‘On Delivery’ (c) 2013 Daniel Lobo. Used under a Creative Commons license. (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode)

Hello, dears!

Now, before we get on with this post, I hope you all will forgive me. I know I had promised to share some of my experiences working as a delivery driver for my nephew’s new company – and those are still stored for future use – but I happened to come up with a great idea for one of our good old-fashioned discussions, which I just could not pass up. And don’t worry – it’s still relating to owner driver jobs!

See, the thing is, Steven himself is an ‘owner driver’ – aside from being the manager of his company, he also doubles as a driver whenever some extra parcels need delivering. This was how he made his start in the entrepreneurial world, too – running around town in his father’s van taking parcels to people. Back then, my brother gave him a small fee, but now that he has his own company, he told me he doesn’t want or need a salary - at least not while the business is still finding its feet. He said that as long as he is not making any kind of profit to speak of, he wouldn't pay himself a salary; anything he earns will be put into the overhead for the company.

I personally find this admirable, but at the same time I’m not so sure it really is a good idea – after all, Stevie has a wife and child, and while I’m sure he has some money saved, that only goes so far. I hope my nephew doesn’t find himself in need of funds to support both himself and the company...

Anyway, the conversation speak of is what brought about the idea for our discussion topic for today. I know many of you work on owner driver jobs, and as such I thought I would ask you specifically what your thoughts are on the topic of salaries. Do you give yourself one when you’re the boss? Or do you think, like Stevie, that everything you make should go into the company, at least in the early days?

Now, before we get any further, I feel like I need to make something clear: when I talk about owner driver jobs here, I’m not talking about the kind where you sign up with someone else and they pay you a salary, but you get to drive your own van and everything - those are called independent contractors. I’m talking about 100% independent businesses, like the kind Stevie is trying to start up.

So what are your thoughts on this subject? Write in and let me know! Until then, ta-ra!

- Gertie
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