What better time to open your own business than during a crisis? More often than many people think, this risky undertaking becomes a success. The main thing is to think through all the aspects of your future business in advance and decide whether it’s worth starting at all. And if it is worth it, then you need, without deviating from the intended path, to fight for your goal (for many who want to open their own business, this means financial solvency and confidence in the future).
There are a huge variety of business ideas today - from the simplest ones, which do not even require renting premises, to complex, multi-level plans involving third-party investments. You can also start your own business refilling cartridges. This type of work is suitable for beginning entrepreneurs and does not require significant start-up capital. But don’t rush to buy equipment! First you need to conduct a market analysis and think everything through.
Where to start a cartridge refilling business
Is it necessary to know any details of organizing a business for refilling cartridges, other than purely technical issues? Of course. Any business activity, regardless of whether it is conducted officially or underground, whether it brings large or small income, always contains responsibility to clients.
You cannot undertake repairing computer equipment and telephones or refilling cartridges without having the slightest idea of how exactly this is done. Any businessman is responsible to customers with his reputation, money, possible problems with law enforcement and tax authorities, and even health (this happens).
Therefore, the cartridge refilling business needs to start with preliminary preparation:
- find out in which areas of the city the largest number of office premises are located;
- conduct monitoring of companies providing cartridge refilling services in the area.
Next, you need to decide on the business format:
- On-site (refueling at the client’s premises).
- Office (the printer is brought to the office for refilling).
After work, be sure to give your business card indicating contact information and types of services provided. With intensive use, any printer needs to be refilled once every one to one and a half months. By forming a reliable client base of 15-20 customers, you can ensure yourself a good stable income.
Work organization
All the nuances of this entrepreneurial activity are provided for in a business plan; refilling cartridges, which is carried out efficiently, will help you survive in the competition. The starting capital for a full-fledged business will be up to 10 thousand dollars. In about 1 year, these funds can pay for themselves. At first, the entrepreneur himself, having organized a mini-workshop for timely refilling of removable cartridges with ink, will be able to provide services without hiring a large staff of employees.
Only a courier is needed to work in a small company. When a client base is created, you need to find from 1 to 3 qualified specialists. The process of refilling cartridges can be mastered by anyone with no work experience or special knowledge in just a few days of training. These technicians will then work to restore the printer's functionality. Without an experienced accountant, it is impossible to keep records correctly. You can hire students who want to earn extra money.
The cartridge usually needs to be refilled once a month. For your business to be profitable, you need to refill from 30 to 50 cartridges per month. This is really possible provided there are regular customers, strict adherence to deadlines and high quality work. Organizing field service is considered very attractive for clients; it can be called the best option for running such a business, since the costs of maintaining your own office are reduced. Express refilling of cartridges is carried out directly at the client’s premises, or the courier arrives with a fully refilled replacement unit. After some time, your company may provide other services.
From the moment you open a business, it is important to take care of the image of your cartridge refilling business. You shouldn't skimp on quality. You can register a trademark and come up with a catchy name. A competent advertising campaign plays an important role in creating a customer base. Customers should be attracted through your website, advertisements on forums, blogs, social networks, newspapers, and posts.
Cartridge refill technology
Refilling cartridges is a very profitable business. Think for yourself: printers are used by all organizations, private entrepreneurs and ordinary individuals. But, unfortunately, the ink in the cartridge tends to run out. And then a company that offers services for refilling cartridges with black or color ink comes to the aid of printer users.
One of the main conditions for business success is the favorable location of your workshop. Before creating a business, you need to carefully calculate in what place in the city it should be opened. It is best to do this in the locations of firms and large companies, close to business centers. Then high attendance at the workshop will be guaranteed. But you can open a workshop in a residential area and individuals will visit you. The main condition is proximity to the potential user of the services. The area of the room must be at least 18 sq.m.
Finding suppliers of high-quality ink at a low price is the main task of an entrepreneur. The success of a business depends on this.
Who can become a client?
Any organization can become a potential client - a real estate agency, accounting department, school, MFC, etc. or an individual. By the way, companies that employ mostly women are more likely to ask for cartridge refills; this also needs to be taken into account.
How to attract customers? Firstly, the ability to travel with refueling at the client’s premises. Few people would want to go somewhere to refill it for a printer (even if it is urgently needed). This will be a definite plus. By the way, it is imperative to guarantee the client that no dirt or dust will remain in place after the refueling procedure.
Secondly, set prices slightly lower than competitors. A trifle, as they say, but nice. You can make a discount on simultaneous refilling of the printer and, for example, cleaning the waste bin, cleaning the knife and photodrum, or diagnosing the device.
