How to Manufacture Scented Drawer Liners for Retail
There are a multitude of methods for making scented drawer liners, all of them simple. Making a business of it, though, is much more difficult. First, you'll need to determine whether you can create a viable market for what is commonly a do-it-yourself craft. Next, you must experiment with ways to make liners that will hold their scent while lingering on a shelf. Finally, you'll need to get out a calculator and scratch pad, to see if you can sell them at a price and in sufficient volume to make it worthwhile.
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Instructions
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Test to see what sort of market your product will have. If you own a small shop, you can just add your scented liners to the inventory -- noting how they sell and what scents and patterns sell best. If you do not have a shop, check with local businesses such as laundromats, dry cleaners and small retail stores, to determine which might be interested in carrying such an item -- or using it as a premium for customers. While you are out, check curio stores to see what price comparable items bring.
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Examine the processes you will use. A homemade scented liner is installed quickly, and the scent is trapped between the bottom of the drawer and the liner. Scented liners that sit on a shelf waiting for a buyer are much more likely to have their scents dissipate. Check with other companies that make scented products such as candles and stationery to get tips on how to preserve the scent. Look for alternative methods. For example, you might be able to develop a process where scented oils are embedded in gel caps glued to the back of the liner so that they are burst upon installation, always guaranteeing a fresh, new unfaded scent.
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Estimate how much room you will need for startup, based on your initial market survey. You may only need a room or a spot in the garage. Start smaller than you think you should, with a plan to expand quickly if you meet with early and robust success. It is always easier to lease a bigger space if you need it than to get out of a lease, if initial business does not justify the cost involved.
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Check with local authorities about any permitting or zoning issues. Nothing destroys a small operation's momentum quicker than getting shut down while awaiting the necessary permits and approvals, which should have been obtained up front.
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Determine your costs per liner, and set an initial price you must get to sustain sufficient profit to grow and continue operations. Check back with the people you talked to during your initial market survey, and get their advice. They will likely give you a low estimate on the price you can charge, while your friends may suggest unrealistically high prices to you. Use that information to make your initial judgment, then tell those you hope to carry your liners what their cost will be. If you are selling to local shops to retail the liners, charge them only for what they sell initially, and you'll be much more likely to get into their shops. Have friends and family check the shops to see what the retail price is in each. Do not begrudge a shop owner his profit, but if there is a great discrepancy, it tells you the market will bear a greater price.
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Set up a separate bank account and accounting system to keep track of your sales and costs. This will help you at tax time, by accurately monitoring the financial aspects of your business. If you do not have a segregated bank account, you do not have a business. However elaborate it may be, all you have is a hobby.
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Tips & Warnings
Always monitor what patterns and scents are selling best. If different stores ask different retail prices, follow sales at each of them closely, to see which prices give you the greatest return on your efforts. Note which businesses have the most success in selling the scented liners, to get ideas about what other types of shops might be a good outlet for your product.
References
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