Home-Based salon and spa product supplier

Independent stylists, booth renters, nail and lash studios, small spas and barbershops that want a local supplier with quick delivery.

You sell at a markup over your wholesale cost, with repeat orders from regular clients. Small delivery fees or order minimums can help cover your time.

• Knowing beauty products and what professionals use
• Sales and relationship building
• Stock tracking and ordering
• Reliable local delivery

• Health Canada rules on cosmetics, including ingredient and labelling requirements, so check what applies to the products you sell
• Some brands only sell through authorized resellers, so confirm you are allowed to resell them
• Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence, and whether you can store stock at home
• Register for GST/HST once you pass the small supplier threshold, and check any provincial sales tax rules
• Commercial general liability and product liability insurance
• Stock that expires or goes out of fashion can tie up cash, so start small
• Quebec has French-language labelling and business requirements, so check them if you operate there

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on how much stock you buy and which brands you carry. Starting small helps, since stock that expires or goes out of fashion can tie up your cash.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue is typically around $800 to $4,000, depending on how many salons and stylists you supply and what they order. The idea needs roughly 8 hours a week at minimum, and revenue is before stock and delivery costs.

Check Health Canada cosmetics rules on ingredients and labelling, and confirm brands allow you to resell as an authorized reseller. Also check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence and allows stock at home, plus insurance, GST/HST, and Quebec French-language requirements.