With the global economic climate leaving many families without a reliable source of income over the last few years, many UK workers are opting to start their own business. Although you might think that becoming a property tycoon or stock market trader is the ideal move, it’s important that you don’t overreach yourself. Starting small and building up slowly, is the best technique to ensure continued success within any business, so perhaps investing in something like a catering van could be a good first step on the road to financial stability.
This guide will fill you in on everything you need to know about purchasing a van and starting your very own catering business.
Research Your Market
As with any new business, it’s important that you know your market inside out. Spend a few weeks researching all avenues of revenue and try to make a decision on the most viable options for you.
However, let me save you some time and tell you that many people who own catering vans choose to work at festivals. Although organisers will charge fees of anywhere up to £2000 for a weekend pitch, more often than not, you’ll make this investment back on the first day.
Find A Suitable Vehicle
You’ll almost always find that purchasing a second hand catering van and having the design adjusted to suit your new company is the most cost effective option available. New vans can cost upwards of £15,000, so unless you’ve managed to obtain some initial outside investment, you should probably opt for a used model to begin with.
Get Licences And Certificates
Any van you purchase will need to be inspected by the proper authorities to ensure its compliance with UK regulations. After this, you’ll need to obtain a street traders licence, a food hygiene certificate, and public liability insurance. Although this may vary somewhat depending on the nature of your business and where you choose to trade.
Find A Reputable Supplier
Lastly, you’ll need to locate a reputable supplier for both food and catering equipment. A simple internet search should throw up many links to local businesses who can help you out with this. It’s important that you ensure whichever supplier you choose can provide the goods as and when you need them, so check on delivery times before parting with any cash.
So there you have it my friends. A short but informative guide to starting your very own catering van business. Remember what I said about festivals, as these places are usually the biggest constant source of income for this type of business. However, if you do opt to sell at music events, be sure you’re ready to work very hard, as you’re likely to have a long queue of people waiting for food from the moment you open up until the time you close.
Still, even that has got to be better than working for 40 hours per week in a mind numbing, uninspiring, factory environment right?
Good luck!
