Local carpet and underlay warehouse supplier

Independent flooring stores, professional carpet installers, renovators and small builders.

You buy from mills or larger distributors and sell at a margin per roll, per metre or per bundle of underlay, with extra for cutting and delivery.

• Sales and relationship building
• Stock and inventory control
• Handling heavy rolls safely
• Managing customer credit

• Large amount of cash tied up in stock, so start with fast-selling lines
• Trade credit risk: check how you will handle late-paying customers
• Commercial general liability and property or stock insurance
• Zoning and business licence rules for a warehouse unit, check with your municipality
• GST/HST or provincial sales tax registration, check with the CRA and your province
• Safe lifting and forklift or roll-handling training, plus WCB/WSIB once you hire
• If you import, check customs, duties and product labelling rules, including French labelling in Quebec

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $30,000 to $120,000, depending on your unit and how much stock you buy. A large amount of cash can be tied up in stock, so consider starting with fast-selling lines.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $15,000 to $60,000, depending on your stock range, your customer base and your region. Check how you will handle late-paying trade customers, since credit risk can affect your cash flow.

Check zoning and business licence rules for a warehouse unit with your municipality, and GST/HST or provincial sales tax registration with the CRA and your province. Also look at liability and stock insurance, safe lifting and forklift training, WCB/WSIB once you hire, and import and labelling rules if you import.