I stuck with it for a couple of years, always telling myself that I'd do something to make more money someday, but I never actually did anything, because ‘someday’ never really comes. Then in 2014, I took a long hard look at my paycheck and made a decision…
If my boss wasn't going to pay me more, then I needed a new boss. And that boss was going to be me.
I looked at a lot of ideas and thought about what a good business would look like. I decided the best model was this: be someone other businesses needed in a hurry and offer a service they would gladly pay good money for. Luckily, I knew exactly how to do that: Over-the-road, Sprinter-van delivery.
Now, most people associate Sprinter vans with local delivery drops like Amazon, and yes, you can make a few bucks that way, but it’s always been a low-paying market. That’s not where the money is. The money is when a client needs expedited freight right now and they’ll pay a handsome premium for that service. And the best part? Most drivers don’t want to do it. That means low competition and a plentiful supply of eager clients. Easy, right? That’s what I thought, but I would soon learn some hard lessons.
Over-the-road is a great model, and yes, there is a lot of work and it is well paid, but until you get out there, you don’t know where the pitfalls are. I learned the hard way.
There are smart, highly profitable ways to find your clients and there are money-losing ways to get them. There are great states and cities to drive to, and there are places you 100% want to avoid. And, if you haven't planned your loads properly, you can very easily find yourself stranded, without money for fuel, a thousand miles from home.
I made all these mistakes, and more. Why? Because I broke the biggest rule of starting your own business. I didn’t copy someone who had already succeeded. I eventually figured that out, made changes based on the successful driver/owners I talked to, and within a year I was earning more money than I had ever made as an employee.