Courier Business Essentials Pack

1

30-Day Launch Action Plan

This plan assumes you're starting from zero — no existing clients, no equipment, no routes. Follow it in sequence. Each day builds on the last.

Week 1 — Setup (Days 1–7)

Day 1 Register your business entity. File an LLC or DBA with your state's Secretary of State website (typically $50–150). Open a dedicated business checking account — even a free one like Relay or Mercury works. Do not mix personal and business money from Day 1.
Day 2 Get commercial auto insurance quotes. Call at least 3 carriers: Progressive Commercial (1-800-776-4737), State Farm Commercial (find a local agent at statefarm.com), and Nationwide (1-888-508-8984). Tell them you're doing medical courier work — not rideshare. Expect $150–300/month depending on vehicle and coverage. Do not skip this; personal auto policies won't cover business use.
Day 3 Set up your business presence. Create a business Gmail (e.g., yourname@yourbusinessname.com via Google Workspace, or a free Gmail if budget is tight). Claim your Google Business Profile at business.google.com — it signals legitimacy to any facility that Googles you before calling back.
Day 4 Create your capability statement. Use the template in Section 4 of this pack. This is your one-page business resume — it lists your services, coverage area, insurance credentials, and contact info. You'll email or drop this at every facility you approach. Print 20 copies on card stock.
Day 5 Build your target facility list. Open Google Maps and search "diagnostic lab," "medical laboratory," "urgent care," "physician clinic," and "pharmacy" within a 15-mile radius of your home. Aim for 20 facilities. Record name, address, phone, and a contact name if visible. A simple spreadsheet works fine. Prioritize labs and clinics over hospitals — hospitals have long vendor approval processes.
Day 6 Get bonded and order supplies. A surety bond ($50–100/year) adds credibility and is sometimes required by labs. Search "courier surety bond" or call BondExchange or SureTec. Also order: tamper-evident specimen bags (available on Amazon, search "biohazard specimen transport bags"), a quality soft-sided cooler with ice packs, and a logbook or chain-of-custody forms.
Day 7 Review HIPAA basics and set up documentation. You don't need to memorize the law — you need to understand the two rules that apply to couriers: (1) Never read what you're transporting. (2) Secure packages from pickup to drop. Set up a simple chain-of-custody log: Date | Time Picked Up | From | Package Description | Time Delivered | To | Your Signature. You can use a paper notebook or Google Sheets.

Week 2 — Outreach (Days 8–14)

Days 8–9 Make your first 10 cold calls. Use the scripts in Section 2. Call the first 10 facilities on your target list. Your goal is not to close a contract — it's to get a name and a callback. Log every call: who you spoke to, what they said, and what the next step is. Expect a lot of "send an email" — that's fine, it's still a warm lead.
Day 10 Follow up on callbacks and send capability statements. Check your log. Anyone who asked for more info gets an email today (use the template in Section 3). Attach your capability statement PDF. Subject line: "Medical Courier Services — [Your Business Name]." Keep it short and professional.
Days 11–12 Call the remaining 10 facilities. Same approach as Days 8–9. Log every outcome. If you reach voicemail, leave the script from Section 3 and follow up by email the same day. Do not call the same facility twice in one day.
Day 13 Search SAM.gov for government contract opportunities. Go to sam.gov and search "medical courier," "specimen transport," or "laboratory logistics" filtered to your state. Government contracts pay well and are publicly bid — you don't need a connection to apply. If you find something relevant, note the deadline and requirements.
Day 14 Review all responses and schedule site visits. Tally your outreach results: How many facilities responded? How many asked for more info? Who scheduled a callback? Identify the 5 most promising leads and propose an in-person drop or site visit for Week 3.

