Starting investments
200 000 - 270 000 ₽Revenue
60 000 ₽Net profit
3-4 monthsPayback period
Copycenter is a great idea for aspiring entrepreneurs. To do this, you need a minimum: good location, 200 thousand rubles of investments and the ability to use office equipment.
A copy center is a simple and dustless business that anyone can open. You do not have to invest large amounts, and further activities will not cause much trouble. The idea is quite simple in its implementation: to provide services you only need to purchase 2-3 devices and find a crowded place where you can settle down.
Over the past 10 years, copycenters have been a very common type of business. Copicenter centers can be found on almost every corner - however, in the most "fish" places whole lines are lined up, because small centers with one copying machine cannot quickly serve all customers. Very often, people need duplicate papers urgently. Therefore, he is interested in finding the nearest copy center. And well, if there will not be a queue. So do not be afraid of competition. With the right choice of a copy center location and organization of work, you can enter the market and find your client. Your main competitors will be the same small copy centers. There are practically no major players in this area - this is the format of the business.
Another good news is that you can start your own business with just one photocopier. And to buy new equipment and expand the range of services already from income from activities. This allows you to minimize initial investment and reduce the risk of losing personal funds.
To open a copy center, you do not need a lot of investment and labor. Although even in such a simple case there are some nuances. Before you start action, you should study the market.
Local market analysis
At the start, you need to evaluate the conditions of the business and your capabilities. What to look for?
Competition. The competition in this business is quite large, because its availability and advantages attract a huge number of entrepreneurs. But you can always find your niche. The main thing is to choose a suitable place. Before renting a room, you should evaluate how close the competitors are and how many potential customers you can attract.
Demand. There is always a demand for copy services. First of all, they are relevant for students and students. Then come the customers of banks, BTI, state. institutions. Everyone and at any time of the year may need to make a copy of the documents. So, having settled in the places where the target audience is located, you will not be left without orders.
Business benefits. Among the various options for small business, copycenter is one of the most attractive. Benefits include:
minimum starting capital for opening a copy center;
relatively low running costs;
year-round demand for services with a peak in the summer;
minimum set of permits;
simple way of doing business;
small staff without special qualifications;
high profitability of the copy center;
business growth prospects.
Anyone can become a business owner. The main thing is to have start-up capital and business acumen.
Copycenter registration
Any business is subject to registration with the tax authorities. In this case, it will be enough to issue an IP. Registration procedure is standard. The following should be indicated as OKVED:
82.19 - Photocopying and document preparation activities and other specialized supporting activities for supporting the office
08/18/2019 - Retail sale of paper and stationery in specialized stores (if you plan to sell stationery at the copy center).
When registering an IP, a tax system is also selected. For the copy center, USN or UTII are suitable. More commonly used USN at a rate of 6% of income.
In addition, you will need to obtain permission from the SES and the fire inspection. Powerful electric devices will work in the room, therefore it is necessary to ensure fire safety. Here it is necessary to take into account the requirements that apply to the room where the complex equipment will be located.
Search for a room for a copy center
The selection of a suitable room should be made with an assessment of two key parameters: the location and condition of the room itself. First of all, you need to find a good location. It is important to choose not just a crowded place, but where the maximum flow of your target audience will be.
Preferred locations for a copycenter nearby:
schools;
administrative institutions;
business centers;
utilities;
medical facilities;
financial institutions;
Places with large pedestrian traffic (underpasses, traffic interchanges, etc.).
Preferred accommodation in the city center, since it is there that most of the listed institutions are concentrated.
Next, we select directly the premises of the copy center. Its area depends on your budget and future plans. If you are going to expand and add new services, then it is better to immediately select the room in which there is a place for future equipment. In this case, you need a room with an area of about 20 sq.m. If you have modest plans, then 6-10 sq.m. will be enough for a copy center. The main thing is that at least a few clients can fit inside. Renting a small room will cost about 15-20 thousand rubles. But the cost will depend on various factors: a specific city, a specific place, specific conditions. For example, sometimes you can find a room already with the necessary furniture - this simplifies the preparation, but will cost more. So the rental rate is a special case. Even within the same city, the amount of the monthly fee can vary significantly.
The main requirement for a copy center is the absence of dust and dampness. Otherwise, the equipment will quickly fail, and the paper will deteriorate. It is also advisable to stay on the ground floor of buildings. Firstly, so the cross will be higher. Secondly, your center will be more noticeable. Thirdly, the appearance of a competitor nearby will not be so dangerous for you, since you will be in sight.