Next, quick repair times. Use a bicycle, scooter or motorcycle where possible if your business is located in a big city. Traffic jams can make a customer's waiting time so long that it is likely that he will abandon your services in favor of someone else.
You can distribute your business cards through stores that sell office equipment. Officially, the administration of the retail outlet will not allow this, of course. But you can always agree with the sellers so that they advise you if the need arises.
We recommend reading:
- intercom key manufacturing business
- how to open a courier delivery service
- how to open an internet cafe
- making money by translating texts
Well, in the end, you can place advertisements in newspapers, city Internet portals and social networks, or personally visit most offices and offer your services for refilling cartridges. At the same time, you will acquire “cold” sales skills, which will never be superfluous.
We attract our first clients
There are two types of clients who use cartridge refilling services:
- Corporate clients: offices, private and public companies, administrative institutions, individual entrepreneurs.
- Private customers using printers at home for personal purposes.
From the point of view of the owner of the company, it is beneficial to deal with corporate clients; they have a lot of printing equipment that must work smoothly. Just a few of these large customers will ensure a stable flow of orders and profits. In addition, going around/calling large offices, talking about your services and handing out business cards will not be difficult. A well-planned and implemented promotion strategy will help clients of the second type to tell about themselves.
Do you need office space?
Of course, having your own office space gives a business credibility. In addition, some clients will still come to refill the printer in person. On the other hand, renting an office (especially for teenagers and students) is a very expensive undertaking, often even simply unaffordable.
Therefore, the solution to this issue depends entirely on the financial capabilities of the business owner. As an option: you can start by refilling printers at home and in offices, and after receiving some profit, rent a small room in the desired area.
Another alternative is to rent an office “by sharing”, inviting friends or good acquaintances as partners.
Selecting a room
If you have a limited budget, you can start a business at home. But refilling cartridges is a messy business, so it’s better to rent a small space. 15-20 square meters is enough. Choose a room with large windows that can be opened wide for ventilation. They must be suitable for installing a fan. Also equip the room with a hood.
Divide the room into two isolated parts: the first will refill cartridges, and the second will receive and issue orders. This can be done using a light partition or a thick screen.
Where can I get supplies?
What supplies will you need to start a cartridge refilling business? The main ones are toner of different colors for laser models and ink of different colors for inkjet printers.
Of course, consumables need to be bought where they are sold cheaper. It is unlikely that you will buy them in such quantities that you could count on a wholesale discount. But if you wish, you can try to agree with the supplier that you will not look for the best price and regularly, say, once every two weeks, undertake to purchase a certain amount of consumables from him at a slightly lower price than the retail price. It might work.
The lowest prices for toner and ink are in large companies engaged in the sale of components and consumables for office equipment and network office supply stores. By the way, you can’t pay attention to the Chinese sites Aliexpress or Jum, where the same product costs 1.5-2 times cheaper. But no one will give you a guarantee of delivery (due to the “excellent” work of the Russian Post).
Staff
To do the job, it is enough to hire just one employee - a refueling foreman. Outsource the rest of the workers. Do most of the administrative tasks yourself. If you plan to deliver orders, enter into an agreement with a courier service. You don’t have to hire security, but insure expensive equipment (8 - 10% of the cost per year).
Payroll fund for cartridge refilling service:
- Master - 22'000 ₽
- Accountant (part-time) - 5'000 ₽
- Total with deductions - 30'000 ₽
What tool will you need?
There are two options for organizing a business: budget and “as needed.” With the economical option, in addition to knowledge, the only equipment you will need is a laptop, screwdrivers, pliers, a plastic funnel for refilling bulk toner and disposable gloves and syringes for refilling inkjet machines. All the “pleasure” will cost approximately 1-1.5 thousand rubles.
The “as needed” option involves purchasing:
- specially for a gas station (cost from 30 to 60 thousand rubles);
- cartridge cleaning stations (cost from 25 to 70 thousand rubles);
- mini-vacuum cleaner for collecting toner (from 8 thousand rubles);
- hood for windows (4 – 6 thousand rubles);
- laptop;
- consumables (disposable gloves).
Nowadays they also sell special refilling “booths” for refilling cartridges with the necessary equipment already pre-installed. Such a “cabin” costs about 200 thousand rubles.
Of course, with the help of special equipment, the process can be carried out “without noise and dust,” that is, quickly and efficiently. But on the other hand, with an ordinary set of hand tools and a simple rag, with some experience and skill, you can achieve an effect no worse. And if the result is the same, then why pay more?
