Home-Based door and hardware supplier

Small builders, carpenters, joiners and renovators, plus homeowners managing their own renovation or build.

You buy at trade price and sell with a margin on each order. Extras such as pre-hung doors, hardware packs and delivery add to the job value.

• Reading plans and door schedules
• Accurate measuring and quoting
• Building relationships with tradies
• Organised order and delivery tracking

• Check whether your council requires approval for a home-based business, especially if deliveries or storage are involved
• Public liability and product liability insurance, check what your cover includes
• Doors must suit the National Construction Code and Australian Standards, for example fire-rated or bushfire-prone area doors. Check requirements with the manufacturer and your local building authority
• A wrong measurement or damaged freight can wipe out your margin, so agree returns and damage terms with suppliers first
• Offering credit to trade customers carries a risk of late payment

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on your quoting tools, supplier set-up and how much storage or delivery arrangement you need. You keep little or no stock, which keeps costs down.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on how many builders and renovators you supply and the size of the jobs. Plan for at least about 15 hours a week. Revenue is before costs and margin losses.

Check whether your council requires approval for a home-based business, and your public and product liability cover. Doors must suit the National Construction Code and Australian Standards, so check with the manufacturer and local building authority. Agree returns and damage terms with suppliers.