home » Directory » Production from natural stone as a business. Unusual Pet Stone Business How to Start a Natural Stone Business from Scratch

Production from natural stone as a business. Unusual Pet Stone Business How to Start a Natural Stone Business from Scratch

Main items of expenditure
- - - Similar business ideas:

Today, the manufacture of artificial stone countertops has become a great idea for your own business. Studying the market in this area, we can conclude that the main consumers will be manufacturers of kitchen furniture. Of course, some people assemble furniture on their own, placing an order in such offices. And yet, the volume of their demand is very small.

Small and medium-sized firms are not ready to spend additional funds to open a separate workshop for the manufacture of countertops. Firstly, it requires quite significant costs, and secondly, a wide range of products allows you to find partners who are ready to work at a price that is beneficial for both parties. At the same time, in almost any store you can find countertops made of artificial stone. This suggests that the material is in great demand. It can be used for the manufacture of not only countertops. As an additional source of income, a businessman can use acrylic to create professional bar counters, wide window sills or even sinks. In the search for partners, many furniture companies opt for domestic countertop manufacturers. This is due to several factors:

lower price;
high quality;
lower transport costs.

The undoubted advantage of this business idea is that the entrepreneur works with large companies that provide demand for products. In this case, all aspects are negotiated between the end user and the furniture manufacturing company. A small business entity is, in essence, a high-income performer. The businessman is responsible for the quality of the countertop itself. If there are any errors in the drawings, they fall on the furniture manufacturer. Additional work on the part of the countertop manufacturer is paid. If we talk about the prospects and the possible level of earnings, it should be noted that this type of business is very attractive. The amount of monthly income can reach 400 thousand rubles, if at least one countertop is made per day.

Main items of expenditure

The main components of the costs of opening such a business will be the following items:

purchase of all necessary equipment (30 thousand rubles);
consumables for the first time (20 thousand rubles).

Registration can cost only 800 rubles if you choose an individual entrepreneur as an organizational form. Other varieties involve a slightly higher state duty.

Step-by-step plan for opening production

it will take a lot of time to search:

suitable premises (there are no special requirements in this business);
highly qualified personnel (four employees working in shifts who have extensive experience in this business area, since the material used is very expensive).

What equipment to choose for the production of countertops

After the premises and staff are found, you can proceed to the purchase of equipment. It is better to start searching for it in advance. We must not forget that almost all countertops are made according to individual sketches, so spending a lot of money on buying special forms will simply be inappropriate. It is better to do with hand power tools and consumables. So, for the implementation of the activity will be necessary:

Frazier. It must be powerful enough (at least 1600 W) and of high quality. The average price is 11 thousand rubles. With the help of it, seams are adjusted, all irregularities are smoothed out, various curly elements are made.
Grinder. Its average cost is 10 thousand rubles. It is needed for grinding and polishing the surface of the countertop.
Jigsaw. It should not have a pendulum move. Such a tool will cost 2-5 thousand rubles. It is with the help of it that the sheets are cut.

Work is impossible without special assembly tables and some other production equipment. You can not do without consumables, which include:

special grinding skins;
polishes;
various nozzles for power tools (files, cutters);
glue guns;
clamps;
trimmers.

In the process of developing your own enterprise, you can think about expanding it. This will be accompanied by the purchase of additional pieces of equipment and the hiring of staff.

The technological process of manufacturing countertops

At first glance, it may seem that the process of making countertops is very simple. In fact, much depends on the skill level of the working staff. Yes, quality tools and consumables provide half the success. The rest depends on the skills and abilities of the employees. The work is connected with the use of special machines. A person starting to work with them must know the safety precautions in order to avoid work-related injuries. If finished products are used, then the technology is as follows:

Making a drawing. When working with furniture companies, they perform this stage.
Cutting the existing material in accordance with the required parameters.
Processing the edges of the product. This is necessary so that the sides have uniform cuts.
Gluing the sides with the main part. While the glue is not dry, its excess is removed.
Rounding the edges, if necessary, and their subsequent grinding.
Creation of holes for sinks, household appliances.
Final sanding and polishing.