Week 3 — First Contract (Days 15–21)

Days 15–16 Do in-person drops at 5 facilities. Dress professionally. Bring printed capability statements. Ask to speak to the lab director, office manager, or practice administrator. Even if they're not available, leave your materials and ask for a business card. A face-to-face visit sets you apart from every other person who sent a cold email.
Day 17 Refine your pitch and call 5 new facilities. After two weeks of calls, you've likely found what objections come up most (pricing, insurance, availability). Update your script to address those objections upfront. Then call 5 new facilities you haven't contacted yet — expand your radius to 20 miles if needed.
Day 18 Send follow-up emails to every facility you've contacted. Use the email template in Section 3. Personalize the first line if you spoke to someone ("I spoke with Maria at your front desk last week..."). This one touchpoint alone often converts a warm lead — most couriers never follow up twice.
Day 19 Negotiate your first contract terms. When a facility is ready to talk terms, use the rate sheet in Section 4 as your starting point. Do not quote a price before you know their route requirements — ask: How many pickups per day? What time window? How many stops? STAT runs? Then use your rate sheet. It's okay to start slightly below your target rate to get the first client, then raise at renewal.
Days 20–21 Sign your first contract and set up route logistics. Use the service agreement template in Section 4 — have both parties sign it. Then map your route in Google Maps. Time it with a test drive. Identify parking, entry procedures, and the specific contact at each stop. Confirm your first pickup date and time.

Week 4 — First Runs (Days 22–30)

Day 22 Execute your first route. Arrive 10 minutes early. Document every pickup and delivery with a timestamp — use your chain-of-custody log. If anything goes wrong (wrong address, missing package, closed facility), call the client immediately and problem-solve in real time. Reliability starts on Day 1.
Days 23–25 Run your routes and build your reliability reputation. Show up on time, every time. Communicate proactively if you're running late. Healthcare facilities will test you in the first two weeks — they've been burned by unreliable couriers before. Consistency is your product, not just transportation.
Day 26 Ask your first client for a referral. After a few successful runs, ask directly: "We're expanding our coverage in this area. Do you know any other labs, clinics, or physician offices that might be looking for reliable courier service?" Healthcare is a relationship industry — a warm referral from a trusted facility is worth 10 cold calls.
Days 27–28 Pitch 5 new facilities using real social proof. Now you have something most couriers don't have in Week 4: an active client. Use it. "I'm currently providing daily specimen transport for [Client Name] in your area, and I'm opening up availability for one or two additional routes starting next month." This shifts the conversation entirely.
Day 29 Review your income and refine your pricing. Open your income tracker (Section 5). Calculate your revenue per mile, per hour, and per route. If you're earning less than $1.50/mile net, your pricing or route efficiency needs work. Use this data to quote your next contract accurately.
Day 30 Set Month 2 goals. You've done Month 1. Now scale. Target: $2,500+ revenue in Month 2. That means 2–3 regular routes or a mix of scheduled routes and STAT runs. Write down your goal, your target number of clients, and the 3 facilities you'll focus on landing next. Put it somewhere you'll see it every day.

The key insight: Most couriers give up in Week 2 because outreach feels slow. It's not slow — it's compounding. Every call, every email, every in-person drop is a data point that builds your reputation in a tight-knit healthcare network. Stay consistent.

2

Cold Call Scripts

These scripts are designed to be short, confident, and easy to deviate from naturally. Read them until they feel like your own words — then put the paper down. The goal of each call is one small ask, not a close.

Script 1 — Diagnostic Lab

Word-for-Word Script — Lab / Specimen Pickup

"Hi, my name is [Your Name] — I'm with [Business Name], and we provide HIPAA-compliant medical courier services to labs and clinics in the [City/Area] area. I wanted to reach out because we specialize in specimen transport — scheduled daily pickups, STAT runs, and chain-of-custody documentation on every package. A lot of labs we work with were dealing with missed or delayed pickups before switching to a dedicated service. I'm not trying to take a lot of your time — is the lab director or office manager available for a quick 5-minute conversation? Or if they're busy, I'm happy to send over our capability statement and rates by email. [PAUSE — let them respond] [If they offer an email:] Perfect. What's the best email address to reach [Name]? And is there a direct line I can follow up on in a few days? [If they transfer you:] Great, thank you so much."

Lab script notes: Labs care about two things — chain of custody and on-time pickups. Lead with those. Don't mention price until they ask. The "5-minute conversation" ask lowers the barrier to a yes.

