Wondering how to start a notebook business from the ground up?
If you want to turn your love of notebooks into a home-based online business, you should start a notebook business online right away.
The best part about starting a notebook business is that you can do so exclusively online and scale it exponentially with little to no startup funds. But that doesn’t mean you won’t have to put in a lot of effort to get your notebook business off to a good start.
The good news is that we’ve assembled everything you need to know in order to start your own notebook business from scratch.
1. Familiarize yourself with the Notebook Industry
To run a successful notebook business from home, you must first learn everything there is to know about notebooks. This will not only make starting a notebook business easier but will also greatly assist you in scaling the business.
The best aspect of starting a notebook business from home is the low upfront cost. Notebooks can be either made without the use of expensive machinery or sourced from wholesalers and suppliers around the world.
It all comes down to design and aesthetics. Since the notebook industry is rapidly expanding, you should keep up with current notebook market trends.
Sourcing the Notebooks for your business
There are two routes you can go about sourcing your products for a notebook business. You can either buy in bulk through a wholesaler or manufacturer and sell them at a retail price or you can manufacture your own notebooks.
Let’s go into the details of both possible business routes for selling notebooks.
1. Sourcing the notebooks through through wholesalers
This is the best route if you do not have experience in manufacturing your own brand of notebooks. There are a plethora of manufacturers and wholesalers who offering competitive price on notebooks, the only catch is you need to buy in bulk. The minimum order quantity(MOQ) depends on each supplier.
On average, you need to buy at least 100 notebooks to get a better deal. Some of the best suppliers for your notebook business are:
Make sure to ask for a sample of a notebook before you commit yourself to buy the minimum order quantity set by suppliers.
2. Making your own customized notebooks
The exact tools and equipment you’ll need to start making your own notebooks will vary due to a lot of factors. For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to focus on the materials needed to make a basic notebook.
From there, you can expand and add to your touch to make different styles and sell them. To get started making fun notebooks for your business, you don’t need much.
All you’ll need is some bank printer papers, decorative papers for the cover and other basic tools like ruler and pencils. Here are some of my preferred tried-and-true supplies:
- Sheets of blank printer paper (size depends on the height and width of your notebook),
- Decorative papers,
- Scissors,
- Pencil,
- Ruler,
- String.
If you have no idea on how to make notebooks for your business but want to go through this route, I would highly recommend reading guides on how to make notebooks from home.
Furthermore, there are a plenty of YouTube channels offering tutorials on DIY notebooks.
How much does it cost to start a notebook business?
You could start a notebook business from home on a basic level for around $900 to $1000. An extra $500 could get you off to a great headstart.
That being said, if you want to operate your notebook business on a bigger scale and manufacture them yourself, it could cost you anywhere from $12,000 to $14,000 depending on the volume of production and marketing strategies implemented.
Bear in mind, the basic level notebook business startup cost of $900 to $1000 includes the supplies($500) and marketing related costs($500).
If you want to go really cheap, you can cut the inventory cost and opt for a dropshipping business model. If you don’t mind a little hard work, the notebook business is one of the best businesses to start and grow.
Is the Notebook Business Profitable?
The notebook business is highly profitable if you know how to market your products efficiently. High quality notebooks can sell for as high as $10-$15 and the cost per piece, if you buy through a wholesaler is only around $2-$5.
That means around $10 profit for every notebook sold. Even if you sell only around 100 notebooks, you are looking at a profit of around $1000.
Is a Notebook Business worth it?
Starting a notebook business is undoubtedly worth it. The notebook business is worth giving a shot because it requires little to no investment and no experience running a business.
Starting a notebook business offers lots of promises and is simple to operate and scale. It’s an excellent business for teenagers to start because of the low entry barrier.
2. Plan Your Notebook Business
The ability to plan beforehand is critical to the success of any business. The same is true when it comes to starting a notebook business. Let’s go over certain steps you’ll need to take as you plan your notebook business.
Choose a name for your Notebook business
You must choose a name that expresses your notebook business’s principles and beliefs, whether you want to start a notebook business or a friendship bracelet business.
Remember that your legal business name must adhere to the state naming requirements in the states where you plan to operate your notebook business; otherwise, the state may refuse to accept the documents you filed to form or qualify the company.
While you may not need to register your notebook business while you’re just starting started, adhering to your state’s name requirements will help you avoid complications in the future if your notebook business takes off and you want to expand it quickly by registering and trademarking it.
Shopify’s Business Name Generator is a free tool that may help you come up with a unique name for your notebook company. Some of the interesting ideas for notebook business names that I got from Shopify Business Name Generator are:
- Notebook Addict
- Small Town Notebook
- Splash of Colors
- Sparkle & Shine
- Glitter Girls!
- Berry Blast
- Citrus Chiller
- Notebook Zone
- Hydro Notes
- Bubbly Notebooks
Once you decide the name of your notebook business, you need to perform three final checks.
- First, check your State’s business name database to see if your desired name for your notebook business is available.
- Second, do a domain name search to check if the name of your notebook business is available as yourbusinessname.com. If it is available go ahead and register the domain before anyone else gets it. Namecheap offers domain names for as cheap as $0.99 for the first year. You can use the tool below to see if the domain name is available.
