Neighborhood cheese shop

Local home cooks, people shopping for gifts and entertaining, nearby restaurants, and shoppers who want advice they can't get at a supermarket.

Margin on cheese sold by the pound, plus higher-margin extras like cheese boards, gift boxes, crackers and condiments. Pre-order platters for parties and holidays add bigger tickets.

• Knowing and tasting cheese
• Friendly customer service
• Ordering and managing perishable stock
• Basic bookkeeping

• Retail food permit and inspections from your county or city health department, check what applies to cutting and wrapping cheese
• Sales tax registration with your state and whether any items are taxable
• Spoilage and waste, cheese is perishable so order carefully
• Commercial lease terms, refrigeration costs and build-out requirements
• General liability insurance, and workers' compensation once you hire

Startup costs are typically around $40,000 to $150,000, depending on your lease, refrigeration, build-out and opening stock. Commercial lease terms and refrigeration costs are worth checking closely before you commit.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $8,000 to $40,000, depending on location, product range and foot traffic. This is revenue rather than profit, and the shop usually needs about 40 hours a week or more.

Check the retail food permit and inspections from your county or city health department, including what applies to cutting and wrapping cheese. Also check state sales tax registration, commercial lease and build-out terms, general liability insurance, and workers' compensation once you hire.