Start A Shoe Repair Business - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start A Shoe Repair Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

A shoe repair business focuses on replacing worn-out heels and soles to restore high-quality footwear. The cost of shoe repair is often lower than that of purchasing a new pair, hence why people demand shoe repair services.

If you intend to start a shoe repair business, research the target market and estimate the demand for shoe repair services. Target opening a shoe repair shop within residential areas, as that’s where more customers are likely to come from.

Decide what shoe repair services are in demand in the region, and invest in the necessary tools.

Starting a shoe repair business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell shoe repair , or selling shoe repair online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size
$285M
starting costs
$18K
gross margin
90%
time to build
270 days

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$151

$252

Website Costs

$223

$7,015

Business Formation Fees

$600

$4,700

Vehicle Expenses

$0

$10,000

Retail Business Expenses

$1,250

$6,650

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$75

$3,986

Software Expenses

$162

$2,720

Office Space Expenses

$0

$100

Specific Industry Expenses

$0

$500

Total Startup Costs

$2,461

$35,923

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

The Shoe Laundry

theshoelaundry.com

2,874,923

Park Shoe Repair

parkshoerepair.com

4,001,182

Quick Cobbler

quickcobbler.com

4,168,004

Cobblers Direct

cobblersdirect.com

5,033,322

Leather Repair

broadwayshoerepairseattle.com

5,561,397

shoerepairconcierge

shoerepairconcierge.com

7,535,619

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a shoe repair business costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 35,923.

Rewarding work

Starting a shoe repair business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

High customer retention rates

Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer.

Pick & choose the clients you work with

Shoe Repair Businesses have the ability to choose the clients they work with. You have the freedom to work with only a few loyal clients or with hundreds of clients!

Control of workload

With starting a shoe repair business, you have the unique ability to choose how little or how much you want to work. You also have the freedom to decide which projects you want to work on, and can turn down the ones that do not interest you.

Gain exposure and experience

This career allows you to gain experience working for multiple different businesses - which will benefit your resume and also keep things interesting for you!

Cons Description

Motivation of employees

If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.

Longer Sales Process

A shoe repair business can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.

Work can be inconsistent

As a shoe repair business, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.

Lack of benefits

With a shoe repair business, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Taxes

As a shoe repair business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

No safety net

Typically, as a shoe repair business, you do not receive a consistent pay-check and instead earn money based on your transactions each month. During the slow periods, you typically take away less since the job is based on commission. It's important to budget accordingly for the slow times.