Purchasing materials can be purchased from vendors. At the same time, you should immediately think about the assortment, because diversity can attract additional customers. Some small firms are engaged in the manufacture of special templates, which are subsequently used to create countertops. They are then sprayed with artificial stone. For the manufacture of the template using chipboard. The width of the future countertop may vary. So, if a finished product with a thickness of 0.4 cm is required, then one blank and a template is enough. For thicker countertops, several can be used instead of one blank. All parts are connected to each other using self-tapping screws or special brackets. Next, make an allowance to achieve the desired thickness. Already on ready-made templates, a liquid composition of artificial stone is subsequently applied. In this case, one of the following techniques is used:

direct spraying;
reverse spraying.

The latter method is considered more professional and is most often used by businessmen.

Evaluation of the financial results of a business idea

The profitability of an enterprise is one of the most important points of any idea. It is worth evaluating it at the preparatory stage of your business. The main cost items will be:

Consumables;
wage;
rent (plus utilities);
advertising.

This may also include transportation costs. Another option is to entrust it to your clients. It should be noted that qualified employees will not work for small wages, so they need to be provided with decent working conditions. The amount of monthly costs will depend on the volume of production. The cost of countertops is usually three times lower than their selling price. So, the finished product can be sold for at least 13,500 rubles per linear meter. In a day, two qualified employees can produce at least 2 countertops. Monthly revenue can be about 600 thousand rubles with 22 working days. Unless, of course, take orders on a daily basis. The cost of materials in this case will be about 200 thousand rubles. For rent, you will have to pay 20-35 thousand rubles (work in a room of 50 m2). At least 10 thousand rubles will be spent on advertising, later this amount may decrease if regular customers are found. As for wages, taking into account tax and insurance premiums, it should be at least 60 thousand rubles. per person. Therefore, the payroll will be equal to 120 thousand rubles. The total costs will be equal to 365 thousand rubles. Hence, the profitability will be equal to: (600 - 365)/600*100%= 39.2%. The initial cost of 50 thousand rubles will be able to pay off in the first month. In addition, the businessman can immediately start making a net profit, which makes the idea of \u200b\u200bmaking countertops even more attractive.

Video - how to make an artificial stone countertop

How much money do you need to start a business

Large initial capital is not required. On average, you will need about 270-300 thousand rubles to start. The main costs for the initial plan include:

40 thousand rubles for the purchase of inventory and necessary equipment;
200 thousand rubles for the purchase of blanks from which countertops will be made;
20 thousand rubles for the preliminary preparation of the premises to be taken under production;
800 thousand rubles equipment;
2500 rub. on the process of registration of all necessary documentation;
about 10 thousand rubles for marketing.

Which OKVED to indicate when registering a business

Furniture production - OKVED code 36.1. Also, when registering this business, you can specify the OKVED code 36.13 - the production of kitchen furniture or the OKVED code 36.14 - the production of other furniture. Depending on the material from which you are going to make countertops, you can indicate the OKVED code 26.66 during registration - production of other products from gypsum, concrete and cement.

What documents are needed to open

Before starting cooperation with individuals and furniture organizations, it is first necessary to draw up all the documents, among which should be:

registration of an LLC or individual entrepreneur;
passport;
a receipt indicating payment of the state duty;
identification code.

As soon as you have all the documents and you have successfully passed the registration, you need to submit information to the statistics authorities and the pension fund.

Which taxation system to choose for business registration

To implement such a business plan for the manufacture of countertops, a simplified taxation system is suitable.

Do I need permission to open

To open a countertop manufacturing business, you must have the following contracts and permits:

permission from Rospotrebnadzor, allowing you to start activities;
the conclusion of the sanitary and epidemiological station on compliance with the rules and regulations;
waste management contracts;
the presence of PPC;
special economic agreements that allow cleaning ventilation;
conclusion of fire supervision;

You will also need an agreement confirming the systematic removal of various garbage and solid waste.

