All businesses / Specialist shop

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a specialist shop: the real numbers

One category, done properly. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€30,000–€100,000

Hours / week

40–60

First income

~16 wks

Net margin

35%

Saturation

high

Realistic ceiling

€0–€4,500+

This ceiling is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

What nobody usually tells you

A shop still works when the category needs trying on, fitting or expertise. Rent and stock are both fixed and large, online has your price list, and the wrong lease is the most expensive mistake on this site.

The route, in five steps

  1. Sell what people want to see and touch, not what ships in a box
  2. Test at markets or a pop-up for one season first
  3. Stock turn matters more than margin — measure it weekly
  4. Add a service (repairs, fitting, advice) that a website cannot copy
  5. Negotiate a short first lease, whatever the landlord says

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every specialist shop pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

lease and fit-outopening stocktill and stock systeminsurancestaff

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack