How to Start an Antique Restoration Business

As the person in charge of an antique restoration operation, you're the person that makes items look like what they once looked like the first time they were sold. In many cases, long before your parents, or grandparents, were born.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Search the Internet for colleges and universities that teach antique restoration. Take business courses in accounting, finances, management and organization. Get wide exposure to different antiques and details on getting them back in shape.
2. Work for an antique restoration business. Start from the bottom, and work your way up. Become proficient on how to restore different antiques. Spend extra time learning how to restore a new type of antique if you don't get that opportunity during your shift. You want to gain working knowledge on how to restore antiques. Gain enough experiences to boost your resume and to show future clients that you know what you're doing.
3. Evaluate the market in your area. Go back over your experiences at the antique restoration business. Recall what kind of people customers were, where they were from and what other stores they visited. Get a sense of what's missing, then become the solution.
4. Study the location that you want to operate in. If you're interested in a vacant office or building space, ask questions. Talk to the surrounding businesses and find out about that empty space. Learn what kinds of business ran there and why they closed.
5. Get your business permits and inspection certifications. Don't assume you won't need a certification. The old business owner may have neglected meeting certain fire marshal or safety requirements. As a new owner, you will have to obtain all necessary certifications.
6. Generate a market, business and financial plan. Your market plan details how to get more customers; this should be on a continuing basis. It should also include networking with people that are antique aficionados.
7. Market your business. Hire a freelance copywriter to generate your marketing materials and a graphic artist to make these advertisements look professional. A good freelance copywriter would be able to mingle with antique lovers, find out what makes them tick and find out their business psychology. A freelance copywriter writes marketing materials for you that grab antique lovers by the collars and make it hard for them to refuse your services.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't think about opening your antique business without reading Bernard B. Kamoroff's "Small Time Operator" cover to cover. Use it a guide to navigate you through the minefield that eliminates many businesses during startup.
• Hire a freelance copywriter and a freelance graphic artist to help you with your marketing. A copywriter that follows the Claude C. Hopkins advertising mindset is better than one that just throws sales words together.