Doing business is a very exciting activity that only gifted and people who have a craving for it can do. What crazy ideas do not come into the minds of novice entrepreneurs, and at the very beginning many laugh at them. But as soon as this idea, which at first glance seemed insane, begins to bring huge profits to its owner, the mood of others changes dramatically.

At first they are surprised and envious, then they try to copy the idea, and usually without much success. And businessmen who succeeded in all this become popular guests at various seminars and business trainings. Here such a substitution of concepts takes place, where at first they laugh and twist a finger at the temple, and then they envy.

Legends begin to circulate about these people, they are written about in newspapers and shown on television. Therefore, as soon as you come up with some crazy idea for organizing your business, you do not need to immediately discard it. Even if all relatives and friends laugh at you. There is a chance that this idea will make you a millionaire.

In this article today we will talk about stones. But not about precious stones, and not about gems, which are so popular with many connoisseurs. This article will focus on ordinary stones that can be found almost anywhere. On the street, in the forest, in the garden and so on. We will tell you how you can organize your business on this.

We see these stones every day, but usually do not pay much attention to them. And in vain. Next, we will talk about Gary Dahl, an entrepreneur from America, who managed to become a multimillionaire in just six months. And these most ordinary stones helped him.

Millions on ordinary cobblestones
In 1975, a certain Gary Dahl worked in one of the American states. He was the most ordinary office worker, and was no different from a million other similar workers. Well, unless he was a good manager. But at one fine moment, a crazy idea was born in his head, which he dared to bring to life, and good management and marketing skills were useful to him more than ever. And just three months after the organization of the business, the whole country knew about it. And later he became known among entrepreneurs around the world. His business was called pet stones.

This unusual idea was born by him while caring for ordinary pets. Harry liked to keep pets in his house, but they took a lot of time and effort to maintain. And so he came up with and successfully implemented pets in the form of ordinary stones. The entrepreneur only achieved huge success when he was able to convince all his clients that a simple stone could act as a pet. It just takes a little imagination to do so. You need to have creative thinking. And he perfectly managed to convey the essence of his proposal to customers.

And all his clients subsequently did just that. They looked after their stones, cleaned them, gave them names and talked to them. At first glance, all this seems abnormal, but if you look at the side of human psychology, then there is a hidden meaning in all this. When communicating with pets, people improve their psychological state, and this allows them to avoid depression. Stones that are used as a care item have the same function. It turns out the perfect pet, which does not need to be cleaned up, and fed too.

Gary came up with this idea, and immediately took up its implementation. The stones were packaged in boxes with certain inscriptions and sent by mail to customers. The stones are still sold under the brand name Rock Bottom Productions and were originally shipped to the customer in pet-like containers. Straw was placed in this box, on which the pet stone lay. The box contained instructions for caring for the stone and various little things. But the stone was the most ordinary cobblestone, which was carefully washed from dirt.

This idea, which at first seemed crazy, worked, and people began to buy the novelty willingly. One pet had a cost of $3.95, which was a very low price. But the cost was generally a penny, and amounted to about one dollar. This money went to packaging and instructions. Therefore, the net gain from one such stone was three dollars.

During the first six months, about five million stones were sold and Gary made a net profit of $15 million. And if we recalculate this amount for today's exchange rate, it would be about 60 million dollars. Such a large amount of earnings for six months of sales.

Modern Pet Stone Business
Rock Bottom Productions still sells these pet rocks to this day. True, since that time they have changed a lot, and have become more technologically advanced. Although it sounds strange at first glance, it is true.

The stones still sold by the Gary Dahl Company have a built-in USB cable. With this cable, you can connect your pet to a computer or laptop. Although this effect does not represent any technical value, nevertheless, with such a device, the stones began to sell much better. And so, if you figure it out, the cable is just following the traditions, and it does not show anything when connected. Although it is possible there is planned to do something like a flash drive. Such a pet, on which your favorite films are recorded.

