Start A Stationery Business - Business Ideas
A stationery business sells stationery products such as paper goods, notebooks, greeting cards, and envelopes.
The best part about starting a stationery business is that it's relatively easy and inexpensive to get started.
Since there are so many different types of products available in this industry, there are endless opportunities for creativity, customization, and expansion.
You could even start out small by selling your products on Etsy or eBay before opening up an actual storefront.
Starting a stationery business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.
If you're interested in how to sell stationery product, or selling stationery product online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.
Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to start a stationery business ➜
Key Stats
Startup Costs
| Min Startup Costs | Max Startup Costs | |
|---|---|---|
|
Office Space Expenses |
$0 |
$7,000 |
|
Employee & Freelancer Expenses |
$151 |
$352 |
|
Website Costs |
$223 |
$7,215 |
|
Business Formation Fees |
$5,600 |
$20,400 |
|
Retail Business Expenses |
$0 |
$6,000 |
|
Software Expenses |
$162 |
$3,094 |
|
Total Startup Costs |
$6,136 |
$44,061 |
Case Studies
•
$22.5K/mo
•
$13K/mo
•
$10K/mo
•
$260K/mo
Successful Businesses
| Business | URL | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Paper Source |
papersource.com |
52,883 |
|
|
OfficeSupply |
officesupply.com |
73,310 |
|
|
Envelopes |
envelopes.com |
75,748 |
|
|
The Goulet Pen Company |
gouletpens.com/ |
92,151 |
|
|
Bunbougu |
bunbougu.com.au |
181,680 |
|
|
Milligram |
milligram.com |
225,193 |
|
|
Cloth & Paper |
clothandpaper.com |
238,449 |
|
|
Office Supplies Ireland |
huntoffice.ie |
242,443 |
|
|
Item Information for Office, Healthcare and School Supplies |
iteminfo.com |
243,359 |
|
|
Crane Stationery |
crane.com |
249,119 |
|
|
Free Letterhead Templates |
freeletterheadtemplates.net |
302,684 |
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Description |
|---|---|
|
Flexibility |
You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own. |
|
Ability to start your business from home |
It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning! |
|
Little startup costs required |
The cost to start a stationery business costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 44,061. |
|
Scalable |
With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers. |
|
Quick build time |
The average time it takes to build your product is quick - typically around 10 months. This will allow you to bring your product to market faster. |
| Cons | Description |
|---|---|
|
Crowded Space |
Competition is high when it comes to your stationery business, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies. |
|
Finding The Right Supplier |
Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section. |
|
Low margins |
The gross margins for your stationery business are typically around 35%, which can make it more challenging to incur new expenses and maintain profitability. |
Marketing Ideas
-
1
Affiliate Program
Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.
Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.
The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.
-
2
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.
-
3
Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.
Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.
Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.
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