Our interlocutor today is a young girl Bersheva Lucia from the small town of Akhtubinsk in the Astrakhan region. She opened her own printing services department by investing only 15 thousand rubles. How did she manage to do this?
Main points of the interview:
- Type of activity: provision of services to the public (photocopying, printing of documents and photographs)
- Business location: Russia, Akhtyubinsk
- Occupation before starting a business: kindergarten teacher
- Date of start of business activity: 2013
- Organizational and legal form of doing business: individual entrepreneur
- Initial investment amount: 70 thousand rubles.
- Source of initial capital: own savings, free grant for starting a business
- Formula for success from Bershova Lucia: “It is important to set a clear goal: what exactly do you want to achieve, what do you want to do and why...”
Hello Lucia! Tell our readers about what business you are in?
Hello! I have my own department of printing services “Printed Font” in the city of Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan region. We provide services such as text copying, typing and printing, firmware, and so on. We also print photographs.
When did you open this department?
A little over six months ago.
What did you do before you became an entrepreneur?
I was a kindergarten teacher.
Lucia, what was the impetus for you personally to start your own business?
After finishing my studies and returning to my native Akhtubinsk, I began to look for work. I got a job as a teacher in a kindergarten. At first I liked everything, but then, you understand, the issue of wages became acute - it was very low. One day I was walking home from work and thought - why not change my life? Then I had a firm decision - to open my own business. I had a dream about starting a business for a long time, but at that moment I was determined to realize it.
Why did you open a printing department?
It’s just that I myself was a student quite recently and often turned to the services of such departments. My classmates and I made copies of entire books, and typing the text cost a pretty penny. I roughly figured out how much I could earn from this, and decided to open such a department. Then, it seemed to me that there was nothing particularly difficult about it...
My decision was also confirmed by the fact that the condition for receiving a subsidy from the state (for which I opened my department) was precisely the provision of services. That is, for example, I could not open a store or sell anything at all.
Who are your main clients and how many of them are there?
There are enough clients. These are mainly students from the university, which is located not far from us. Another of the main visitors are military personnel who submit documents to their utility and operational department (it is located next to us). A lot of older people also come. In general, I chose the location of my department so that there would be a lot of traffic.
What difficulties did you have to overcome when opening the department?
I wouldn’t say that there were any particular difficulties - the labor exchange helped me a lot with paperwork. I received the main funds there. Probably, the difficulties include finding the necessary equipment for the department. At that time, I didn’t understand it well - for me it was a completely new area of knowledge in which I made mistakes.
Let's talk about the financial side of business. How much money do you need to have to open such a department?
Of course, the more money you have, the better! Here, a lot still depends on the premises - in our small city, rent is for some reason more expensive than in the capital of the region - Astrakhan, or even in Volgograd, a million-plus city! In my case, the starting capital was about 70 thousand rubles.
Where did you find the necessary funds?
As I already said, I received the main amount in the form of a subsidy from the employment service. It amounted to 58,800 rubles. The rest was borrowed from my parents. This is not a business that requires millions, so I didn’t even think about a bank loan!
How long did it take to wait for government funding? Was it easy to get?
To receive a subsidy, you need to write and defend a business plan. A week and a half after his defense, the money was already in my account. So my answer is yes, it was easy to get and there wasn’t much of a wait!
What taxes do you pay?
I see a lot of equipment in your department. Who is involved in its maintenance and purchase of consumables - you yourself or someone else?
The purchase of consumables is my responsibility, and maintenance of the equipment is carried out by a specialized service center. If I need something, I just call the technician by phone.
Is it expensive to maintain such equipment?
No. For six months of work, nothing ever broke down and no special expensive maintenance was required.
Did you know that there are vending machines that allow visitors to make copies themselves? Would you get one of these for yourself?
Yes, I've heard about it. I wouldn’t install one like this in my department - the equipment is too expensive and complicated. Who will serve it in our small town? And this device would not have relieved the employee in my department one bit - she would have been jerked every now and then. “Girl, explain how to put the document!” And what is it? How to use it? The people in our city are not very educated in such know-how.
Are there inspections by supervisory authorities? How often do they happen?
There were never any checks.
If you take the monthly budget for running a business, what is the largest expense item?
Rent! As I already said, for some reason it is very large in our town. In second place is the purchase of consumables.
Do you have any competitors in the city and how do you attract customers?
