First off, I’ll start with my side of story…
Related: 10 Ways to Slash Your Business’ Gas Costs
I was running a couple of businesses 5-6 years ago, and although vehicles are not used extensively, they are still integral part of my business at that time.
The business service centers I owned use vehicles to transport goods to be sold in store (stationeries and such,) as well as for running “errands” (picking up customers’ package that was “stuck” in the shipping depot for one reason or another, and many other things to do.)
The rising gas prices mean higher business expenses, which also mean lower profit margin for me.
I also travel quite a lot to attend trade shows, business expos and find suppliers for my store. Not stopping there, I also pursuing other business opportunities that require me to travel considerably.
The bottom line, gas costs are eating up my profits. So what did I do to cut my gas costs?
1. Consolidate and group things
Instead of doing things as they arise, I schedule and reschedule to get more things done in a single run. That involves arranging things in such a way that the nearest tasks and “chores” are grouped together.
2. Go online for meetings and briefings
Why meeting face to face when you can do so using a web cam, an online chat, or such? I was using Yahoo! messenger to talk to my managers. It was convenient, but today, it’s even more convenient with the availability of mobile devices and online collaboration tools.
3. Ask for delivery order
Why pick up when you can get things delivered for you? Negotiate for a delivery on any orders. If the distance is a bit too far and your request got rejected, try to negotiate to meet somewhere in the middle of the route; it’s still better than nothing.
Those have helped lower the gas costs. Unfortunately, not for long. A big hit partly due to the recession had me close down a store and sold another one for peanuts. I then shifted to work from home, online. So, lucky for me, I enjoy a nearly non-existent gas expenses for business purposes.
So, if you want to escape the gas prices craze, try working from home, online.
Unfortunately, things are certainly not easy for some businesses, especially those that involve travel, such as shipping business, food truck business, and many others. The rising gas prices obviously mean more costs running the business – and fewer profits for you.
But when there is a will, there is a way.
If you happen to run such business with gas costs get a considerable portion in your business expenses column, you should read this article on Business on Main: 10 Ways to Slash Your Business’ Gas Costs.
The article is specifically aimed at small business owners whose businesses involving a lot of travels, but both business and personal vehicle users can benefit from the tips. So here’s the article again:
10 Ways to Slash Your Business’ Gas Costs
Ivan Widjaya
Tips on cutting gas costs
Disclaimer: I receive incentives to share my views on this particular blog post, but all of the opinions are my own. My blog is a part of an online influencer network for Business on Main.