Module 1 Know your customer and market 4 hAnalyse
Every sound business in transportation and courier services begins with one clear customer and one clear problem. In São Paulo and the wider state, demand is real but crowded, so a small, well-described customer group wins before a broad one.
- In transportation and courier services: Know load types, routes and delivery windows.
- Write the customer in one sentence: a firm or a household. Add the place, the moment of need and what they use today.
- List five rivals or substitutes within reach. For each, record price, strength, weakness and how people reach it.
- Interview at least eight real customers with open questions. Record exact words, not your summary.
- Count the market in units: how many trips could one area buy in a month? Use two public sources and your own count, then take the lower figure.
- Choose one first segment and say why the others wait.
Worked example. Weak: 'Everyone needs a moved load or document.' Strong: 'Our first customer is a firm or a household within 8 km of the centre, who today pays R$ 418 per trip and complains about delay. We target 108 trips a month by month three.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: ten customers are interviewed for transportation and courier services. Seven say price, two say speed, one says trust. Question: which first message do you write, and which interview record backs it? Model answer: lead with the trip price and speed promise, keep trust proof as the second line, and cite the seven price answers by date.
Activity. Write the one-sentence customer, a five-row rival table and eight interview records. Share them with a peer for a challenge round.
Standard to meet. Define a specific customer, build a rival table with prices, and trace every claim to an interview or a source.
Module 2 Rules, registration and data duties in Brazil 4 hUnderstand
Brazil asks every trader to be visible and accountable. Know which register, tax regime and sector rules apply before the first sale, and check each against the current official text.
- In transportation and courier services: Operators need vehicle registration, driver licences and cargo insurance; follow driver hours rules.
- Choose a legal form: micro-entrepreneur (MEI) only if your activity appears on the official MEI list, or a company registered with a CNPJ. Regulated activities need their sector authorisation first. Check the current limits and lists on the official portal.
- Learn the tax regime that fits your size and write down which taxes you will collect and pay, and when.
- Find the sector rules for transportation and courier services: licences, inspections, professional registers. List each with the office that issues it and the renewal date.
- Personal data of customers falls under Brazil's data protection law (LGPD). Collect only what you need, say why, keep it safe, and name who answers questions.
- Consumer law gives buyers clear rights on information, returns and complaints. Put your terms in plain Portuguese.
Worked example. Checklist for a new transportation and courier services trader: 1) legal form (CNPJ, or MEI only if your activity is on the official list); 2) city operating licence; 3) sector licence or register; 4) tax set-up; 5) privacy notice; 6) written terms. Each has an owner and a date.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a neighbour says registration can wait until the first R$ 1.900 of sales. Question: what do you do? Model answer: do not delay; write the compliance table first, confirm the register, tax and sector licence with the official office, and start only where the table shows no open blocker.
Activity. Build your own six-line compliance table for your first location. Mark what is done, what is pending and who confirms it.
Standard to meet. Cite an official source for every line, assume nothing, and date every pending item. Local law always wins over this course.
Module 3 Design the offer 4 hCreate
An offer states what the customer gets, how well, by when and at what price. For a moved load or document, the offer must make the quality visible and the next step easy.
- In transportation and courier services: Offer fixed price lanes or per kilometre rates.
- Describe the core offer in three lines: what is delivered (a moved load or document), the standard it meets, and the time it takes.
- Add one proof for each promise: a sample, a test result, a guarantee or a customer record.
- Price from cost upward and from customer value downward, then pick a price inside both.
- Write a simple one-page terms sheet: what is included, what is extra, how to cancel.
- Create two options at most, so choice stays easy.
Worked example. Offer: 'A moved load or document, delivered within agreed time, checked against a written standard, price R$ 380 per trip. Proof: a dated record the customer can check and sign. Changes or cancellation by written agreement before work begins.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a customer asks for a discount from R$ 380 to R$ 342 per trip. Question: decide with numbers. Model answer: contribution falls from R$ 130 to R$ 92 per trip; offer an extra of value (for example faster service) before cutting price, and accept only if the lower contribution still clears break-even.
Longer notes. Promise one thing you can keep, such as delivery in the same day inside four neighborhoods. Draw the service area on a map, mark the usual travel time between zones and avoid promises outside it. Record fuel, oil, tires, parking and the driver hour for a full week, then divide by kilometers and deliveries. Choose the vehicle that fits your parcels, whether motorbike, car or van, and write weight and size limits. Price by zone and package size, adding a surcharge for urgent runs. Offer pickup windows and a delivery proof photo. Ask an insurance broker whether cargo cover applies to parcels carried for other firms and what the vehicle papers must show.