There are a lot of competitors! What makes our department different is our convenient location. We are closest to the main client - students. I also attract people by making our services a little cheaper than in other similar departments. Of course, someone who needs to copy five sheets will not go to another department because it is cheaper there, but if we are talking about a hundred sheets (and this happens!), the person will come to us 100%.
If you could now go back to the time when you just started, what mistakes would you like not to repeat?
Mistakes in purchasing equipment. Not understanding it well enough, I purchased a printer, the maintenance of which was very expensive for me. I just had to donate it and buy a new, more economical one.
If we go back in time, I would have a better understanding of the specifics of this business. Before starting, I would consult more with knowledgeable people.
What do you think is the most important thing in business? Why does it work out for some and not for others?
In my opinion, the most important thing is to have a good understanding of the business you want to open. Then there won't be many mistakes! You also need to study the market.
What advice can you give to those who want to start their own business?
First of all, you need to set a clear goal for yourself: what exactly do you want to achieve, what do you want to do and why. Then you need to do everything to implement your plan. You also need to believe in success and dream big, even if not everything works out.
The copy center business has been quite common and simple over the past 10 years thanks to starting without significant investment. This option is ideal for entrepreneurs who bypass seasonal business. Why, despite the availability of computers and printers for students and office workers, are copy centers still needed? This is because, in addition to regular photocopying, such centers offer additional services (for example, diploma binding, large-format copying) and sell office supplies. The main thing is to offer the necessary services and provide quality service. What is the essence of the project, what risks exist and what level of costs should be expected will be shown by the copy center business plan. This example can be used when developing and launching this type of activity.
Project Summary
The copy center will be located in a separate building in the central area of the city. There must be educational institutions, office buildings and government institutions in the neighborhood, since the target audience of the copy center is different groups of people:
- Students (30%).
- Office workers (30%).
- Government service employees (15%).
- Employees of legal organizations (15%).
- The rest (10%).
Basic services of the copy center:
- Photocopy and scanning of documents, papers, books.
- Printout from electronic media.
- Binding of documents and magazines.
- Multi-format lamination.
- Photos for documents.
- Sale of related stationery products.
The last point can bring up to 50% of the total profit.
A copy center's competitor can only be a similar copy center, so before renting premises and purchasing equipment, you should analyze nearby competitors and prospects for the number of clients. The copy center will work according to the schedule from 07:00 to 18:00 5 days a week, Sunday is a day off.
Main business risks
- Poor choice of location.
- Lack of demand.
- Overpriced services.
- Poor print quality, which will lead to a drop in visitors.
This business is based 80% on regular visitors, since if you serve the client quickly and efficiently, he can come to the copy center for various reasons up to several times a week. It will also start a word of mouth campaign.
In addition to the successful choice of location and analysis of competitors in the area, acceptable cost of services and prices for office supplies is important. Next, we purchase a high-quality photocopier (MFP) and a good computer that will allow you to quickly carry out these services. It is important to calculate in advance the costs and potential profitability of the organization, which this copy center business plan with calculations will help us with.
Registration of activities
We register activities with local tax authorities. To do this, we fill out and submit the appropriate application, choosing the form of entrepreneurial activity - individual entrepreneur with a simplified taxation system with a rate of 15% of the difference between income and expenses. There you also need to register the required OKVED code for opening a copy shop: 74.85, 74.83. To be able to sell office supplies, add the OKVED code 52.47.
Next, we need to obtain permission from the SES and the fire station, since taking into account the presence of powerful electrical equipment that will work almost the entire working day, it is necessary to secure the premises.
The cost of an individual entrepreneur certificate will be 5-7 thousand rubles. It will take about 10 thousand rubles to obtain permits and pay state fees.
Search for premises
To provide the above services and trade in office supplies, we rent a premises of 20 sq. m. m for a long term, signing a lease agreement for a year. This area is sufficient to accommodate equipment and goods. The cost of such premises in a large city will be at least 30 thousand rubles per month. You must pay for 2 months immediately. You will need to spend no more than 5 thousand rubles monthly on utilities.
There is no need to make any repairs to the premises. Minimal repairs that already exist in the rented premises will be sufficient. We do not include this item in expenses.
