How to Start Your Own Wallpaper Business

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

How to Start Your Own Wallpaper Business

Starting a retail paint and wallpaper store is a relatively stable retail business venture to star, as there is no real threat from the Internet sales of these products. However, the big threat comes in the form of big box retailers, so business location is of critical importance to the success and survival of this kin of retailing venture. To increase sales and profits beyond just selling paint and wallpaper, also provide customers with unique services, such as after-hours instruction classes in various home decorating mediums and other products and services, such as equipment rentals for do-it-yourself painters. Factoring in consideration such as competition, star-up investment, operating costs, and profit potential, a paint and wallpaper store is a good choice for a new business enterprise, but best left to those of you with retailing experience.

A wallpaper business tackles job that involves home decorations. Many homeowners opt to use wallpaper because it is the inexpensive way of improving up a home.

That is why putting up a wallpaper business is a great idea.

Business Overview:

Business At A Glance:

Startup Costs: $2,000 - $10,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.

How to Become a Wallpaper Designer: Career Path Guide

Arranging an internship opportunity with a wallpaper, wall cover, or related design company while you’re still a student is a great way to get a head start on becoming a wallpaper designer, as this will help you gain valuable industry experience and make important contacts. Speak with your instructors and your school’s career services office, as they may be able to help you identify and apply for such opportunities. If you are not able to land an internship, fear not, as having internship experience gives you a head start in your career but is not a necessity.

There are many designers who will accept graduates without any internship experience. Make a list of wallpaper design companies you would like to work for and contact their hiring managers to inquire about any available positions. Ensure that you keep track of who you spoke to and when, as you should follow up with each of them every few weeks to see if they have found a position for you.

Jobs in the design field can often be found by searching internet job boards, employer websites and newspapers, so make sure to use these resources. If you are unable to find any jobs with wallpaper design companies, you can include related design companies such as flooring, accessories, furniture and interior design companies. You can always cross-over into the realm of wallpaper design later on.

Use your Talent

Starting a wallpaper business is a great idea. It does not necessarily require you to be a professional decorator as you can hire decorators to do the job. All you need to ensure is the necessary factors to attract clients and at the same time make your business successful. Apparently, you should have business plan, marketing plan, and wallpaper crew, staff of decorators, vehicles, wallpapering equipment as well as ladders and scaffolding. This kind of business is a good home business idea ideal for stay-at-home parents. This is a good source of household income not to mention the flexibility of time. Although it is quite challenging but can be started easily as long as you are willing to explore your talents in painting and wallpapering.

Inexpensive Start-Up

The start-up capital for wallpaper business is small. Ideally, you can start the business if you have at least $100. Other aspects that can help in starting the business inexpensively include your computer skills. It is necessary in creating colorful flyers even on ordinary papers. Likewise, you also need to make business cards that you can give to prospect clients. Other tools that you will need in your wallpaper business include brushes, blue painter’s tape, wallpaper paste, wall sizing, water trough, roller and other supplies.

Advertise your Business

If you do not have fund to do the advertising online, you can ask help from your family and friends to pass along the business cards to their friends. You can also post flyers on public areas such as schools, grocery stores, libraries and churches. Word of mouth is an effective and inexpensive way of advertising and if you have friend who is a real estate agent you can ask him or her to recommend you. Likewise, building contractors can also help recommending your business to their clients.

Grow your Business

It is not enough just to start and run the business because it is important to grow your business as much as possible. Obviously, you cannot grow the business alone that is why you need to hire employees who can help in bigger jobs that can generate more income. It could also help if you will specialize in some aspects of wallpaper painting such as mural and trompe l’oeil that can earn dollars. You can also offer interior designing instead of just doing painting job. Therefore, if you want to start a business just to make both ends meet or to acquire full time income, a wallpaper business is the right choice. It can be a home based business or a store front venture.