In modern Russia, you can also find pet stones. And these will be much more advanced models, which are decorated with rhinestones and other precious and semi-precious materials. You can order such stones from many local craftsmen, and you need to look for such craftsmen on sites dedicated to needlework and various types of hobbies.

Often, eyes, ears, nose, and so on are glued to the stones. And they actually become like pets. Beautiful specimens can cost up to several hundred dollars.

What to do to make money on pet stones
If you also really want to make a fortune on stones, or at least a few thousand dollars, you will have to work hard with your head. Or rather, come up with your own special “trick”, and develop an excellent advertising campaign and marketing plan. This is the only way to sell to other people what they can find for free under their feet.

What kind of "chip" can be invented. No one can say right now. Perhaps it will be a certain coloring, a certain size or something else. The main thing is that this difference is in your favor, and people need it. Then you can make money on it, although of course it will be very difficult to surpass the achievement of Gary Dahl. But you should never stop, because no one knows what will be ahead in 5 or 10 years. Good luck with your business!

Data-yashareType="button" data-yashareQuickServices="yaru,vkontakte,facebook,twitter,odnoklassniki,moimir,lj,gplus">

...................................................

Interior decoration, paving roads and other possibilities of using natural stone today have gained a new round of popularity. This feature allows you to profitably open a business selling natural stone in the Russian Federation without huge financial costs.

Sale of natural stone: business features

Natural stone is a material that has a huge number of positive qualities that allow it to remain a leader in the field of interior decoration and decoration, paving roads and creating landscape design elements for many centuries..

Firstly, natural stone is environmentally friendly,
secondly, it is aesthetic and attractive, and thanks to the variety of existing colors and textures, it allows you to implement various design ideas.

Another important advantage that convinces potential customers to choose natural stone for exterior and interior cladding of buildings, as well as for arranging paths, is its significant wear resistance, so that a properly laid stone will serve for decades. In addition, natural stone is common in the world, including in Russia, and therefore many of its varieties have a relatively low cost.

Common stones that attract buyers and interior designers include such stones:

jasper;
flagstone;
marble;
travertine;
paving stones;
slate and others.

A business plan should become the basis for any business, and the sale of natural stone in the Russian Federation will not be an exception. When compiling this document, the results of the conducted studies of the natural stone market, supply and demand factors, and also pay considerable attention to the financial component.

As for the financial aspects, the following points need to be calculated:

starting investments in starting a business: registering an enterprise, creating a company website, promoting it;
regular expenses coming after the opening of the company: rent of a warehouse, and, if necessary, an office, purchase of goods, payment of salaries to employees, advertising costs;
calculation of the company's profitability, which will be based on the ratio of cost calculation and future earnings. At this stage, taking into account the current trends in the industry and price features, they determine the future pricing policy of the company and draw conclusions regarding its payback period.

You can open a business selling natural stone in the Russian Federation from scratch by working online, without renting an office and retail space, which will save on the first stages of the company's activities. You can start selling by offering natural stone on order. In this case, the trade may have a transit character: the seller accepts the client's order regarding the type and quantity of the stone, then purchases the required volume from the manufacturer of this material and delivers it to the final buyer. As a rule, it is convenient to work with large deliveries in this way. If an entrepreneur plans to organize both wholesale and retail trade in stone, it is better to rent a warehouse and organize a small outlet.

How to open a business selling natural stone from scratch?

The first thing you need to start a business selling natural stone is to decide in what format the trade will be carried out. As a rule, they open a business for the online sale of natural stone wholesale and retail. In this case, there are several important steps to take:

create a selling and informative website;
choose a warehouse of sufficient size;
find reliable suppliers of natural stone;
hire the required number of employees;
promote the enterprise, search for potential buyers;
register a suitable organizational form with the tax office.