Equipment purchase
To serve customers, the copy center will need furniture and equipment. It is important to choose high-quality printing equipment, since the productivity of the salon, its image and, as a result, profit will depend on this. Therefore, investments in technology must be justified. The copy center will need:
| Name | price, rub. |
| MFP Brother MFC-L2740DWR (2 pcs.) | 40 000 |
| Inkjet printer 12-color Canon IPF5100 (format up to A2) | 120 000 |
| Printer 8-color Canon Pixma PRO-100S (format up to A3) | 30 000 |
| Epson Perfection V550 Photo Scanner | 13 000 |
| Laptop | 20 000 |
| Laminator BURO SUPER-236 | 4 500 |
| Large table for equipment installation | 30 000 |
| Showcase for stationery | 15 000 |
| Rack for stationery | 15 000 |
| Camera | 25 000 |
| Worker's chair | 3 000 |
| Total | 315 500 |
Purchasing quality equipment will ensure that we provide professional copying services and customer attention. Purchasing inexpensive office equipment for home and small office is not recommended for such a business.
Staff
As for employees, at first the owner himself can serve clients. But even in this case, he will need an assistant to speed up maintenance and maintain the operation of the point if the owner goes to the tax office or purchases consumables. In the future, another employee will be hired for the smooth operation of the copy center.
When the number of locations throughout the city increases, each copy center will have 2 employees.
The functions of an accountant can be performed by the entrepreneur himself using a cloud service.
Purchase of materials and goods
To open a copy center, you need to make an initial basic purchase of materials for equipment, as well as office supplies for sales and for personal use in the process of providing services.
Goods for the owner's use during the work process:
| Name | Price | Quantity | Sum |
| Ink for b/w | 2 000 | 1 | 2 000 |
| Photo Printer Ink | 3 000 | 1 | 4 000 |
| Office paper A4 | 500 | 5 | 2 500 |
| Paper for printing photos A4 | 1 000 | 10 packs | 10 000 |
| A2 paper | 600 | 1 | 600 |
| Markers, pens | 300 | 300 | |
| Lamination film | 1 000 | 3 packs | 3 000 |
| Scissors | 200 | 1 | 200 |
| Paper cutter | 800 | 1 | 800 |
| Total | 23 400 |
Products for sale:
| Name | Price | Quantity | Sum |
| Notebook 24 sheets. | 8 | 50 | 400 |
| Notebook 36 sheets. | 30 | 50 | 1 500 |
| Notepads are small. | 50 | 20 | 1 000 |
| Large notepads | 200 | 30 | 6 000 |
| Diaries | 400 | 30 | 12 000 |
| Office paper | 500 | 20 packs | 10 000 |
| Pens | 35 | 100 | 3 500 |
| Pencils | 20 | 50 | 1 000 |
| Stapler | 250 | 20 | 5 000 |
| Markers | 50 | 100 | 5 000 |
| Files | 300 | 5pack | 1 500 |
| Paper folders | 30 | 20 | 600 |
| Plastic folders | 60 | 50 | 3 000 |
| Other goods | 10 000 | 10 000 | |
| Total | 60 500 |
The first purchase should not be large, since you should find out what assortment should be in this copy center. Everything that customers often ask must be included in the list and taken into account in the assortment.
Advertising
Flyers should be distributed in places where the target audience gathers: bus stops, entrances to student buildings and office buildings. The main tool for attracting customers will be high service in the salon, prompt and high-quality work of the employee and the equipment itself.
Income and expenses
Start-up costs
It is planned to allocate 500,000 rubles to start the business.
Monthly expenses
Income
Already from the first month of operation of the copy center, the number of customers should increase, since the copy center is located in a well-traveled location and buildings with potential clients are located nearby.
Since the copy center provides many services, it is extremely difficult to detail the sales plan. An example of a price list for a large copy center operating in a large regional center can be viewed. We will assume that in the first months the revenue will be about 319 thousand rubles.
Difference between revenue and monthly expenses for tax purposes:
319 000 – 237 000 = 82 000.
We calculate the tax payment:
82,000 x 0.15 = 12,300 rubles.
We pay 50% tax, in accordance with the norms of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.
The total tax figure is 6,150 rubles per month.
As a result, the net profit of the copy center will be:
82,000 – 6150 = 75,850 rubles per month.
Let's calculate the profitability:
(75,850 / 237,000) x 100 = 32%.
This profitability for a copy center can be considered low, especially considering the favorable location of the copy center and its potential prospects. However, it is possible to underestimate the number of target audiences due to the difficulty of counting them. In the future, to increase income and profitability, it is planned to expand the range of services provided: for example, designer services for the development and printing of business cards, posters and other banners, the purchase of a printer for printing drawings in formats up to A0.