Extra worked example. A courier firm charges R$ 380 per trip. Fuel, driver pay, tolls and tyre wear cost R$ 250, leaving R$ 130, or 34,2 percent of the price. Fixed costs of R$ 20.000 a month for vehicle installments, insurance, tracking and dispatch are covered after 154 trips, since R$ 20.000 divided by R$ 130 is 153,8. With 180 trips, sales are R$ 68.400, contribution is R$ 23.400 and profit is only R$ 3.400. At 26 trips above break-even, one idle week erases the profit.
Activity. Write the offer card, the proof list and the terms sheet. Test them with three customers and note every point where they hesitated.
Standard to meet. Check that promise, proof and price are consistent, fit the terms on one page, and record three customer reactions.
Module 4 Run the work step by step 5 hApply
Good operations make results repeatable. For transportation and courier services, write each step so a new person could follow it on their first day, and measure each step.
- In transportation and courier services: Plan: load, secure, route, track, deliver, proof.
- Map the process from first contact to paid and closed. Typical stages: enquiry, quote, preparation, delivery of the trip, check, payment, follow-up.
- Name the key resource at each stage: a checked vehicle and driver hours log. Note what happens if it is missing.
- Write a one-page standard procedure per stage: who, what, tool, time, record.
- Choose three measures: speed, quality (errors per 100) and customer rating. Review them every week.
- Fix the cause of a defect, not the symptom. Ask 'why' five times and record the answer.
Worked example. Stage record: 'Prepare. Owner: lead. Time: 30 min. Tool: checklist. Record: signed sheet. Defect found on 1 of 45 trips last week; cause: missing check on a checked vehicle and driver hours log; fix: add check at start, review next Friday.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: of 180 trips last month, 11 had a defect traced to a checked vehicle and driver hours log. Question: what is the defect rate and what is your first action? Model answer: about 6 defects per 100; stop the cause (add a check at the start), correct affected customers, log the cause, and re-measure next week.
Activity. Draw the process map and write procedures for the two riskiest stages. Run each once and time it.
Standard to meet. Write procedures a stranger can follow, record weekly numbers for each measure, and trace one defect to a root cause.
Module 5 Safety, quality and risk 4 hEvaluate
The most serious risk in this field is a crash, a delay or a damaged load. A calm, written risk routine protects people first and the business second.
- In transportation and courier services: Fatigue, overload and theft; enforce rest and secure loads.
- List ten things that could go wrong. Score each for how likely (1 to 5) and how serious (1 to 5). Multiply and sort.
- For the top five, choose a control: remove the hazard, replace it, guard it, train people, or use protective gear, in that order of preference.
- Write who does what in an emergency, and rehearse it once a quarter.
- Keep an incident and near-miss log. Near-misses are free lessons.
- Check that insurance and legal duties match the risk you actually carry.
Worked example. Risk row: 'Hazard: a crash, a delay or a damaged load. Likelihood 3, severity 5, score 15. Control: written check before each trip, trained staff, log sheet. Owner: site lead. Review monthly.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a near-miss occurs: a crash, a delay or a damaged load nearly happened but no one was hurt. Question: what do you do in the next 24 hours? Model answer: make safe, record the event, ask the five whys, add or tighten one control, brief the team, and set a review date; near-misses count as lessons, not blame.
Activity. Build a ten-row risk register and a one-page emergency plan. Run a ten-minute drill with a peer and note two improvements.
Standard to meet. Rank controls by preference for the top risks, run the drill, and start the log. Where a regulation applies, follow the official rule.
Module 6 People, skills and service 4 hApply
People deliver the promise. Define roles, train to a standard and give feedback in the open.
- In transportation and courier services: Train drivers in safe driving and cargo care.
- Write a role card for each person: purpose, five tasks, the standard for each, and who to ask for help.
- Train by showing, doing with support, then doing alone with a check. Record sign-off per task.
- Set service rules for answering customers: reply times, tone, how to apologise and fix.
- Hold a ten-minute team check each day: yesterday's problem, today's plan, one risk.
- Build a growth path: what a new person can do in week 1, month 3 and month 12.
Worked example. Training record: 'Task: process a complaint. Shown 2 May; done with support 4 May; done alone 8 May, checked: apology, fix, follow-up call. Signed by lead.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a new hire completes training but a customer complaint shows a skipped step. Question: whose gap is it? Model answer: first the system: check the role card, the training sign-off and the checklist; then coach the person and fix the document so the step cannot be skipped.
Longer notes. Give each driver a short checklist: check the address on the label, call when five minutes away, hand the parcel to a named person and photograph the proof. Train dispatchers to sort the morning list by neighborhood and by delivery window before sending anyone out. Show drivers how to carry fragile boxes, strap loads and park without blocking traffic. Write a polite message for delays and ask drivers to send it at once. Rank drivers weekly by on-time rate, damaged parcels and compliments. Plan breaks and rest, since tired drivers cause accidents. Driver license categories, rest periods and who pays for fines are best settled in a written rule after talking to a labor adviser.