When opening an online trade in natural stone, an important step will be the creation of a website. It should be developed and promoted by a professional, because the quality of the interface of the company’s official resource, its information content and functionality will largely depend on the demand for the company’s services. If the founder of the company does not plan to hire a qualified programmer, you can contact the masters of this profile periodically, if necessary.

The site should contain detailed information about each of the categories of goods presented for sale, their functional features and cost. For clarity, it is desirable to provide a portfolio of the existing range, which will become an additional advertising method. As for the financial component, creating a good site will cost about 30-50 thousand rubles, regular maintenance, promotion and optimization - about 5 thousand monthly.

Despite the fact that many entrepreneurs turn to the transit trade method, a more convenient and profitable option would be to purchase stone in small quantities and place it in a warehouse. Renting a warehouse in the outskirts of the city will be inexpensive - for a room measuring 15 - 20 sq.m. the cost will not exceed 20 - 30 thousand per month. If the founder of the business himself has his own premises suitable for organizing a warehouse, you can use it, saving on rent - natural stone, as a rule, is unpretentious to storage conditions.

Being engaged in both wholesale and retail trade in natural stone, it is necessary to purchase a working car that will be roomy and powerful enough to transport any batch of goods. As a rule, at the initial stages, trade volumes are small, so purchasing a GAZelle or another car of similar capacity will be enough. To save on this cost point, many founders purchase a used car.

Opening a business selling natural stone is impossible without finding reliable suppliers. When choosing a supplier, it is important to make sure that he offers a genuine and high-quality product that matches the declared value. By concluding long-term contracts with one or more suppliers, you can achieve a stable supply of assortment, as well as significant savings on the purchase of goods. As a rule, by purchasing natural stone from a manufacturer, you can achieve a profitability of at least 50 percent, which will allow you to recoup your business in the first 6 months of its operation.

The size of the staff will be determined by the scale of the enterprise. To organize stone sales via the Internet, you will need one or two managers to work with buyers and suppliers, warehouse workers and a driver. If the enterprise develops and acquires a significant scale, an accountant who will deal with financial and tax issues should be hired for a separate vacancy.

Sale of natural stone in the Russian Federation: promotion and advertising

Features and methods of promoting a new enterprise will depend mainly on the target audience, which will be emphasized. Since natural stone is mainly used in the construction and cladding of walls, paving roads, swimming pools, and creating interior decor elements, the main customers will be enterprises specializing in the field of construction, repair and design, as well as private buyers equipping their own life. Thus, the client base will be diverse, including both wholesale and retail buyers. Therefore, the developed advertising should be designed for all categories of potential customers.

As you know, when creating a site for the sale of natural stone, attention should be paid to its optimization in search engines, which will enable a potential buyer to see it among the first. The site must include a bright and colorful catalog of stones for sale with a description of the main qualities and advantages of each product. It is also necessary to report prices for all categories of goods and promotions and discounts that are offered to new and regular customers. The Internet resource provides potential customers with contacts through which they can contact the company's managers and order the selected product.

Promotion on the Internet is not limited to the creation and maintenance of the site: it is desirable to place advertising information on special forums and groups in social networks, as well as use the capabilities of online bulletin boards.

The sale of natural stone can also be activated with the help of advertisements in the media and outdoor advertising - these methods, as a rule, are additional.

How to open a business selling natural stone: registration

Having drawn up a business plan, having calculated future expenses and incomes, it is necessary to decide on the basis of what organizational form the enterprise will operate. There are two main options - IP and LLC. Individual entrepreneurship involves minimal financial costs at the start and in the future, when paying taxes, as well as the preparation of a minimum package of documents at the registration stage.

At the same time, if the founder of the business plans to sell natural stone to large state-owned companies, the registration of an LLC would be a more preferable option.