The average bill is 100 rubles.
Let's calculate the payback period of the investment:
500,000 / 75,830 = 8 months.
Eventually
The payback period is quite long, so it is recommended to introduce the widest and most current assortment and add design services as early as 2-3 months of work. Only an increase in current offers for the buyer will increase revenue.
Hello friends! Today I want to talk about the provision of document copying services or, as people say - photocopying. How much can you earn from this? Rubles, kopecks? Should we talk about this service as a business or as an addition to an existing business? Is it cost-effective to buy copiers, print and copy various documents on paper? Let's figure it out.
Looking ahead, I declare with full responsibility that providing photocopying services is not just profitable, but VERY profitable! And below I will prove this to you.
I would like to start this article by paraphrasing a famous song - "don't look down on the photocopy...".
The best thing about photocopying is its excellent profitability, that is, the amount of profit for every ruble invested. There are few services in this world with such returns and quick payback!
I really love the queen of sciences - mathematics, and now she will help me prove my words with numbers. In order not to get lost in the jungle of reasoning and theory, I will carry out all the calculations using my specific example.
My photo studio has a Canon i-SENSYS MF4410 MFP.
In a nutshell, this is an excellent workhorse with excellent monochrome laser print quality. This MFP not only prints well, but is also very well made, making it a pleasure to work with.
Now some numbers.
I purchased this device for 7,500 rubles. There are models that are similar in functionality and cheaper, but I chose a laser camera between Canon and HP. Canon impressed us with its build quality.
- So, the cost of the MFP is 7,500 rubles.
- A standard cartridge refill is enough for 2100 - 2200 copies (passes). The price for one run is 4 rubles, regardless of the size of the printed area - be it the entire page or the size of a matchbox.
- The cost of refueling at the service center costs me 250 rubles. Canon LBP-5050 color laser camera, and I give this one to specialists. I don’t want to mess around to save 250 rubles.
- After three simple refills of toner, on the fourth I change the photoconductor and squeegee in the cartridge. This ensures clean, high-quality printing. Together with replacing the toner, it costs 700 rubles.
Let's do the math.
- 250 + 250 + 250 + 700 = 1450 rubles - this is the cost of four refills (three simple and the fourth with replacement of the squeegee and photodrum).
- 1450: 4 = 362.5 rubles - the average cost of one refueling.
- 362.5: 2100 = 17 kopecks (!) cost of toner per page.
- Paper of the "Snow Maiden" type in A4 format costs an average of 150 rubles per pack. We divide this figure by 500 sheets. We get 30 kopecks per sheet.
- 17 + 30 = 47 kopecks (!) - the net cost of one copy (printout).
- 4 - 0.47 = 3.53 rubles - net profit from one run.
- 2100 x 3.53 = 7413 rubles - this is net profit from one refueling!
At a price photocopies at 4 rubles the markup is more than 750%. Where can you find a more cost-effective way to invest your money?
You may argue that 4 rubles is a trifle and you won’t earn much from it. And you will be WRONG! See how similar points work near tax, BTI, and insurance companies. The work is not going smoothly. And prices there are rarely less than 5 rubles. And in large cities, a copying price of 10 rubles per sheet has long been common. After all, no one will run to look for cheaper prices when copies are urgently needed.
And in points that are lucky enough to open near universities and other educational institutions, the daily revenue is 5,000 - 8,000 rubles on photocopies and printing of tests and term papers alone! Don't believe me? And this is the honest truth.
I don’t have an institute nearby, but my girls are not without work. Teachers, schoolchildren, educators and ordinary citizens regularly come to me and leave their money. And once a quarter, a line of grandmothers and low-income citizens arrive to copy receipts from housing and communal services when applying for subsidies. My MFP pays for itself monthly! Is it bad?
Of course, where competition is high, prices drop to 2 rubles per run. But even such a price gives more than 300% net profit.
Well, did I manage to convince you? If you have any stationary point where you provide any services (for example, on mugs, plates and T-shirts), and there is space and the opportunity to install a laser MFP - put your feet up and run to the nearest office equipment store for the device! You will pay rent on it, and put the profit from your main activity in your pocket.
A few suggestions when choosing an MFP. Why do I recommend taking a laser?
- Because it is faster than an inkjet MFP.
- The print is pure black, not gray, as is often the case with inkjet printers with compatible inks.
