So you’re considering starting a taxi cab business? Driving a cab can be a rewarding experience, but owning a business is another beast unto itself. Do you have enough money to pay for your vehicle, insurance, and advertising, or do you need financing? How will you do your dispatching? Do you need a physical location to store your car? What will be your break even point? Who are your competitiors? How will you find business? These are all points I will cover in this website, for free.

Step 1 - Is there money to be made? - Analyze your competition, and check out the market demand.
Step 2 - Create a virtual storefront to test the market - 4 hour workweek, test the market. Get free business cards from vista print, post at any bars, hospitals, etc…
Step 3 - Test Phone Number, and mailing address (even PO Box), needed for Google Places
Step 4 - Give it a few weeks for everything to resonate online.
Step 5 - If you believe there is still money to be made, purchase your car, insurance, and accessories. Set up separate bank account, LLC, and credit card.
Step 6 - Begin Driving, end every drive asking for an online referral.
Step 7 - Tracking the numbers
Step 8 - Growing the business

Pull a Permit - This may be a local permit, one through y0ur state’s department of motor vehicles or both. In my particular case, being in Wisconsin I am only required to pull a permit from my municipality and my state’s department of motor vehicle department does not require statewide permits.

Insurance - This is one of the biggest expenses you’ll have as a taxi owner. Don’t skimp out or worse, drive without insurance, it could completely ruin your finances if something unfortunate happens.

Car Adveriting - Topper and Magnets or decals are most common. In my instance I use the car as my daily driver and simply use it as a taxi during the evenings. Therefore, I use magnets for the side panels and the top advertisement.

Taxi Airport Fee - In order to pickup passengers from your local airport you’ll have to be allowed by the airport itself, this usually comes at a price. Contact any airports you think you’ll be picking up to inquire the cost and instructions to be allowed on site.

Payment Processing - How will you process your payments? I’m currently a one man show and use mobile payments. Square is my preferred vending choice. Learn more about mobile payment options.

Taxi app - google android ($4.99)

Marketing - A good website and online marketing is a must if you want to get in front of people. With almost everyone having a smart phone when bar close comes calling or an event gets out, they immediately hit Google, Facebook, or other search engines to find a cab in their area. Will they find you? Learn more about internet marketing for cab drivers. Get free business cards, vista print.

Equipment - Will you be using a meter, these are required. Are you going to wear uniforms? Where will you find your magnets, and decals.

Create business plan, run the numbers, and see if this will work.

Step 1 - Create business name, register business name
Step 2 - Get yourself a phone number and mailing address
Step 3 - Begin marketing yourself.
-create yelp page
-claim google listing
-build website
-facebook page
-get backlinks to these, write a few posts.
Step 4 - test the market, are you getting calls?
Step 5 - Buy the car, meter, and accessories, and insurance.
Step 6 - Begin driving.

Online Marketing - Claim listings
Before you start claiming listings, do yourself a favor and write out a three to five sentence description of your business along with getting yourself at least five pictures related to your taxi company, which may be your taxi, your logo, you, or you with a happy customer if you have such a photo. Each of the websites you’re going to submit to will ask for these things, so it’ll be easier if you start by being prepared.

-Yelp - http://www.yelp.com/biz/green-bay-taxi-cab-green-bay

-Yahoo Local - https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/local-listings?s_local=add
Paid Subscription

Manta.com - Enter your business information, especially your website url and phone number. In order to verify manta will make you call a salesperson who will attempt to upsell you a premium listing. Politely say you do not want the premium subscription and only wanted to verify your basic listing. If you decide to do more marketing in the future consider adding a premium subscription, but at the moment you’re bootstrapping, and bootstrappers don’t have $19.95 a month to spend on manta.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/business/overview - This is getting repetitive at this point, but it needs to be done. Set up an account, add at least five pictures, your standard description. If you have family and friends who you think will be supportive of your taxi venture, ask them to like your page, but don’t go spamming everyone on facebook, that’s a good way to annoy people.

Bing Local - Very similar to Google, but you can verify via email, which is nice since it’s immediate. Google sends a postcard that takes up to a couple weeks to reach you and wastes valuable time.

Foursquare - Doesn’t hurt to add, but I haven’t had the best of luck with it.