Reference

How to Start a Wallpaper Business

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Easy Tips and Ideas to Start Business

Although anyone can start a business, many people fail because of a bad product or improper research. If you want to start your own business, you can improve your chances for success before you even begin. In order to make your business successful, start strong and make sure that your idea will hold out for the long haul.

Have a Good Product

Ensure that you plan to sell something useful. Although you may think that your product is important or special, that doesn't mean the general public will agree. Ask friends, family and strangers what they think of your product. If they don't seem that interested, ask them why. With their suggestions, you can either improve the product or scrap the idea completely. According to Brad Sugars of Entrepreneur magazine, most small businesses fail because they sold a product that didn't have an adequate market. This also applies to small businesses that provide a service. A lawn-care business might be useful for part of the year in a northern state, but it is in-demand year-round in the south. Consider whether people will actually want to use your service and get constructive advice from those not afraid to give their opinion.

Research Local Businesses

Research local companies before starting up your own business. This will not only give you an idea of the amount of competition you will have, but it will also help you price your product or service. If you're looking to start a wedding photography business, you may find during your research that the market is over-saturated in your area. If not over-saturated, you should contact each business and ask them for a price list. Alter your prices so you can stay competitive with the competition in town. Researching similar local businesses will also help you decide where to locate your business location. Try not to start up a store or office close to another business of your type. If your small business is located away from similar business types, this will cause locals to choose you over businesses that are farther away from where they live.

Get Professional Advice

You may know someone who has started their own successful business. Ask him for advice and listen to his stories of how he started his company. You may gain useful advice on the good and bad ways to start a business. Local entrepreneurs can also introduce you to local product providers or advertisers that you may not have met without their help. Accept any advice with open arms, especially if the advice is coming from someone successful in the area.

How to Calculate Business Start Up Costs

Starting a business in no easy endeavor. It takes a great deal of research, perseverance and hard work. While sweat equity will make your small business more successful, you will most likely need real capital to get the business started. Before you start raising capital and/or investing your own funds, the first thing you need to do is determine the total start-up costs.

Step 1

Determine your costs of sales. For most small businesses this means inventory, the cost of raw materials, manufacturing equipment, shipping, packaging, and warehousing. However, not all businesses sell products. In this case, the cost of sales is primarily the direct labor involved in making the sale. For example, to open a small shoe business entails purchasing enough inventory ($10,000) to stock the store.

Step 2

Determine professional fees. Planning your business structure, i.e., limited liability corporation or general partnership, means hiring an attorney. There may also be the need to pay an attorney for help with establishing trademarks, copyrights, and patents. In this scenario, that puts total professional fees at an estimated $20,000.

Step 3

Determine technology costs. Technology can greatly reduce the cost of labor for small business if used effectively. Most small businesses require computers, printers, cell phones, website development, Internet access, software applications, information security, data storage, and outsourced information technology (IT) consulting. If the cost of technology is $10,000 to start, add an additional $5,000 a year for maintenance (hint: maintenance is not included in start-up costs).

Step 4

Determine administrative costs. This varies with business types and may include items such as business insurance, office supplies, product packaging, parking, rent, express shipping, desks, chairs, fax machines, phones, or anything else necessary to operate the business daily. A good estimate for start-up administrative costs would be $5,000 for the first six months.

Step 5

Determine initial sales and marketing costs. Now that you have your product, you need to let folks know about it. Sales and marketing costs generally include marketing materials for presentations, printing stationery, business cards, advertising, trade show events, and public relations. These initial sales and marketing costs can add up to $3,000.

Step 6

Determine the wages and benefits needed to secure a staff. This includes employee salaries, benefits, workers compensation, and payroll taxes. Let's put the cost of wages and benefits estimated at $20,000 for the first three months of business.

Step 7

Add all costs associated with starting the business for a total. Be sure to only include business start-up costs that will be incurred in the first three to six months of operations. For this example, the calculation is: $10,000 + $20,000 + $10,000 + $5,000 + $3,000 + $20,000 = $68,000.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2014