- Laser printing does not fade in the sun and does not leak from water. Believe me, this is important when you print ads that can smear in the rain and sleet.
It’s better not to waste an extra thousand rubles and purchase an MFP with self-capturing sheets when scanning. This makes your job a lot easier when copying a stack of documents. An analogue of my MFP with a self-capturing mechanism is the Canon i-SENSYS MF4450.
Also, when purchasing, pay attention to the maximum number of printed pages per month. For example, for the Canon i-SENSYS MF4410 this figure is 8000 prints per month. This means that for long-term, high-quality work, it is highly advisable to print no more than 250 - 280 prints per day.
If you expect to print more, you should consider an MFP more seriously. For example, the Samsung SCX-4833FD MFP, capable of printing up to 50,000 prints per month, could be an excellent choice.
If you have enough money on hand, you can swing at an A3 MFP.
By the way, the copy service (photocopy) has a code 74.83 (Providing secretarial, editorial and translation services). Indicate this code in the documents when registering business activities.
That's all for today. Don't look down on photocopies! The apparent cheapness of a print results in significant sums of ruble by ruble by the end of the month. Buy an MFP and earn good money on photocopies!
A novice entrepreneur will be interested in learning how to open a copy center. To do this, it is enough to draw up a competent business plan with detailed calculations of expenses and estimated income. Although initially you will need to carefully assess the market and the relevance of the issue.
With a focused approach in this area, you can achieve stable and constantly growing profits. The profitability of the project is about 30%, and sometimes higher. True, such a business will not bring you millions, but it will give you a chance to earn enough to feel like a confident entrepreneur.
Relevance of the idea
Even with computers, laptops and printers, most people still need the services of a copy center. After all, for such equipment to constantly work, it needs maintenance, changing cartridges, refilling ink, etc. For many people, it is much cheaper and more convenient to use third-party organizations to obtain duplicate documents than to do it themselves.
If you find a good location, for example, close to educational institutions, then you can count on a constant flow of the target audience. With a well-chosen range of services and additional products, high quality of service and affordable cost, a copy center as a business will become popular among customers and bring significant profit to the owner.
The main advantage of this direction is that minimal investment is required to start, and you can start a simple activity with one device. And only as income increases, a gradual expansion of the range of services, purchase of new equipment and growth of the client base is available.
Registration questions
It is not difficult to prepare documents for conducting business in the field of copying services. Let's list what you need to run a legitimate business:
- Register with the tax service as an individual entrepreneur (individual entrepreneur). In this case, indicate all OKVED codes covering the expected range of services - 74.85, 74.83, 52.47.
- Choose the appropriate taxation system - UTII or simplified tax system.
- With this form of activity, a cash register is not needed to make payments to clients. It is enough to keep simple accounting and use sales receipts. If you decide to purchase a cash register, then you will need to register it with the tax office.
- Since complex and powerful electronic equipment will be operating in the room, you will definitely have to undergo inspection by the SES and fire inspectorate, which will issue the appropriate permits. But for this you will need to initially prepare everything in accordance with norms and standards. Particular attention is paid to fire safety.
- If you plan to hire employees to work in a copy center, you will need to register with the Pension and Social Funds as an employer.
- If you rent a premises, make sure that the contract is well-drafted. It is advisable that it refers to a long term (at least a year) and indicates the amount of the monthly fee.
The target audience
When planning this business, it is very important to consider which clients will come to you. Basically, in your calculations you need to start from this fact. Thus, there are the following groups of people who periodically require the services of a copy center:
- students are the largest and most permanent audience and are considered a “gold mine” for this area;
- schoolchildren, teachers;
- office workers;
- visitors to various government institutions (pension, social funds, tax, etc.);
- clients of banks, notaries;
- clinic patients.
But a lot depends on the services offered. If, for example, you print photographs, your customer base will expand to the entire age group of 35-55 years. To make the flow of visitors as rich as possible, you need to focus on people’s needs and offer more different services for which there is constant demand.
Selecting a room
The most important thing at the stage of organizing this business is a good location for the copy center. The number of clients, the demand for certain types of services, the necessary equipment and much more will largely depend on this.
Once you have assessed your target audience and its size, you need to determine the main areas of their concentration. For example, the best solution would be proximity:
- Educational institutions.
- State and municipal institutions.
- Offices.
- Clinics and hospitals.
- Various financial enterprises.
- City center.
