A Short Guide to Setting Up a Linen Supply Business

When you’re thinking of business ideas, it’s always good to consider going into an industry that supplies products everyone needs. There are always going to be certain things that are in demand, no matter what the economy is like. Businesses need bathroom supplies, cleaners and stationery. There may be times when competition is fierce, and it’s difficult to make a name for yourself. But at least you know you’re not selling a product that no one wants. One of these industries is linen supply. There are always restaurants who need tablecloths and napkins, and hotels who need sheets and towels. You can sell linen to companies, or you can rent them out. Large hotels need hundreds of sets of sheets and towels, so you gaining several clients could be quite lucrative. There are several things to consider before setting up your business. These include where you’ll operate from and who you want to supply to.

Space

A linen supply business is one type of business that you can’t run unless you have a lot of storage space. Whereas you can run some businesses from a small office with barely any physical space needed, you’ll need somewhere to keep your stock. Securing storage space will probably involve renting or buying warehouse space. However, many businesses manage to run from self-storage units. Using self-storage can work quite well when you’re just starting up. You can rent out several units to store your stock while it moves in and out between you and clients. You can drop any space you’re not using and hire more space if you need it. So if you hire out your stock, you don’t need the extra space while the stock is with a client. However, this is unlikely to work well once your stock starts to grow.

Get to Know Your Goods

You might already know a lot about linen from a previous career or just personal knowledge. But if you aren’t familiar with the products you want to sell or hire out, you must learn about them before launching your business. Familiarity with your goods is essential to securing business deals. You can’t make a sales pitch if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Whether you learn the most durable material to make tablecloths from or what makes terry towels absorbent, you must know your stuff.

Gaining Clients

Unless you already have some big business contacts, you’re likely to be starting small and local. If you can find businesses that are in the process of setting up or opening, these could be good places to target. Established businesses will already have a linen supplier, and you’ll have to convince them to switch. But new businesses may still be looking for a good supplier and could be more willing to give a new company a chance.

You could be facing some tough competition, so it’s a good idea to find your niche. Perhaps you’ll cater to a specific industry, or go further and cater to a niche within that industry. Each industry niche has its specific needs, and you have a chance to find out who isn’t getting their needs met.