Income ideas

[LukeHolland88]

Hello

I have a workshop in a good location which I use to sometimes, but I only use a quarter of the space when I need it! I am struggling to come up with ideas to make the most of this space. What I use it for makes money to cover costs of the rent and profit.

I have storage/workshop space, a van to utilize. Willing to learn new skills.

Any ideas?

Many Thanks.

 

[Shopclicks]

Is it a mechanical, woodworking or electrical workshop? Or something else?

 

[LukeHolland88]

Is it a mechanical, woodworking or electrical workshop? Or something else?

Furniture restoration. Cheers

 

[Shopclicks]

Furniture restoration.

Is the workshop in an industrial or retail area? Does it have easy public access?

 

[LukeHolland88]

Is the workshop in an industrial or retail area? Does it have easy public access?

Industrial area. Easy public access. I wouldn't say the workshop is ideal for customers to visit though.

 

[Shopclicks]

And you're an expert in furniture restoration? Maybe a joiner? Do you have time available to put into another revenue stream?

 

[LukeHolland88]

And you're an expert in furniture restoration? Maybe a joiner? Do you have time available to put into another revenue stream?

French polishing. Yes I have time.

 

[LukeHolland88]

French polishing. Yes I have time.

I'm aiming for 3 streams of income from the space and use of a van.

 

[Shopclicks]

Apologies for all the questions but you'll generally get better responses if people have a clearer picture of what you want to do.

Is there an opportunity for you to buy restorable furniture, restore it and sell it on? You would know more about that market than most.

Or did you want to do something completely different?

 

[LukeHolland88]

Apologies for all the questions but you'll generally get better responses if people have a clearer picture of what you want to do.

Is there an opportunity for you to buy restorable furniture, restore it and sell it on? You would know more about that market than most.

Or did you want to do something completely different?

More questions the better! I don't believe there's much money to be made in upcycling - Quite saturated and can cost a fair bit in materials in my experience. More than happy to try other things. I had half plan of of a work from home ( but from the workshop ) job, French polishing, and another form of income. Or perhaps e-commerce type business and use the space I have left for storing product, and delivery using my van.

I have a lot of experience building flat pack furniture if that helps.

I feel I have all the right tools but not utilizing them to their potential.

 

[Shopclicks]

Or perhaps e-commerce type business and use the space I have left for storing product, and delivery using my van.

Ok. So, a lot of eCommerce businesses focus on smaller items because they are easy and cheap to deliver. There might be an opportunity to sell and deliver larger items locally (or however far you want to travel). It might be furniture or playground equipment or garden furniture or anything that might require assembly. You could also offer local pickup from the workshop.

Local search engine optimisation is not particularly difficult for eCommerce. Having a physical location is a big plus.

Just throwing around ideas.

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

Also just throwing around ideas - if your personality lends itself to it, could you offer some kind of classes/workshops in restoration or upcycling? Either one-to-one or small groups. You could utilise your spare workshop area to set up perhaps 3 or 4 "stations" that each person could work from. Think the bake off tent!

Could be something where people bring an item they have that they want to restore (could you piggy back off the popularity of that programme, I think it's called the repair shop?); and restore it for them but they get to be involved in the work. Or where you just give them an item or a selection of items to choose from.

Could work particularly well if projects take weeks or months - a 2 hour class weekly getting people booked onto an 8 week course or something.

*Edit* - having typed all of the above, just realised I've perhaps misunderstood your skill set above, not sure if it's purely french polishing or that's your speciality but you can also do restoration/upcycling?

 

[Shopclicks]

I suppose the other question that hasn't been touched on yet is how big is the spare space?

 

[VJR Business Support Ltd]

Furniture restoration. Cheers

What about the motorhome/ van conversion market? or offering a workshop/class on basic restorations like removing scratches?

 

[Mark T Jones]

More questions the better! I don't believe there's much money to be made in upcycling - Quite saturated and can cost a fair bit in materials in my experience.

I'm not suggesting that you should do it or not, but upcycling is a great example of niching making a huge difference.

At a recent street festival there were several stalls focused on upcycling. Most had taken furniture and artefacts and turned them into slightly better furniture and artefacts. and generated only moderate interests.

The one making big clocks out of metal generated more interest, but the one making bee hotels from a variety of materials was positively buzzing (sorry, couldn't resist it!).

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

More than happy to try other things.

Without knowing what you can do, your experience, what you like and how much you want to invest, we are all just shooting blindly with ideas!

 

[Deleted member 348872]

You have a van and space and skills. Could you not take up free furniture offers on facebook and sell on from your premises. Pretty sure there are lots of people who would buy if you deliver. Or pickup stuff that you could repair rather than upcycle. worth a try and only downside is you have to have a bonfire.

 

[Martin GR]

How about providing services such as: a Painter, a Handyman, Pressure Washer services (Driveways, Gutters), Buy and Sell Mattresses locally, etc
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[John Paul Rogers]

If you were thinking of ecommerce, why not offer the niche products you already have access to? A lot of DIYers out there who wouldn't know where to get specialist tools or polishes that you presumably already have access to at trade rates? Add some instructional video on YouTube perhaps?

 

[HFE Signs]

I think someone asked a similar question before - I would buy and sell motorbikes, then you get to play with them all for free