In some cases, it makes sense to locate a copy kiosk in a residential area with a large number of residents, but then it is desirable to offer a wider range of services, including printing photographs, cutting discs, etc.
The size of the room depends on how much equipment you need for work. Sometimes 10-15 square meters is enough. m. for installation of one copy machine and laptop. With a wider range of services, you need more space, so sometimes it makes sense to immediately rent an office of 30-45 sq. m. m.
It is very important to monitor the quality and power of the electrical network, as well as other nuances of fire safety. Most often, additional repairs are not required, since the owners of such a business are looking for premises that are already ready for work, which is very convenient and saves start-up investments.
For a reputable copy center, it is advisable to properly divide the room into zones. Separate the reception room from the area where equipment is refilled, as this process is associated with increased contamination. You also need to take care of the availability of a bathroom and utility room for staff, a warehouse for storing additional equipment, spare parts, consumables, etc.
What services do you offer?
The copy center can perform only one function - to duplicate text or graphic documents. But the more different tasks you can perform, the more attractive your establishment will be to potential clients.
So, you can focus on the most popular queries:
- photocopying of various document formats;
- printing files from digital media;
- disc cutting;
- typing;
- lamination;
- binding of scientific works;
- printing photos;
- scanning;
- transferring information to removable media;
- printing of leaflets, booklets, brochures in small editions, which are not taken for;
- creation of advertising materials, business cards, posters, postcards, calendars, etc.
You can also sell related products. For example, when going to a copy center, students often remember that their pen has stopped writing, their notepad or notebook has run out, there is no file or folder, etc. They will buy all these little things right there while they are waiting for ready-made copies. Sometimes it makes sense to set up a camera and take ID photos.
Purchase of equipment
It is very important to choose the right device model to perform the main function. Your income depends on its power and speed of operation. If the equipment is used or produces poor print quality, often breaks down, or is expensive to maintain, then do not expect any benefit from it.
It is better to initially spend money on a high-quality professional device with simple consumables than to constantly suffer losses from its improper functioning. For example, laser printers are much more expensive, but their maintenance is much easier and cheaper than inkjet models.
It is also important to determine the list of necessary equipment. Here you should carefully consider the range of services offered, the number of expected clients and other factors. For example, sometimes one copy machine or multifunctional device is enough. But with a large influx of visitors and varied demand, it is advisable to have several devices in stock.
We offer an approximate list of equipment for a full-fledged copy center:
- MFP – can make photocopies, scan documents and print information.
- Computer or laptop.
- Xerox.
- Scanner.
- Printer for black and white and color printing.
- A similar technique for working with non-standard document sizes, for example, A3.
- Camera.
- Laminator.
- Risograph.
- Bookbinder.
Also take care of trade displays and racks for selling related products. Purchase at least the minimum amount of office furniture for staff - tables, chairs, cabinets. Don’t forget about consumables – cartridges and ink, paper, tools for cleaning and refilling equipment, etc.
Staff
With a small influx of clients and a limited amount of equipment, you can cope with the work yourself. But as the center's activities expand, it will be necessary to hire assistants. The staff may include the following employees:
- secretary;
- copyist;
- designer to perform various character tasks;
- an accountant is not necessary, since when registering as an individual entrepreneur, the business owner fills out all the reports independently;
- a foreman for cleaning, refueling and repairing equipment - may come only to perform certain functions.
If the copy center is well located, no special advertising campaign will be required. You just need to install a sign, put up posters, you can put up a pillar or draw arrows leading to the kiosk.
In order for potential clients to know about you from the very first days, you need to distribute leaflets or business cards in places where the target audience is most concentrated - in front of the entrance to educational institutions, in the nearest cafes, near dormitories, near office buildings and government institutions.
Depending on the presence of competition, you will have to very competently regulate the pricing policy and range of services. So, if there are many other copying stalls around, then it is better to attract visitors with lower prices. With a limited range of functions performed in neighboring establishments, it is worth offering something unique and in demand, for example, printing of non-standard formats.
Today it is also important to pay attention to advertising using the Internet. To do this, create a business card website where all the services and tariffs offered will be listed. Post on social media and participate in discussions on local forums and groups that your potential clients use.
You can download it here for free as a sample.
Financial questions
Start-up investments can be very different. It depends on how much the selected model of equipment costs, what list of equipment is needed for work, the number of staff employed, the size and price of renting the premises, etc. You can enter this business with a minimum amount.
