Business ideas can be found anywhere and require a variety of skills and knowledge. One profitable business idea that you can try your hand at – especially if you are a handy person – is an upholstery business.

An upholstery business can be defined as a venture that focuses on the restoration and customisation of furniture. There are multiple avenues of specialisation, such as indoor or outdoor furniture and automotive upholstery.

However, this type of business is one that requires some previous experience or formal training in upholstery. It’s recommended that you don’t tackle this opportunity without completing an apprenticeship or a training course.

Research and Market Analysis

Any business should be entered into with a thorough understanding of what the market looks like. Conduct research into the upholstery industry in South Africa to identify your target market, competition and customer preferences and trends. This research will help you decide what type of upholstery your business will offer, which tools you will need and what area you will serve.

Research should consist of both in-person discussions with potential customers as well as data available online about a particular industry.

Business Planning

Business planning entails creating a business plan and a budget to outline the business goals, target market, pricing strategy, financial projections and marketing strategies. This will help you execute your business strategy and secure financing.

When you are setting up your budget, you will need to calculate the overall startup costs, which include everything, such as:

• Purchasing equipment
• Rent
• Utilities
• Stationary
• Packaging materials
• Materials
• Web hosting cost, to name a few

Your budget needs to be a reasonable amount: not too much, but also enough t sufficiently cover expenses.

Legal and Registration

When you look at the legal side of your business, this encompasses everything compliance with the correct licensing. Consider what legal structure your business needs: is it a sole proprietorship, partnership, or private company? Register your business based on this structure with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). You also need to obtain:

• A trading license from your local municipality
• Tax certificates
• Health and Occupational Compliance certificate
• Registering with the compensation fund

You should also take the time to ensure that you open a business account to keep your private and business banking separate.

Find a Physical Space

Furniture takes up a lot of space, so you will need to find a workshop where you can work on items, have ample storage and place for larger equipment like a sewing machine. Storage needs to be available for pieces of furniture that you are working on, as well as materials such as fabric, foam and even wood if you are working on repairs.

Your equipment will consist of the following:

• hammers and mallets
• ripping chisels
• staple and glue guns
• needles and skewers
• staple and tack removers and lifters
• scissors, trimming knives, splitters, punches and other cutters
• web stretcher
• regulators
• rules
• work benches

Hiring Skilled Staff

Staff might not be at the top of your mind, but this is an element that shouldn’t fall by the wayside. Initially, you might consider running the operation by yourself, but you should also consider hiring one of the following: a receptionist, a cleaner or a helper who can do some of the grunt work while you focus on satisfying clients.

Assess the need for staff before you make a hasty decision. You might need them, so remember to go back and add this to your budget if you didn’t already.

Marketing

Marketing is a vital step in obtaining clients. To ensure you have effective marketing, you need to understand how to accurately and professionally communicate what your business is about. For this, you will need a neat website to direct clients to where they can see a portfolio of your work and get an idea of your services.

You can also showcase your work on social media platforms, directing possible clients to your website for more information.

Upholsterers help bring new life to an old piece of furniture. Whether it is bringing an old footstool into this century with a new cover or restoring an old chair to its former glory, these businesses bring function and joy together.