Natural stone sourcing and supply business, no yard needed

Builders, landscapers, stonemasons, interior designers and homeowners doing renovations.

You add a margin to the supplier price on each order. Larger jobs such as paving, bench tops and cladding bring bigger orders, and repeat trade customers keep work coming in.

• Knowing stone types, finishes and uses
• Quoting from plans and measurements
• Building trade relationships
• Organising freight and deliveries

• Public liability and product liability insurance, and who is responsible if stone arrives damaged or the wrong batch
• Colour and batch variation in natural stone, so confirm samples match the delivered slabs in writing
• Freight costs and breakage risk on heavy stone, so check who carries them
• Imported stone: check your supplier's origin, quality documents and ethical sourcing, and any biosecurity or import rules if you import directly
• Tying up cash in deposits to suppliers before customers pay, so check payment terms
• Check with your local council whether home-based business approval is needed

Startup costs are typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the size of your sample range, website and supplier setup. Treat this as an estimate and get quotes from suppliers before you commit any money.

Monthly revenue is typically around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on your trade relationships, the stone you supply and how many jobs you quote and win. These are estimates only, and revenue is before your costs.

Check public liability and product liability insurance, and who is responsible if stone arrives damaged or the wrong batch. Also confirm samples match delivered slabs in writing, check who carries freight and breakage risk, supplier origin and import rules, and whether your council requires home-business approval.