Method No. 1. Choosing a good printer
As a rule, cheap printers from well-known brands turn out to be the most expensive to maintain, since the cartridges are equipped with various means of protection against refilling: chips, counters, and so on. As a result, the buyer can pay the entire cost of a new printer for one or two refills.
To prevent this from happening, before purchasing, you need to look at the cost of refilling the cartridge. And our recommendation: you can save on maintenance with Canon, HP and Kyocera equipment.
Is additional staff needed?
It is unlikely that in the first few months of operation there will be so many orders for refilling cartridges that additional labor will be required to help. Except, of course. Possibility of additional services. Then it’s better to work with three or even four. But in any case, you need to start together. One goes on calls, the second takes orders and does other things. After a few days, the partners change roles.
If a company has a small office, then cleaning - sweeping and wiping the floor with a damp cloth - will probably not be embarrassing for anyone. If you get rich, hire a cleaner. Accounting, if the business is officially registered, can be done personally, and such a company will not need security. Therefore, in this column, costs are kept to a minimum.
Method No. 2. We use compatible cartridges
There are original and compatible cartridges. There are two common opinions on which one to use. Some are sure that only an original cartridge can convey all the print quality. Others believe that compatible cartridges are several times cheaper and print no worse than the original ones.
— If you want to save money, then the best option, in my opinion, is to buy cartridges and toners that are not produced by original, but reliable and well-known brands. In this case, you will not be able to achieve maximum savings, but you will not worry about the print quality and printer performance,” commented Sergey Fominykh .
According to the director of Smartset, over the ten years of the company’s work, the most rejected manufacturers were Cactus, Sprint and Sputnik.
Organization of additional services
Two people, even with a solid client base, working tirelessly, will not earn much on one refill of cartridges. Of course, there will be enough for bread and butter, but no more. Although, there are also cartridges for which they charge 7-8 thousand rubles for servicing (for those who are interested, these are HP CF313A (826A) magenta cartridges for HP CLJ M855). The usual tariff ranges from 300 rubles to 2.5 thousand (depending on the model).
Approximate prices for standard services for refilling and repairing some printer models are shown in the table:
| Type of work | Cost, rub. |
| Refilling cartridge HP 92274A (74A) for HP LJ 4L | 390 |
| Refilling the HP C4150A cyan cartridge for HP CLJ 8500/8550 | 1900 |
| Refilling cartridge HP CF312A (826A) yellow for HP CLJ M855 | 8400 |
| Chip replacement | 150-500 |
| Replacing the photoconductor | 400-1000 |
| Refilling the Brother TN-04C cyan cartridge for Brother HL-2700/MFC-9420 | 1500 |
| Refilling the Brother TN-3330 cartridge for Brother HL-5440/DCP-8110 | 450 |
| Refilling the Canon 703 cartridge for Canon LBP 2900/3000 | 390 |
| Refilling Canon 711Y cartridge for Canon LBP 5300, LBP-5360, MF9130, MF9170 | 1000 |
The list of services provided should include full printer maintenance:
- chip replacement;
- replacement of photodrums;
- sale of components for printers, ink, toner (bought cheaper - sold more expensive);
- sale of consumables (regular printing paper, photo paper for printers, etc.);
- diagnostics of the printer is not subject to other faults;
- replacing pressure rollers;
- eliminating error codes, etc.
The situation can be complicated if it is necessary to repair an MFP - a multifunctional device that combines a scanner, printer and copier. Such repairs will cost much more.
Having become proficient in the repair and maintenance of printers, you can take on other office equipment - copiers, scanners, faxes, plotters, telephones, etc.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS AFTER WORK COMPLETION
5.1. At the end of the work, you should put the workplace, work clothes in order, remove consumables, documentation, finished products, etc. 5.2. Materials used during work, waste, scrap, as well as rags, rags and other materials used during cleaning should be placed in a specially designated place (for example, in a metal box with a closing lid). 5.3. At the end of the work, you should take off your overalls, safety shoes and other personal protective equipment and put them in the designated storage location, and, if necessary, hand them over for washing and cleaning. 5.4. Report all problems and malfunctions of the tools and equipment used during work, as well as other violations of labor safety requirements, to your immediate supervisor. 5.5. At the end of work, you should wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap, and if necessary, take a shower.
Income, expenses, business payback
As mentioned above, the costs of organizing a cartridge refilling business almost entirely depend on what equipment will be used in the work. The economy option involves starting a business with 5-15 thousand rubles in your pocket, special skills and a burning desire to start your own business.
