Uniform and workwear supplier for local businesses

Small businesses, restaurants, trades crews, clinics, sports clubs, community groups and workplaces that need matching staff clothing.

You buy at wholesale and sell at a markup, plus a setup fee for logo artwork. Repeat orders for new staff and seasonal top-ups bring steady income.

• Sales and building relationships
• Organizing orders and deadlines
• Attention to sizing and detail
• Basic design or artwork checking

• Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence
• Register your business name with your province and check whether you need a GST/HST number (the small supplier threshold applies)
• Commercial general liability insurance is worth checking, and product liability if you sell safety or hi-vis clothing
• Custom items usually cannot be returned, so get written approval of sizes, colours and artwork before ordering
• Check whether wholesalers charge shipping or minimums that squeeze your margin on small orders
• Quebec businesses should check French-language rules for catalogues, labels and invoices

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $500 to $4,000, depending on samples, software and insurance. Since you order only what customers have agreed to buy, you avoid holding large amounts of stock.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $800 to $4,000, depending on how many business customers you win and the size of their orders. Shipping and wholesaler minimums can squeeze margins on small orders.

Check for a home-based business licence with your municipality, business name registration and GST/HST, commercial general liability and product liability insurance for hi-vis items, and get written approval of artwork before ordering. Quebec businesses should check French-language rules.