Extra worked example. A dispatcher sends 180 trips a month, and 18 (an illustrative count, not market data) are repeated because of failed deliveries. Each repeat costs R$ 250 in fuel, driver time and tolls, so waste is R$ 4.500. After confirming the receiver by message before leaving and grouping stops, repeats fall to 6. The saving is R$ 3.000 a month, or R$ 36.000 in a year. The text sent to each receiver before the driver leaves is the cheapest fix on the route sheet.
Activity. Write two role cards and a training plan for one new hire. Role-play a hard customer conversation twice and review.
Standard to meet. Write role cards with measurable standards, show the sign-off steps in training, and write the service rules in plain words.
Module 7 Money: cost, price and break-even 5 hAnalyse
A business lives or dies on a few numbers. Know your contribution per unit, your fixed costs and the volume you need.
- In transportation and courier services: Cost per kilometre includes fuel, tyres, tolls and maintenance.
- Contribution per trip = price minus variable cost. Fixed costs are paid whether you sell or not.
- Break-even units = fixed cost divided by contribution. Plan to pass it by a safe margin.
- Make a 12-month cash plan. Cash timing matters as much as profit: customers may pay late, suppliers may want money first.
- Keep money for business and money for the owner apart.
- Test the plan: what if sales fall by a quarter, or cost rises by a tenth?
Worked example. Worked example, all figures in reais: price R$ 380, variable cost R$ 250, contribution R$ 130 per trip. Fixed cost R$ 20.000 a month. Break-even = R$ 20.000 / R$ 130 = 153,85, so 154 trips a month. At 180 trips a month, profit = R$ 130 x 180 - R$ 20.000 = R$ 3.400. These are teaching figures that belong to this example only; later examples and the case study use their own figures. Use your own.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: sales fall to 135 trips a month. Question: what is the monthly result? Model answer: R$ 130 x 135 - R$ 20.000 = R$ -2.450; compare with break-even of 154 trips and decide whether to cut fixed cost or raise volume first. Teaching figures only.
Activity. Build your own table: price, variable cost, contribution, fixed cost, break-even and a downside case at 75% of sales. Show it to a peer or mentor.
Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, give every figure a source or mark it as an assumption, and show a downside case.
Module 8 Grow, measure and renew 4 hEvaluate
Growth should follow proof. Measure, learn, then add; and keep returning to the customer.
- In transportation and courier services: Grow by filling return trips.
- Pick one growth lever at a time: new customers, a higher repeat rate, a better price, or a new offer.
- Set one measurable target for 90 days, such as 'raise repeat customers from 20% to 30%'.
- Ask each customer how they found you, and record it. Spend more where the record shows results.
- Review monthly: numbers, defects, complaints, cash. Write three decisions each time.
- Plan the renewal of licences, equipment and skills a year ahead.
Worked example. 90-day plan: 'Lever: repeat customers. Action: follow-up call after every trip. Target: repeat rate from 20% to 30%. Check: weekly count. Review date: day 45 and day 90.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: you can add 36 trips a month by one of two levers: a follow-up call to past customers or a price rise of R$ 38 to R$ 418. Question: how do you choose? Model answer: test the cheaper reversible lever first (the call), measure for 30 days, and only then try the price change, so you can tell which one worked.
Longer notes. Walk into small shops along your route and propose a fixed weekly pickup at a stable price. Ask each customer which delay hurts them most and fix that before anything else. Calculate profit per zone by subtracting kilometers and driver time from the fees, and raise or drop zones that lose money. Keep a log of failed deliveries and the reason for each. Buy a second vehicle only when steady volume covers its monthly installment plus fuel. Share the on-time rate with your team every month and celebrate improvements. Write the weekly pickup price into a one-page agreement, and ask an accountant how often to invoice small shops.
Extra worked example. A firm runs 180 trips a month at R$ 380, with R$ 250 of variable cost and R$ 20.000 of fixed cost, so profit is R$ 3.400. Two new shop contracts add an assumed 20 trips (a worked-example figure, not market data), reaching 200. Sales rise to R$ 76.000 and profit to R$ 6.000, a gain of R$ 2.600 a month. Over twelve months the gain is R$ 31.200. Each shop's pickup slot on the morning list shows whether those 20 trips repeat monthly.
Activity. Write a 90-day plan with one target, three actions and a review date. Present it in five minutes and take questions.
Standard to meet. Set a measurable, dated target, break the actions down small enough to start this week, and put the review date in the calendar.
