Neighbourhood candy and chocolate shop

Families, kids and teens, tourists, people buying gifts, and local businesses ordering treat boxes or party favours.

You buy at wholesale and sell at retail, by weight or by the piece. Gift boxes, seasonal lines and party orders carry higher margins.

• Friendly customer service
• Stock buying and ordering
• Eye for displays and presentation

• Business licence and zoning for the location, check with your municipality
• Whether your local public health unit needs to inspect or permit the shop, especially if you scoop or repackage bulk items
• Allergen handling and labelling rules, and French-language requirements if you are in Quebec
• Sales that bunch around Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter, so plan cash flow for quiet months
• Commercial general liability insurance and the length and terms of the lease
• Registering for GST/HST once you pass the small supplier threshold

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $40,000 to $150,000, depending on your location, shop size and the range you stock. Treat this as an estimate and build your own budget from real quotes for rent, fit-out and stock.

Check these points: a business licence and zoning for your location with your municipality, whether your local public health unit needs to inspect or permit the shop (especially if you scoop or repackage bulk items), allergen handling and labelling rules, French-language requirements in Quebec, and GST/HST registration.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $8,000 to $35,000, depending on location and range. Plan for at least about 35 hours a week. Sales bunch around Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter, so plan cash flow for quiet months.