Office water cooler and refill supply service

Offices, medical centres, schools, gyms, building sites and other workplaces that want ongoing water supply.

Customers pay per bottle on a regular delivery schedule, often with a monthly cooler rental or service fee. Recurring orders from the same sites make your income steadier.

• Sales and relationship building
• Route and stock management
• Basic invoicing and bookkeeping
• Safe lifting and driving

• Public liability insurance, plus workers compensation insurance once you hire a driver (check your state scheme)
• Van and goods-in-transit insurance, and a driver's licence suited to your vehicle
• Coolers need regular cleaning and servicing, so check hygiene standards and council food rules where you refill or store
• Check council zoning rules for any storage unit or yard you plan to use
• Late-paying business customers can strain cash flow, so check payment terms before you start deliveries
• GST registration is required once your turnover reaches the threshold, so check with the ATO

Startup costs are typically around $30,000 to $90,000, depending on your van, storage space and how many coolers and bottles you hold. These are estimates, so get your own quotes before committing.

Monthly revenue is typically around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on how many workplace contracts you win and how often you deliver. This is revenue, not profit, so allow for vehicle, storage and servicing costs.

Check public liability, van and goods-in-transit insurance, and workers compensation once you hire. Also check hygiene standards and council food rules for refilling or storing, zoning for storage, and GST registration with the ATO once turnover reaches the threshold.