Independent greeting card and gift wrap shop

Local shoppers buying for birthdays, weddings, new babies, sympathy and holidays, plus tourists and people who want something nicer than a supermarket card.

You buy stock wholesale and sell at retail price. Many customers add wrapping or a small gift, which raises the spend per visit. Busy periods include Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and graduation season.

• Choosing stock people want to buy
• Basic bookkeeping and stock control
• Friendly customer service
• Eye for display and merchandising

• Rent and a long commercial lease are the biggest risks, so check the terms and break clauses before signing
• Check your municipality for a business licence and any signage or zoning rules
• Register for GST/HST (and PST or QST where it applies in your province) once required, and check how it applies to your goods
• Commercial general liability and contents insurance
• Sales are strongly seasonal, so plan cash flow for quiet months like January and summer

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $15,000 to $60,000, depending on your rent, shop fit-out and opening stock. Rent and a long commercial lease are the biggest risks, so check terms and break clauses first.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on your location and stock mix. Sales are strongly seasonal, so plan cash flow for quiet months like January and summer.

Check your municipality for a business licence and any signage or zoning rules. Also check when to register for GST/HST (and PST or QST where it applies) and how it applies to your goods, and look at commercial general liability and contents insurance.