Local mobile phone and repair shop

Local residents, students, commuters and anyone with a cracked screen or an ageing handset who wants help face to face.

Margin on handsets and accessories, commission on network or SIM deals if you become a dealer or partner, and fixed prices for repairs.

• Phone repair or willingness to learn
• Friendly, honest customer service
• Stock buying and cash flow control

• Stolen phones: check IMEI numbers, ask for ID and keep records of every second-hand purchase
• If you arrange finance or credit with contracts, check whether FCA authorisation is needed and what your dealer partner covers
• Public liability and stock or contents insurance, plus employer's liability once you hire
• Consumer rights on faulty goods and repairs, and rules on electrical and battery waste, so check with Trading Standards and your council
• Handling customers' personal data on devices, so check whether you need to register with the ICO
• Lithium batteries can be a fire risk, so store and handle them safely
• Lease commitments, shop fit-out and business rates can be big costs before you have regular customers

Startup costs are typically around £15,000 to £50,000, depending on your location, shop fit-out and stock. These are estimates. Lease commitments, fit-out and business rates can be big costs before regular customers arrive.

Monthly revenue is typically around £6,000 to £30,000, depending on footfall, the mix of sales and repairs, and your pricing. This is revenue rather than profit, so work out your own running costs.

Check IMEI numbers, ask for ID and keep records of every second-hand purchase. Also check whether FCA authorisation is needed for finance deals, consumer rights rules with Trading Standards, whether you must register with the ICO, and safe lithium battery storage.