportation request comes from his office – they will charge the customer the full rate and earn a commission with the discount.

Retirement Jobs - Courier Services and Pet Transportation

Depending on how much time you want to spend on this retirement job - you could add the letter and parcel section to your courier service,

Remember, you need to be in pretty decent physical shape, have good stamina and a healthy lifting ability. You will need a strong and healthy back for this job. Some packages can weigh up to 70 pounds or more. Learning the proper way to lift and carry large and heavy packages can significantly reduce your risk of a debilitating injury.

Obviously a dolly can help when you will need to move a particularly heavy or large package, or more than one at a time.

The key here is promoting this aspect of your courier services.

Start will business cards - you can make these yourself with your computer and a printer with the right paper – but you can go first cabin, if you want to pay the price and have a professional graphic designer create them for you, complete with a logo for your new business.

Flyers and mailers to business that you think would appreciate a local, personalized courier service – do you homework – post your calling cards in shopping malls and any other places that have calling card boards.

Keep a mailing list of your pet transportation customers and send them a personal letter, detailing your courier services - it may take time, but Word-of-Mouth is the best form of advertising you can get. If you have satisfied customers they will refer your services when someone they know needs them. This is the best way to get people coming your way.

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