Local retaining wall supply yard

Landscapers and small builders who buy regularly, plus homeowners doing garden walls and sloping-block projects.

You buy stock from manufacturers and wholesalers and sell at a markup per block, pallet or tonne. Delivery fees and trade accounts for regular landscapers add steady income.

• Knowing wall materials and how to estimate quantities
• Customer service and quoting
• Managing stock and supplier orders
• Safe handling of heavy goods

• Zoning and council approval for a yard or storage site, check with your local council
• A high risk work licence is generally needed to operate a forklift, check with your state's work safety regulator
• Public liability and product liability insurance, plus workers compensation once you hire
• Heavy stock ties up cash, and manual handling injuries are a real risk
• Customers may ask whether a wall needs engineering or approval. Taller walls often do, so point them to check with their council and an engineer rather than giving advice yourself

Startup costs are typically around $30,000 to $150,000, depending on the site, the yard fit-out and how much stock you hold. Heavy stock ties up cash, so your opening range will affect where you land in that range.

Monthly revenue is typically around $15,000 to $70,000, depending on your mix of trade and homeowner customers, your stock range and whether you offer delivery. That is revenue before stock, rent and wage costs, with about 40 hours a week at minimum.

Check zoning and council approval for a yard or storage site. A high risk work licence is generally needed to operate a forklift, so check with your state's work safety regulator. Also check public liability and product liability insurance.