Commercial seating dealer (home-based)

Restaurants and cafés, churches, community halls, schools, small theatres, offices and property managers needing new or replacement seating.

You earn a mark-up on the seating you supply, plus a fee for design help, delivery and installation. Larger jobs often need a deposit up front.

• Sales and quoting
• Measuring and space planning
• Managing suppliers and subcontractors
• Organized with order and delivery timelines

• Commercial general liability insurance, and check whether your supplier or installer needs their own cover
• Fire safety and building code rules for seating in public venues, including fixed seating and accessibility. Check with your province and municipality
• Home-based business licence rules in your municipality
• Cash flow: you may pay suppliers before the client pays you, so take deposits
• WCB/WSIB rules if you hire installers as employees rather than contractors. Rules vary by province
• GST/HST registration once you pass the small supplier threshold

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $2,000 to $8,000, depending on your samples, tools and marketing. Cash flow matters, since you may pay suppliers before the client pays you, so take deposits.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on the size and number of jobs you win. These are estimates, not guarantees, and revenue is not the same as profit.

Check fire safety and building code rules for seating in public venues, including fixed seating and accessibility, with your province and municipality. Also check insurance, home-based business licence rules, WCB/WSIB if you hire installers, and GST/HST registration.