Script 2 — Physician Practice

Word-for-Word Script — Physician Office / Clinic

"Hi, I'm [Your Name] from [Business Name]. We handle daily specimen and document pickups for physician practices in the [City] area — think a reliable 8 AM or 9 AM run to your reference lab each morning, so your staff doesn't have to coordinate it. We're HIPAA trained, fully insured, and we provide a pickup confirmation on every run. A lot of practices find it removes a daily headache for front-desk staff. I'd love to offer your office a complimentary trial run — no commitment — just to show you how it works. Could I speak with your office manager or practice administrator for two minutes? [PAUSE] [If they agree:] Wonderful. Should I call back at a better time, or are they available now? [If they offer an email:] Absolutely — I'll send over our info today and follow up in a couple of days. What's the best address?"

Physician script notes: Physician practices have a dedicated office manager or practice administrator — always ask for that person by title if you don't have a name. The free trial run offer is very effective here because the ask is near-zero risk for them.

Script 3 — Pharmacy

Word-for-Word Script — Pharmacy / Compounding Pharmacy

"Hi, I'm [Your Name] with [Business Name]. We provide medication delivery and inter-facility transport services for pharmacies in the [City] area. We understand that patient-facing delivery requires both speed and discretion — we maintain a strict chain-of-custody process, we're fully insured, and our drivers are trained on handling temperature-sensitive medications and controlled substance documentation requirements. If your pharmacy currently handles same-day or next-day delivery in-house, or if you're working with a courier that isn't meeting your reliability standard, we'd love to have a conversation about how we can help. Is the pharmacy manager available for a quick call? Or I can send our service overview by email — whatever works best for your team."

Pharmacy script notes: Pharmacies — especially compounding pharmacies — are serious about compliance. Mention controlled substance documentation awareness even if you're not handling them yet. It signals professionalism. Ask for the "pharmacy manager," not the pharmacist — the manager handles vendor decisions.

3

Voicemail + Follow-Up Email

Voicemail Script (~25 seconds)

Voicemail — Leave After First Unanswered Call

"Hi, this message is for [Name or 'the lab director / office manager']. My name is [Your Name] from [Business Name] — we provide HIPAA-compliant medical courier and specimen transport services in the [City] area. I'm reaching out because we have availability for new routes starting this month and wanted to connect. My number is [Your Phone Number] — I'll also follow up by email. No pressure at all — just wanted to introduce ourselves. Thanks so much."

Voicemail tip: Speak slowly and clearly on the phone number — say it twice if you can. Always follow the voicemail immediately with an email so your name appears in two places at once.

Follow-Up Email Template

Email Template — Send Same Day as Voicemail or First Call

Subject: Medical Courier Services — [Your Business Name] Hi [Name or "Team"], I'm [Your Name], founder of [Business Name]. We provide HIPAA-compliant medical courier services — specimen transport, scheduled daily pickups, and STAT runs — for labs, clinics, and physician practices in [City/County]. I left a quick voicemail earlier and wanted to follow up here as well. We're currently accepting new route clients for [Month]. I've attached our capability statement with service details, coverage area, and insurance credentials. Would you have 10 minutes this week for a quick call? I'm happy to work around your schedule. Best, [Your Name] [Business Name] [Phone Number] [Email] [Website if applicable] P.S. We offer a complimentary first run for new clients — no commitment required.

Email notes: Keep the subject line simple — "Medical Courier Services — [Business Name]" outperforms anything clever. The P.S. is deliberately at the bottom — it gets read last and acts as a low-risk call to action.

4

Contract & Rate Templates

Rate Sheet Template

Use this as a PDF or printed one-pager to leave with facilities. Replace all [brackets] with your actual information. Adjust rates based on your local market and route distance.

