Part of what I love about working for Zipments is that we get to meet people that we might never have before. Cole has been into the office a few times doing deliveries for us & he has an interesting story. Thanks for sharing this with us, Cole! —Laura

My name is Cole Jackowski.  I’m a Zipments courier and I absolutely love it.

I’ve almost always earned my living on my own terms.  I need freedom in my work in order to feel comfortable and be productive; I need to call the shots to a certain extent.  I need to be in charge of myself.  I also prefer to have fun while I’m at it.

My main job is running my Etsy shop, which sells typewriters, pocket watches, and other antiques I’ve restored.  I do a fair amount of desk work and I spend a good amount of time at the computer, but my schedule is my own to shape.  Zipments fits into my work day easily, as I can choose the deliveries that best suit my schedule and location.  I’m intentionally carless, so I go for the deliveries I can perform on my bike or via the Rapid bus system; usually this means downtown/east side deliveries, as I live in Eastown.

Through deliveries I’ve made via Zipments I’ve become familiar with restaurants, buildings and neighborhoods in Grand Rapids I’d otherwise not know much about.  It’s always exciting to jump online to bid on a delivery, wondering, “Where will I go today?”  The Zipments Grand Rapids offices, for example, are in a building I pass nearly every day but hadn’t actually visited before.  It’s fun getting to know the hallways, elevators and offices of the buildings that make up my city.

I’ve tried setting up my own bike courier service before, but it was far too difficult.  I like Zipments because I’ve got a backing of legitimacy and a secure payment system, but I’m still totally independent of any bosses or fee-taking agencies.  Zipments does all the work—bookkeeping, marketing, mediating payments securely—and I just pick up jobs when I want them with a few clicks.  And it bears repeating that couriers don’t get any fees taken out of their payment—what I bid is 100% what I get.  As someone who fancies himself an entrepreneur, I love this.  I’m entirely independent.

The website is welcoming, and so are the folks behind it.  Garrick and Laura of the Grand Rapids office are always respectful and receptive to suggestions when I visit with deliveries.  It feels good to know that the business is more than just the website, that the people involved are willing to share a conversation and listen to me as a user with valid input.

Zipments deliveries are great for breaking up my work day and giving me an excuse to get outside and get some exercise.  As the business grows, I can definitely see myself taking more and more deliveries, and possibly making bike courier-hood a full-time job.  So far my experiences with Zipments have been nothing but fun and rewarding, and I want to tell everyone I can to get on board as customers and couriers.  As an environmentally conscious, bike-loving, web-savvy entrepreneurial spirit, Zipments just hits all the right notes for me.