Nut and dried fruit shop

Local shoppers, home cooks and bakers, health-food fans, gift buyers and nearby workers.

You buy in bulk and sell by weight or in packs at a mark-up. Gift boxes, seasonal lines and custom mixes add higher-margin sales.

• Retail and customer service
• Buying and stock control
• Basic bookkeeping and pricing
• Managing staff or rosters

• Food business registration and inspections with your local council
• Lease terms, bonds and fit-out costs, consider getting advice before signing
• Allergen handling and labelling, particularly cross-contact with tree nuts and peanuts
• Certified scales for selling by weight, check your state's trade measurement rules
• Public liability, product liability and contents insurance
• Workers compensation insurance once you hire staff
• Slow early months while you build regular customers

Estimates typically put startup costs at around $25,000 to $100,000, depending on your lease, bond, fit-out and opening stock. Consider getting advice on lease terms before you sign.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $8,000 to $40,000, depending on location, range and how quickly you build regular customers. Expect slow early months while the shop becomes known locally.

Check food business registration and inspections with your local council, allergen handling and labelling (particularly cross-contact with tree nuts and peanuts), and your state's trade measurement rules for certified scales. Also look into public liability, product liability and contents insurance, plus workers compensation if you hire.