Rate Sheet — Copy and Customize

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ [BUSINESS NAME] Medical Courier Services ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ COVERAGE AREA [City], [City], [County] — up to [25] miles from [Your City] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SERVICE RATES ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Scheduled Daily Route (1 stop) $[25–40] / pickup Scheduled Daily Route (2–4 stops) $[18–30] / stop STAT / On-Demand Run $[55–85] / run Same-Day Delivery (3–5 hr window) $[40–60] / delivery Monthly Contract (5 days/week) Starting at $[450] / month ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ INCLUDED IN ALL SERVICES ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ✓ Chain-of-custody documentation on every run ✓ Pickup and delivery confirmation (text/email) ✓ HIPAA-trained driver ✓ Tamper-evident packaging available ✓ Temperature-controlled transport available ✓ Insured and bonded ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CREDENTIALS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Business Type: [LLC / DBA] State of Reg.: [State] EIN: [XX-XXXXXXX] Commercial Auto: [Carrier Name], Policy #[XXXXXXX] General Liability: [Carrier Name], Policy #[XXXXXXX] Surety Bond: [Bond Amount], Provider: [Company] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CONTACT ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ [Your Name], Owner [Phone Number] | [Email Address] [Website if applicable] Rates valid for [30] days from date of quote. Volume discounts available for multi-route contracts. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Rate guidance: The rates above are starting ranges for most mid-size U.S. markets. Urban markets (NYC, LA, Chicago) typically run 30–50% higher. Rural markets may run slightly lower but routes are longer. Always calculate your break-even rate before quoting: (Monthly expenses ÷ billable hours) + fuel cost per mile = your floor rate.

Service Agreement (Abbreviated — 1 Page)

This is a working one-page agreement — not a substitute for legal counsel, but effective for getting your first contracts signed. Replace all [brackets] before use. For contracts over $1,000/month, consider having a local attorney review.

Service Agreement Template

COURIER SERVICES AGREEMENT Effective Date: [Date] PARTIES This Agreement is between [Your Business Name] ("Courier"), a [State] [LLC/DBA] located at [Your Address], and [Client Business Name] ("Client"), located at [Client Address]. SERVICES Courier agrees to provide medical courier and transport services as described in the attached Schedule A (route description, pickup/delivery times, and locations). Services will be performed on [days of week], beginning [start date]. Changes to the route schedule require [3] business days' written notice. COMPENSATION Client agrees to pay Courier [$ amount] per [run / week / month] for services as described. Invoices will be issued [weekly / monthly] and are due within [15] days of receipt. Late payments are subject to a [1.5%] monthly fee. Rates are subject to annual adjustment with [30] days' written notice. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR STATUS Courier is an independent contractor, not an employee of Client. Courier is responsible for all taxes, insurance, vehicle maintenance, and compliance with applicable laws. This Agreement does not create a partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship. HIPAA COMPLIANCE Courier acknowledges that packages may contain protected health information (PHI) as defined under HIPAA. Courier agrees to: (a) not open, read, or inspect package contents; (b) maintain secure chain-of-custody documentation; (c) report any lost or damaged packages to Client within [2] hours of discovery; and (d) dispose of any inadvertently received PHI in accordance with HIPAA requirements. INSURANCE Courier will maintain, at minimum, commercial auto insurance with [coverage amount, e.g., $300,000] combined single limit and general liability insurance of [coverage amount, e.g., $500,000] per occurrence throughout the term of this Agreement. Proof of insurance will be provided upon request. TERMINATION Either party may terminate this Agreement with [14] days' written notice. Client may terminate immediately for cause (failure to perform, breach of confidentiality, or non-compliance with applicable law). Courier may terminate immediately if Client fails to pay within [30] days of invoice due date. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY Courier's liability for any claim arising under this Agreement shall not exceed the total fees paid in the [30] days prior to the claim. Courier is not liable for delays caused by traffic, weather, or acts outside its reasonable control. GOVERNING LAW This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of [State]. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ AGREED: Courier: [Your Signature] ______________ Date: _______ [Your Printed Name], [Your Business Name] Client: [Client Signature] _____________ Date: _______ [Client Printed Name], [Client Business Name]

5

Route & Income Tracker

Copy these tables and formulas into Google Sheets. Select the text in each block, copy it, then paste into a blank Google Sheet — the tab-delimited format will populate the columns automatically.

Weekly Run Log

Log every run here. One row per run (not per day). This feeds your monthly summary.