The second method is more expensive and will require an amount of 100-150 thousand rubles from a beginning entrepreneur. Of course, this format of doing business will reach the payback point faster. For several months.
Based on the experience of small Moscow companies with a staff of 4-6 people providing services for refilling, repairing cartridges and selling components and accessories, net profit ranges from 200-280 thousand per month. But this is Moscow.
In cities with smaller populations, this figure is about 120-170 thousand rubles. In small settlements it is even less - from 30 to 80 thousand rubles per month. Such companies “survive” precisely due to the provision of additional services, including in their price list the maintenance and repair of not only office equipment but also computers, laptops, telephones, the provision of printing services, etc.
The profitability of a business also depends on the costs of its organization. But even with the most pessimistic forecast, the time to reach the break-even point will be no more than 2 months.
Development of a business idea
In fact, in any city you can open a company that restores copiers. Such a service will be in great demand, since without using a printer it is impossible to conduct office work. If there is a business plan, cartridge refilling can be rationally planned and organized. Usually small companies are engaged in refilling replacement units, since this simple work does not bring in millions in profit. There is no need to be afraid of competition from large companies.
Every owner of a copying machine needs to refill cartridges that run out of ink, since all well-known companies produce inexpensive printer models with unreasonably expensive replacement units. Refilling them costs much less. If a service center does this efficiently, the demand for its services is constantly growing.
The target audience:
- government agencies;
- individual entrepreneurs;
- various small companies;
- individuals, owners of home printers;
- large offices;
- It is especially beneficial to work with companies that make photocopies and print documents.
Your company will constantly have a lot of orders if an agreement is concluded with consumers of the service. To do this, you need to offer them your services at a mutually beneficial price. Quality service to regular customers is a priority.
Types of business
This business can be considered in two implementation options: main or accompanying. If your plan is to organize a business specifically for refilling cartridges, you should first develop a business plan for the organization.
It should include a succinct name that will reflect the essence of the service, as well as the form of the organization. The easiest way is to register an individual entrepreneur. This will take less time and money, and in the future will simplify the submission of reports to the tax authorities.
In addition, the business will not have large turnover, which is easier to carry out using the LLC form.
If you are opening a related business, the official registration stage has already been completed.
As an additional service, refilling is offered by copy centers, stores selling office equipment, etc.
As a rule, other consumables are immediately offered, such as ink, used cartridges, printers and more.
Do you need to register your business?
Is it worth registering such a relatively small business as refilling cartridges? Definitely yes. Even if you manage to work for the first two or three months without registering a business activity, then, sooner or later, the company will still come to the attention of the tax authorities.
Which form of business to choose - individual entrepreneur or LLC? This article will help you compare. How to register as an individual entrepreneur can be found at this link - https://business-poisk.com/kak-otkryt-ip-samostoyatelno-poshagovaya-instrukciya-po-registracii-ip.html. Read how to register a limited liability company here.
Another important step in registering a company is choosing the optimal tax regime. Which taxation system is better, see this source. Read how to combine several tax regimes here. You can find out what taxes a specific individual entrepreneur pays by clicking on the link.
What is the profitability of the business?
Refilling 1 cartridge costs on average 1000 rubles. It turns out that by refilling only 70 cartridges per month, you can earn 70,000 rubles. Half will have to be spent on maintaining the business, but the rest will be pure profit. By maintaining this pace of work, you can recoup your initial investment in less than six months (excluding the period for attracting your first clients and promoting your business). By attracting more orders you increase profitability. Refilling cartridges business is simple and quite affordable to start, while at the same time being able to provide a good profit to the owner. You can’t make fabulous money here, but as a business in a small town, which allows you to not depend on anyone and expand the scale of your business over time, this is an excellent option.
Profitability and payback periods
It is not difficult to calculate the approximate time frame for an enterprise to become profitable. The given values are purely average and may differ in different regions of the country. A liter of ink costs about 400 rubles. This volume is enough to refill 50 cartridges. This means that the cost of one such operation is 8 rubles. The estimated cost of such a service for a client is 500 rubles. At the same time, the service also provides another service - cartridge restoration. It will cost the client 1000 rubles.
It is easy to calculate that if you refill 100 cartridges per month and remanufacture 50, your monthly income will be around 100 thousand rubles. Next, all related regular expenses are deducted from this amount, and part of the funds is necessarily written off for depreciation of equipment. As a result, payback periods begin at approximately two years or more.
Of course, for beginners, refilling cartridges as a business idea sounds very attractive, but not everyone has sufficient funds to start their own business and bring it to life. In this case, you should not despair, because you can always find expense items that can be cut and start an enterprise with less investment.
