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Cycling for Profit
How to Make a Living With Your Bike
by Jim Gregory
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| Format: |
5½ x
8½ inch trade paperback |
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Description: |
144 pages with 50
black & white photographs and other illustrations |
| ISBN: |
1-892495-12-0 |
| Price: |
US$14.95 |
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Click
here to order from
Amazon.com |
- How to start a
bike-based business
- The kind of work
that's available
- Equipment needs for
various types of work
- Business practices and
equipment
- How to market your
service
- How to hire and manage
employees
- How to keep your
business in the black
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The only book of
its kind: shows how to set up and
run a bicycle-based business. Only a
few copies left: get yours before
they're all gone! |
About the book
You don't need to be a
professional racer to succeed at
making your living by bike. This
book shows the many ways it can be
done — and how to go about making
your business flourish. The author
draws upon his own experience as
well as that of fellow bike-based
businesses around the world.
The first part of the book covers
the various kind of bicycle-powered
operations that are open to
full-time and part-time employment,
listing what kind of equipment is
needed and the practical aspects of
marketing and operations.
The second part of the book
describes the specific requirements
and modes of operation for each
particular kind of business.
About the author
Jim Gregory is co-owner and
founder of Fresh Aire Delivery
Services in Ames, Iowa, a
bicycle-powered delivery service
that handles anything from
straightforward parcel pickup and
delivery to furniture moving. His
business has grown from a small
one-person part-time venture to a
full-time operation employing two
people full-time and seven part-time
— all that in a small community in
the middle of Iowa, proving that
anyone armed with the information in
this book can succeed in cycling for
profit.
Table of Contents
Introduction
PART I. BASIC INFORMATION
1. Commercial Cycling
Why Work as a Commercial
Cyclist?
Commercial Cycling as a Business
The Disadvantages of Commercial
Cycling
2. Getting Started
Identifying Local Opportunities
Full Time or Part Time?
The Advantages and Disadvantages
of Self-Employment
Equipment Needs
Startup Costs
3. Basic Equipment
Choosing a Bike
Accessories
Trailer or Cargo Bike?
4. Communication Equipment
Answering Machine
Pagers
Cellular Phones
Online Service7
5. Insurance and Bonding
Cargo Insurance
General Liability Insurance
6. Marketing
Gaining Credibility
Applying and Interviewing for a
Job
Cold-calling Potential Customers
Advertising your Business with
Flyers
Brochures
Business Cards
Getting Free Publicity
Classified Ads
Yellow Pages Ad
Display Advertising
Other forms of Advertising |
7. How to Keep
Your Business in the Black
Use Time Efficiently
Watch Costs
Do Not Undercharge
Keep Records Up-to-Date
Bill Customers Promptly
Watch Overdue Accounts
Track Advertising
8. Hiring and Managing
Employees
Employees or Independent
Contractors?
Employee Costs
Employee Paperwork
Hiring Employees
PART II. DOING THE WORK
9. Jobs Requiring Only a
Bicycle
Pizza Delivery
Airline Ticket Delivery
Document and Small Package
Delivery
Pharmaceutical Delivery
10. Jobs Requiring a Cargo
Bike or a Trailer
Grocery Delivery
Newspaper Distribution
Commercial Cargo Hauling
Mail Delivery
Furniture Moving
Bicycle Transport
Beverage Can Collecting
Mobile Service
Mobile Bicycle Repair
Ice Cream Vending
Pedicabbing
Recycling Service
Appendix
Bibliography
Index |
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From the contents |
Mail delivery service vehicles in
Manchester, England.
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Unloading mail bins at
Bikes at Work in Ames, IA.
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