Weekly Log — Paste into Google Sheets (Tab-Delimited)

Date Client Name Route Description Miles Driven Hours Gross Revenue Notes 2024-01-15 Metro Diagnostics Clinic A → Lab → Clinic B 28 1.5 40.00 Scheduled route 2024-01-15 City Urgent Care STAT run to Reference Lab 14 0.75 65.00 STAT run 2024-01-16 Metro Diagnostics Clinic A → Lab → Clinic B 28 1.5 40.00 Scheduled route [Date] [Client] [From → To → To] [miles] [hours] [amount] [notes]

Monthly Summary Template

Monthly Summary — Paste into Google Sheets

Category Amount Notes INCOME Total Gross Revenue =SUM(WeeklyLog[Gross Revenue]) From weekly log Total Runs =COUNTA(WeeklyLog[Date]) Number of completed runs Total Miles =SUM(WeeklyLog[Miles Driven]) For mileage deduction EXPENSES Fuel [amount] Track receipts Commercial Auto Insurance [amount] Monthly premium General Liability Insurance [amount] Monthly premium Phone (business use %) [amount] If 80% business use: bill × 0.80 Supplies (bags, logs, coolers) [amount] Amortize large purchases Tolls [amount] Keep toll receipts Vehicle Maintenance (est.) [amount] $0.03–0.05/mile is a safe estimate Other [amount] TOTAL EXPENSES =SUM(above expense cells) MILEAGE DEDUCTION (IRS Standard) Total Business Miles =SUM(WeeklyLog[Miles Driven]) IRS Rate (2024) 0.67 Update annually at irs.gov Mileage Deduction =Total Miles × 0.67 Use this OR actual expenses, not both NET PROFIT Gross Revenue [from above] Minus: Total Expenses [from above] NET PROFIT =Revenue - Expenses Before self-employment tax Self-Employment Tax (est. 15.3%) =Net Profit × 0.153 Set aside each month TAKE-HOME (after SE tax est.) =Net Profit - SE Tax

Tax note: The IRS standard mileage rate changes annually — check irs.gov each January. You can deduct either the standard mileage rate OR actual vehicle expenses (gas, insurance, maintenance, depreciation) — not both. Most new couriers benefit more from the standard rate. Consult a CPA once you're earning consistently.

Expense Categories to Track

Fuel — Keep every receipt, or use a fuel card (WEX or Mastercard Fleet) for automatic records.
Commercial auto insurance — Your monthly premium is fully deductible as a business expense.
General liability insurance — Same as above.
Phone — If you use your personal phone for work, calculate the business-use percentage (typically 70–90% for a courier) and deduct that portion.
Supplies — Tamper-evident bags, coolers, ice packs, logbooks, gloves, cleaning supplies for your vehicle.
Tolls and parking — Keep receipts or use E-ZPass/SunPass which provide monthly statements.
Vehicle maintenance — Oil changes, tires, brakes. Keep every receipt. If you use actual expenses instead of the mileage deduction, these are deductible at your business-use percentage.
Surety bond — Annual fee is deductible.
Professional services — LLC filing fees, any legal or accounting fees.
Marketing — Printing capability statements, business cards, any paid advertising.

Key Metrics to Calculate Monthly

# Revenue per mile (efficiency check) Revenue per Mile = Total Gross Revenue ÷ Total Miles Target: $1.50–$2.50/mile for local routes # Revenue per hour (time check) Revenue per Hour = Total Gross Revenue ÷ Total Hours Driven Target: $30–$55/hour # Break-even rate per run Break-Even = (Monthly Fixed Expenses ÷ Number of Runs) + (Avg Miles per Run × $0.20 fuel/mile) # Month-over-month growth MoM Growth % = ((This Month Revenue - Last Month Revenue) ÷ Last Month Revenue) × 100 # Client concentration risk If any single client = more than 60% of revenue, prioritize adding a second client.

Review these numbers at the end of each month — not just total revenue. A courier making $2,000/month with 80% margins is in better shape than one making $3,000/month at 20% margins. Know your numbers.