Students across the world require a wide array of school supplies. From binders to book covers, pens, pencils, and rulers, school supply store businesses provide students with the supplies they need to be academic superstars.
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We have put together this simple guide to starting your school supply store. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our School Supply Store Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
A store space must be rented or purchased. Alternatively, you can launch the business online in the form of a website. If you take the online route, you must pay for the domain name and website maintenance. School supplies ranging from staplers to paper, book covers, pencils, pens, markers, binders and beyond are necessary. Budget money for marketing along with a website, point-of-sale systems, retail display fixtures, inventory tracking software, a business license/permit, insurance, and labor. A handful of laborers will be necessary at the company's launch. Laborers include cashiers and those who stock the shelves. You can add more people to the payroll as the business grows.
Ongoing expenses include store rent, employee wages, supplies, insurance, utilities, high-speed internet and marketing. If you opt to rent your store rather than purchase the site where it will operate, you will likely spend between $700 and $1,500 or more per month in rent. The exact figure hinges on the location of your store and its size. Most employees will earn $8 to $12 per hour. If you hire a marketing professional, store manager or accountant, they will earn a salary in the range of $30,000 to $50,000 or more. The cost of supplies hinges on the size of your store and the number of customers you attract. Budget at least a thousand dollars per month for supplies and adjust the figure accordingly as time progresses. Budget at least a couple hundred dollars per month for utilities including high-speed internet. Allocate at least $200 or more per month for marketing efforts.
The preferred client is a parent with multiple school-age youngsters. In some instances, teachers shop for classroom supplies on their own. Both of these customer types are inclined to spend a significant amount of money at your school supply store business.
The business makes money by selling school supplies to students, parents of students, teachers, and schools.
Your school supplies will sell at a wide range of prices. Something as simple as a bookmark will sell for as little as fifty cents. A fancy binder portfolio will cost upwards of $30. However, most school supplies fall in the price range of a couple dollars to $10.
A school supply store has the potential to earn a profit of $20,000 to $50,000 or more in the first year. Grow the business, add another location, and profits can double in the ensuing year(s). Develop the business across the region and it is possible to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars or even a profit in the million dollar range.
You can branch out by selling academic texts, backpacks and toys like fidget spinners. Consider offering sales through your website. Customers can either pick up their online orders in-person at the brick-and-mortar location or you can deliver the items to the local purchaser. You can also try to sell office supplies along with holiday and party items to keep your store busy during the months in which school is not in session.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your school supply store is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they're a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business's debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business's liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your school supply store were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We've negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.
Note: If you're interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a school supply store. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits .
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
A school supply store is generally run out of a storefront. Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.
FInd out what types of insurance your School Supply Store needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for School Supply Store.
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.
Recommended: Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
Market your school supply store across an array of mediums. Advertise in the local paper and on local radio. It is also advisable to build a highly polished, easy-to-use website that appeals to youngsters, parents, and teachers alike. Optimize all of your online content for search engines (SEO). This means the website should be laden with keywords and key phrases pertaining to your locale, your inventory, and your customers. The website should also feature a regularly updated blog and links to your social media accounts. Update your social media accounts several times per week with information about sales, new inventory, special offers, and links to information that relates to academics.
The best way to attract customers is to position the business by several schools, universities, malls, and other businesses/organizations that attract youngsters. If your store is located far away from prospective customers, it will prove awfully difficult to attract a steady stream of business. Once you pinpoint the perfect location, get your name out there through a wide-ranging marketing push. Advertise in the local paper, on local radio, in flyers, on billboards, and on the web. In terms of retaining customers, make sure your inventory is high-quality and your prices are competitive with other local school supplies stores. Make sure you have a wide array of supplies that appeal to grade school students, junior high school students, and university students.
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.
This business is ideal for an individual who has a passion for academics and youngsters. There is plenty of money to be made by selling school supplies. Yet this business also plays an important role in the community as it provides students with the materials they need to learn and grow.
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
A school supply store business owner does everything from researching supplies to ordering supplies, pricing inventory, positioning inventory for sale, delegating duties to employees, handling payroll, and marketing the business.
Keep your finger on the pulse of the local academic community. Interact with students, teachers, parents of students and distributors to stay on top of school supplies trends. Establish relationships with teachers who can steer students and their families to your store. It will also help to be a marketing guru. A substantial portion of your success hinges on your ability to market the school supply store business to those who need school supplies.
This business has the potential to expand to new locations across the city in which it launches. It is even possible for the business to grow across the region and even the nation.
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