Look for a room that does not require repairs. Otherwise, you will have to spend time and money, and this is useless to you. In terms of repair, the copy center is not picky. The main thing is to be clean and warm.
Copy center services
At the next stage, you should determine the list of services of the copy center. This must be done in order to make a list of equipment that will need to be purchased. The list of services of the copy center depends on the size of your business. If capital allows, you can purchase several devices at once to provide services for copying and printing documents, laminating, etc.
The main services of the copy center are:
photocopy and scanning of various documents;
printout from electronic media;
photos for documents;
interweaving of documents;
lamination;
photos for documents;
sale of office supplies - this can bring up to 50% of the total profit.
To provide these services, 10 sq.m. copycenter. The only question is finance. Therefore, before compiling a list of services, evaluate your capabilities. At the start, do not plan to combine everything at once. Start small, and then grow your business with profit.
Purchase of equipment for copycenter
Having determined the set of services of the copy center, you can plan the purchase of equipment. Minimum set for the work of the copy center:
computer or laptop;
copy machine;
printer or MFP.
The cost of such a "basic" set will be about 100 thousand rubles.
For further work, a color and large format printer, a camera with a tripod and a white background for photographs, a bookbinder, a laminator, etc. can be useful.
Some tips for choosing a copycenter technique:
the copy device should be selected based on the following parameters: the presence of two trays of automatic paper feed; print speed of at least 20 copies per minute; print density 1200 x 600 dpi. Also check that you can find free software for this model;
Choose equipment that is cheaper and easier to maintain. You will need to periodically refill cartridges, sometimes - replace them, repair. Moreover, different models of equipment need certain consumables and consume them differently. So before buying equipment, be sure to read the reviews, read the information on thematic forums, compare the characteristics of different models, consult a consultant for help, and study offers in different stores. Only after collecting enough information, make the final choice;
Do not try to save on equipment by acquiring used equipment. Good equipment is an important success factor. If something breaks, you will incur losses: firstly, you will have to repair the equipment; secondly, you will not be able to provide your services. It is better to buy new and high-quality equipment. The productivity of the center depends on this, which means profit. So investments in technology are advisable;
You can take the equipment in installments. Many stores provide this service, especially if the equipment is expensive;
get professional equipment. Cheap printers designed for personal use will not work. This "home" technique is significantly inferior in terms of performance and quality.
Also for the work of the copy center you need furniture. It will be enough a pair of tables on which the equipment will be placed, a pair of chairs and a display case for stationery. The cost of furniture will be about 30-50 thousand rubles. And here you can already save money by purchasing used furniture.
Thus, about 150 thousand rubles will have to be spent on equipment and furniture for the copycenter.
Purchase of goods and consumables
For the copy center to work, it will be necessary to purchase materials for equipment, as well as office supplies for sale. As consumables, you need to stock up on office paper, since it is spent most. You should also purchase a replacement cartridge. If ink runs out in one, you can quickly replace the cartridge and resume work. The cost of consumables will be about 25 thousand rubles.
As the goods you should choose the simplest and most popular: paper, files, folders for documents, pens, paper clips, notebooks, etc. Stationery should be purchased in the amount of 30-40 thousand rubles. Office - a durable product, can be stored for a long time. So you won’t lose your investment in case of low sales. Make a large purchase once, and then you will update the range in accordance with the sales. List everything that customers often ask, consider their wishes when creating an assortment.
Copycenter staff
At first, the owner of the copy center can do the job alone. But in the future, an assistant will be required. Firstly, the number of customers will increase and one employee will not be enough for their quick service. Secondly, over time, the equipment will require more maintenance: cleaning and refilling cartridges, repairs, etc. Someone must also be responsible for maintenance. Thirdly, with the increase in the number of services, additional people will be required: one will work with a photocopier, the second will print files, take photos on documents or engage in stitching documents. Alone to cover such a volume of services is not affordable.
Thus, for well-coordinated work at the copy center, 2-3 people will be needed. The main condition is that they confidently use a PC and be able to handle office equipment. The following qualities will be important for the employee: responsibility, sociability, accuracy. Salaries for the regions will amount to 20-25 thousand rubles.
Do not forget that you may need the services of an accountant. After all, if you have employees, you will have to deal with funds, where you, as an employer, will transfer contributions. To introduce another vacancy - an accountant - it makes no sense. This function can be assigned to the entrepreneur himself, outsourced or performed using a cloud service.
Copycenter Advertising
The most effective tools for advertising a copycenter are:
favorable location. In this case, a noticeable sign is enough to attract a client;
distribution of leaflets among the target audience;
posting ads in the vicinity of the copy center.
