Decorating Supplies
It doesn't seem to matter whether the housing market is booming or flat, the DIY market just keeps on running. If you can't sell your house you want to make it nicer to live in, and if you want to sell it you try to do it up a little first to squeeze out those extra few dollars. While everyone is focussing on their little gold mines you need to look at who is selling the proverbial shovels.
A lot of people will just go to their local DIY outlet and pick up paint, brushes, overalls etc. when it is time to decorate. Some DIYers take pride in their kit however and are often looking out for a bargain. These are the guys we want to target, the ones with the rack of tools in the garage or workshop, and several ongoing projects.
When I start a DIY project I rarely, if ever remember to get everything in one trip to the store. A few years ago one of the stores started carrying leaflets for key home jobs like building a pond, wallpapering, or putting up a fence. They were brilliant because they told you what order to do things and what you would need to buy. The problem of course was that you were in the store when you got the leaflet and had got home again by the time you realised the can of paint you thought you had in the garage was still there but had curdled with age.
What then if we could help people plan their projects and supply them with exactly the items they need at a competitive price? My suggestion is that you replicate those one of job leaflets, and put them online. Keep a paper copy of each one by the phone for your more low-tech customers and be prepared to talk them through it.
Post detailed information online regarding how to do simple jobs like painting
woodwork, painting interior and exterior walls, putting up wallpaper etc.
Include a list of all the tools and accessories that will be required. E.G.
ladders, overalls, filler, filler knife, rawl plugs etc.
Market the hell out of your site. Get in local papers, on the radio if you
can, advertise in local newspapers, tell everyone and his dog about the useful
free information.
Your goal is that anyone starting a bit of home decorating will log in and
check out your instructions first. They can check off what they already have
in terms of tools, accessories and paint and then call you to request the outstanding
items.
If the order is above a minimum size deliver it. Promise delivery within 2
hours inside a specific distance.
If the order is smaller then pull all the items together and package it ready
for the customer to come and pick up.
Your value-add is 3 fold.
You will provide the information to save time lost on forgotten items.
You provide the items at DIY prices or lower
You provide delivery, or fast pick up service giving even greater time savings
If you get this right and can drive enough traffic on your website you may also be able to carry paid adverts for professional tradesmen etc. as a bonus income stream.
Stock is pretty straight forward here. In terms of knowing what to stock, take a walk around your local DIY store and see what they are selling. Focus on painting/decorating so that you don't get sucked in by all the other cool stuff. This is not about going into the power tools business although that is always another option.
Once you have a list of the items you want to stock, overalls, brushes (different sizes), rollers, roller trays, filler etc. you need to find your suppliers. A quick tour of www.EBAY.com , and www.Alibaba.com should get you everything you need, and of course you can compare the prices to what is available at the DIY store.
If there are items that you can't find in the two sites above then Google is your friend. Search for the item again using specific locations or even sizes e.g. 3 inch wood screws in Connecticut.
You will not be able to stock everything cheaper than the DIY store, but that is ok. Remember if you can't get it cheaper in bulk then don't carry stock you can just run down to the store when you need that particular item.
Offer your customers a choice of quality or cost. Some people want the job done once and will discard the brushes etc afterwards. Others want their tools to last a lifetime and will pay for the privilege.
You will have to spend some money on advertising and really push this idea to drive the traffic you need.
If you plan to offer delivery then you will need some help. One possibility is to get some young, part time help to put the orders together if you are out with a van, or to pay for deliveries on a per job basis, using mountain bike or scooter riders.
You will need some money to invest as you will need a location that people can find (shop or yard) and you will have to carry some stock before you make any sales.
It will help considerably if you have, or are prepared to get some experience in the kind of jobs you are helping people plan for.