If we talk about a more reputable copy center, then the costs are expected to be as follows.
Also always remember about the regular costs of maintaining activities. Be sure to include them in the copy center business plan with calculations, since this largely determines what the net profit will be.
If you hire employees, then fixed costs will increase by the amount of wages and social benefits for each person on staff. But at first, in order to save money, it is better to perform all the functions yourself.
The amount of income is much more difficult to calculate, since profit will depend on many factors - the number of clients, competition, established prices, services offered, etc. Approximately in the first months, about 300 thousand rubles in income are expected from a small center, which is located near the educational institution. Even with such figures, you can expect that in 4-6 months all investments will be fully recouped.
In general, the profitability of the project is estimated by experts at 30-35%, which is a very good indicator. But a lot depends on what amounts were initially spent. To organize a solid business, you need large investments that will return to the owner only after a year. If you limit yourself to one device, the investment will pay off in 1-2 months.
Video: how to open a copy center?
Near various government agencies, hospitals, educational institutions and simply in places with large crowds of people, copying services are quite in demand. Near universities there is a high demand for scanning, photocopying, printing, laminating pages and designing theses (binding).
Let's talk about opening a copy center, as well as possible problems and methods for solving them, and in conclusion, let's evaluate the profitability of this business.
Necessary equipment
You must purchase computer and copy equipment, without which opening a copy center is impossible. Such equipment includes computers, copiers, printers, scanners, and bookbinders. There should be at least two printers - one laser for printing documents (its cost is more expensive, but you will significantly save on ink during its operation), and one inkjet for printing photos. Instead of a printer, scanner and copier, you can purchase a multifunctional device. This way you will significantly save your budget and, importantly, space. Over time, when the flow of clients begins to expand, it will be possible to purchase separate equipment - then the functionality of your copy center, and, consequently, the speed of customer service will increase.
You will also need furniture, but you don’t have to spend much on it; if possible, it is better to purchase used furniture, this will save your money.
In total, opening a copy center will cost about $4,000.
Center placement
The next step is choosing an area for your copy center. As mentioned above, it is better that it is located at a university, a large store, or in an area with a large number of government offices.
It is most convenient to place a copy center on the first floor of a building, since traffic on the second floor is always much less (with the exception of universities). In addition, if you open a copy center on the second floor or higher, and after some time competitors settle on the first floor of the same building or a building nearby, then there is a high probability that you will have to urgently look for premises with a more advantageous location, as a result you You will lose clients and a significant part of your budget.
The copy center should be located on an area of at least 6 square meters, and preferably ten, so that several people can fit in it at once.
What services does the copy center provide?
- Printing documents.
- Photocopy.
- Lamination of documents.
- Color print(in great demand due to the fairly high cost of color printers and cartridges for them).
- Printing photos– is also a very popular service. Often people don’t even know how to remove the flash card from the camera, so you can offer clients a selection of photos they need for printing right on the spot. In addition, discounts are popular for large quantities of printed photos, for example, when printing 50 photos the price is lower.
- Making business cards, for this you need to stock up on thick paper and have skills in Photoshop and CorelDraw.
- Production of books and booklets. Such orders are not very frequent, but will appear on the horizon with some frequency, since publishing houses usually print only in large quantities.
- Binding of diplomas. This service, as usual, is seasonal in nature, since students take their diplomas at approximately the same time. However, it brings in good income - the cost of binding one diploma is $8, although its cost is minimal.
In addition to copying services, you can organize in your copy center the sale of office supplies, as well as flash cards, disks, paper - in packs or individually. You can also provide the population with services for refilling printer cartridges.
A copy center can provide services that, at first glance, are not directly related to it - this is the creation and printing of individual postcards with images chosen by customers. Many centers enter into an agreement with wedding organizers and, on the wedding day, print, for example, calendars with received photographs of guests from the wedding. Such services are becoming increasingly in demand.
In order for customers to return to you, you must be friendly, polite and patient. It is worth knowing that for any business the initial stage cannot be called easy and very profitable, but after a short amount of time you will notice all the profitability of your enterprise.
Business profitability
To calculate the potential income of an enterprise, you need to know the approximate number of clients per day, as well as the prices for copy center services in your city. Of course, you won’t always have large orders – there are also periods of downtime. However, with proper business organization, you can count on a profit of 2-3 thousand dollars per month. With such results, you will recoup your investment in just two months.