Local mobility and daily living equipment shop

Disabled people, older adults and their families, carers, care homes, and people recovering from surgery or injury. Some buy through insurance or provincial funding programs.

Margin on equipment sales, rental fees by the week or month, and delivery or set-up charges. Repeat business comes from referrals and supplying care homes.

• Patient, respectful customer service
• Basic product knowledge and fitting
• Stock and inventory management

• Check whether your province has a vendor registration for funded equipment (for example, Ontario's Assistive Devices Program) and what it requires
• Check with Health Canada whether any medical device rules apply to the products you sell or import
• Commercial general liability and product liability insurance
• Check with CRA how GST/HST applies to different medical and assistive devices
• Stock is a big upfront cost, so start with fast-selling items
• Municipal business licence and signage rules

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $40,000 to $150,000 CAD, depending on your premises, showroom fit-out and stock. Stock is a big upfront cost, so consider starting with fast-selling items.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $8,000 to $40,000 CAD, depending on your product range, sales and rentals, and your location. Your own results will vary with your customer base.

Check whether your province has vendor registration for funded equipment, such as Ontario's Assistive Devices Program. Also check with Health Canada about medical device rules, with CRA about GST/HST on assistive devices, and municipal licence and signage rules.