These banal, but effective tools will be quite enough to attract attention. Starting advertising costs will be about 30 thousand rubles. It is important to immediately announce your services in order to ensure a flow of customers.
High-quality, fast service and favorable price are also tools to attract customers. People will come to you if you offer a favorable price and do not make them stand in a long line. So pay particular attention to the quality of service. Then the rest of the ad will work for you.
Income and expenses of the copy center
Initial investments in the copycenter project will amount to about 200 thousand rubles. Most of this amount will be spent on the purchase of equipment. In addition to the starting costs, you will have to plan monthly expenses:
rent - 15 thousand rubles;
consumables of the copy center (including stationery for sale) - 50 thousand rubles;
PHOT (including all contributions) - 50 thousand rubles;
taxes (approximately) - 11 thousand rubles;
other expenses (utility bills, depreciation, unforeseen expenses) - 15 thousand rubles.
Total, the amount of monthly expenses will be 140 thousand rubles.
Now we calculate the income of the copy center. Withdrawing an exact amount is quite difficult, because incomes depend on the list of services, the amount of work, consumer potential, etc.
At the initial stage, the main customers of the copy-center will be people who need to copy or print documents. The average cost of 1 copy or print of b / w is 4 rubles. Considering that a copy center can fulfill 500 orders per day, and it will work 6 days a week, the amount of monthly revenue will be about 50 thousand rubles. But after all, most often people print more than 1 sheet. For example, students print out whole term papers, and often a whole package of documents has to be copied. The average check of the copy center is from 20 to 200 rubles. So for a month, thanks to copy and print services, you can earn 150-200 thousand rubles.
In addition, revenue from the sale of stationery will be added. By purchasing goods for 30 thousand rubles, you can earn 60-70 thousand rubles.
Total: the center’s revenue for the month will be about 200-270 thousand rubles.
You can earn extra. For example, advertise related services. You can find companies that will be interested in advertising and offer cooperation. If there are many students among your visitors, advertising on writing term papers and diplomas will be great. Look for different options, do not be afraid to offer cooperation first. An ad placed on the door of the center or in the room itself can bring a small but passive income.
Now is the time to calculate the main financial indicators.
The difference between revenue and monthly expenses for tax calculation:
200, 000 - 130, 000 = 70, 000 (rubles)
STS tax 15%:
70, 000 × 0.15 = 10, 500
Please note that you can choose different taxation systems. Before making a decision, consider three options: tax USN 6%, 15% and UTII. Rate each of them, choose the most profitable. In each case, this or that option will be preferable.Net profit of the copycenter:
70, 000 - 10, 500 = 59, 500 (rubles).
Payback period : 200, 000 / 59, 500 = 3.36. With a net profit level of 59, 500 rubles, the initial investment will pay off in 3-4 months. But since at first, there will be no such sales volume, then the payback period will increase to six months.
Profitability of copycenter :
(59, 500 / 140, 500) x 100 = 42.3%. This is a good level of profitability. With business development and the provision of additional services, profitability will increase.Please note that the above calculations are approximate and depend on many parameters: region, quality of equipment, list of services, consumer potential of a particular place. In general, net profit of about 60 thousand rubles is a normal, objective indicator for this business.
Risks of copycenter as a business
When planning any business, you need to consider the risks that may be associated with it. The main difficulties in the work of the copy center are:
bad choice of place;
overpriced services;
poor print quality, which leads to a reduction in orders;
low speed of service;
lack of demand;
equipment breakdown.
Profit copy center depends on the right place and quality service. Чтобы избежать рисков, необходимо тщательно проанализировать локацию, где вы планируете разместить свой центр. Следующее действие – выбор качественной техники с высокой производительностью. Позаботившись о двух этих факторах, вы сможете обеспечить хороший сервис и привлечь много клиентов.
In custody
Копицентра – подходящий бизнес для начинающих предпринимателей. Дело требует минимальных вложений и навыков. Достаточно закупить оборудование и уметь пользоваться ПК и оргтехникой. Конечно, и немного предпринимательской сноровки здесь не помешает. Вложив 200 тыс. рублей в копицентр, вы сможете создать прибыльное дело, которое окупится за полгода. Еще одним важным преимуществом является то, что данный бизнес можно развивать за счет различных услуг: широкоформатная печать, сувенирная печать и т.д. Вариантов и возможностей много. Ваша задача – ими воспользоваться.
Evgenia Yurkina(c) www.clogicsecure.com - a portal to business plans and guidelines for starting a small business 08/18/2019