Find a domain starting at $0.88
powered by Namecheap
- And lastly, do a federal search on the US Trademark Electronic Search System and make sure nobody has already trademarked your notebook business name.
Write a solid Business plan for your Notebook Business
To start a profitable notebook business from home, you’ll need a sound business strategy at the very least. Don’t get into the notebook business just because it seems like fun and that it pays well.
Consider the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of your notebook. What creative tactics will you use to entice customers to your business? What is your customer acquisition strategy?
A well-written business plan should outline the primary goals of your notebook business and how you plan to achieve them. A business plan could also help your notebook business appear professional and appealing to potential financial institutions for lending purposes in the scaling phase.
Overall, a well-written actionable business plan is an essential document for your notebook business. A compelling business plan contains numerous sections, some of which must be included when starting a notebook business.:
- Executive Summary
- Business Description
- Market Analysis
- Competitor Analysis
- Products to Offer
- Competitive Pricing Strategy
- Marketing Strategy
- Fundings
- Financial Projections
You can use business plan software like BizPlan and Enloop to compose a professional-looking business plan for your notebook business.
3. How to sell Notebooks online?
The following stage is to publicize the name of your notebook business on the internet for everybody to view. There are two methods to go about doing it. You can use a third-party website like Etsy or Amazon to sell your items.
Keep in mind that you will be charged a small commission on each item sold through these companies. They can also kick you from their platform at any time, and you will have no control over it.
The next option is having your own platform to sell your notebooks online. Having your own customized websites is a crucial part of starting a notebook business. You need to have a professional online store in order to sell your notebooks online.
Make the most of the internet’s capabilities. You must personalize your website and ensure that it is consistent with your brand.
You can include photographs of your notebooks as well as testimonials to leave a lasting impression on your visitors. Also, remember to put your USP and mission statement on your website and explain why your customers should buy your notebooks.
Create an online store with Shopify
Creating an online store has never been easier. The days of paying a website developer thousands of dollars for a tiny internet store are long gone. You can now launch a whole new online store for your notebook business with Shopify for just $29. The icing on the cake is that Shopify offers a 14-day free trial (no credit card required) to give the platform a try. This is plenty of time to create an online store, add your products, and set up payment methods.
If you’d like someone else to handle the technical details while you focus on growing your notebook business, we’re here to help. A professionally designed online store, unique email, 24/7 support and maintenance, SEO, and digital marketing services are all included in our $199 digital package for the notebook business. You don’t want to lose out on this opportunity. Please contact us as soon as possible before the offer expires.
3. Packaging for your Notebook business
The days of packaging that served only to protect your notebooks from damage are long gone. In the modern-day, packaging has grown into a promotional strategy. Its goal is to help you build your brand, communicate effectively, and sell and protect your notebooks. Additionally, packaging creates enthusiasm and curiosity for your notebooks.
As a result, you’ll need a decent packaging plan if you want to start a successful notebook business. People are enticed to open notebooks when they are beautifully packed, which adds a theatrical element. Overall, you should spend time designing a practical packaging strategy for your notebook business.
Thousands of eye-catching packaging supplies for your notebook business are available on Etsy.
4. Promote your Notebook Business
Most entrepreneurs do not include marketing in their business strategy for a variety of reasons. This is likely to be one of their worst business mistakes, and you should never make it yourself. In order to start a notebook business, word of mouth is the most successful method of marketing.
Once a prototype of your notebook is ready give the samples of your notebook to your friends and family to try it out. After that, ask for feedback and make a list of what they liked and didn’t like.
Request that they tell their friends and family about your notebooks if they liked them. You can also politely request that they share your notebook business’s social media accounts with their friends and family.
You can also use digital marketing to market your notebooks on a national or international scale. Join your local business group or small business communities in your area to learn about the tools that other businesses use to market their products and services.
You can also get in touch with local schools, colleges, and offices to see if they require the supply of notebooks.
In addition to the above methods, you can choose to buy some promotional items and give them to buyers as a small gift for the event. Custom stickers are very cheap and will be your best choice.
Custom stickers can choose any shape and pattern you want. You can add your own logo on the custom stickers, and you can also add some promotional QR code information on the stickers. These stickers can not only promote your brand but also impress customers.
No matter where you see these beautiful stickers, they are ready to use. Such as on phones, computers, notebooks, wallets, and keys. All in all, be sure to try custom stickers as a great way to advertise your business.
Contact us if you need assistance running digital ads for your notebook business. We can offer free advice and resources to help you market your notebook business online.
Final Thoughts
All in all, starting a notebook business may be a rewarding and interesting business adventure. You may convert your passion for stationery into a thriving business with proper strategy and execution.
Remember to do market research, develop a distinct brand, and provide high-quality items that stand out from the competitors. Also don’t forget to have a strong online presence and use social media to communicate with potential clients and customers.
Starting a business is difficult, but with persistence and hard work, you can successfully start a notebook business and see it develop into a profitable and gratifying venture.
So go ahead and take the first step toward making your goal of starting a notebook business a reality!