Both organizational forms are drawn up by submitting a special application to the Federal Tax Service. The main differences are that in order to register an individual entrepreneur, it is enough, having paid the state duty in advance, to submit an application to this body, copies of the passport, TIN and receipts for payment of the fee. Registration of an LLC additionally requires the payment of authorized capital (it amounts to 10 thousand rubles) and the submission of a wider list of documents, including the decision to establish an LLC, the company's charter and some others.

Jul 7, 2017 Sergey

Stepan Chupin - about who buys stone souvenirs and why

The representative of the dynasty of Siberian geologists, Stepan Chupin, went against the family tradition - and the only one from the clan received a specialty not related to stones. He even started a business in a field that had nothing to do with fossils. However, fate nevertheless returned the young man to his family vocation. Today, Stepan produces paintings and other products from ornamental and semi-precious stones under his Siberian Stone brand. Stepan Chupin told Biz360 about how to make money in the stone-cutting business.

27 years old, entrepreneur from Novosibirsk, founder of the brand . Graduated from the Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management (major in management). He has been engaged in stone carving for seven years, three years ago it became his main activity. Launched the Siberian Stone brand in early 2016.

family geology

Great-grandfather, grandfather and grandmother and mother and father of Stepan Chupin were geologists. His grandmother in the 80s became the founder of a stone-cutting workshop at the Novosibirsk Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Today there are 10 machines where large blocks of stone are “cut up”.

“In the beginning, I sometimes went there to do something as a hobby. And a few years later it suddenly became my job, - says Stepan. – The fact is that after university I had my own business in the field of gasification. But in the crisis of 2014 it had to be closed. And I decided to be a stone cutter, which I do not regret at all.

Stepan began to do what, after the collapse of the USSR, stone-cutting production at the institute specialized in: creating mosaic paintings from fragments of different stones for a percentage of their sale. At first, the ex-entrepreneur did not want to start any new projects at all - he was crushed by the first unsuccessful experience in business. But over time, he liked to work in the shop more and more. And in the end, the master realized that he would like to expand the scope of activities and again do something on his own. So, together with his wife, he began to develop the Siberian Stone brand.

“The workshop at the institute has shrunk over time, and now only paintings are made there - although other things were also created before. And I am interested in opening the stone in other forms, ”explains Stepan. At the same time, the production at the institute does not promote itself in any way, although it is self-supporting - therefore, the master began to sell his products under his own brand.

On the way to your shop

Thus, paintings created in partnership with the Institute, as well as completely author's items - collectible stones on wooden plates, cabochons, pendants and magnets are now sold under the master's brand. So far, Stepan continues to work on the institute's machines by agreement - but he began to buy his own equipment. Now he already has a special saw, machines for creating cabochons and polishing stone. In a few months, Chupin plans to open his own workshop.

To equip it with everything necessary, Stepan will need at least 5 million rubles. But he notes that it is not at all necessary to install all the equipment at once. You can start with a minimum investment of 50 thousand rubles, renting a small room of 50 "squares".

Stepan's wife Valery, also a master stone cutter, helps Stepan in his work - he is engaged in promotion in social networks and photographing finished works. Stepan also attracted a number of other craftsmen to the partnership: a jeweler to work on pendants, a woodworker to create caskets and tables, as well as specialists in electroplating and engraving.

For now, you can purchase works under the Siberian Stone brand by contacting the master on social networks or by phone. According to Stepan, mosaic paintings are more often sold today. Although these are premium items, they have been on the market for the longest time and already have an established audience.

To create them, the institute's equipment is used, which allows cutting large blocks of stone into plates, and them into figured fragments, which are then ground, polished and folded into an image. In the future, Stepan intends to continue to collaborate on paintings with the institute: either continue to make them himself and sell them for a percentage under his own brand, or simply buy them ready for resale.

directors and presidents

“When creating such works, something was taken from the Ural masters, something from the Florentine ones,” Stepan said. – But in the Florentine mosaic there is no emphasis on the stone pattern: it is assembled from very small fragments from 2 mm, and the result is more like painting with a brush. In our workshop, larger fragments are used, from 3 cm, and more often 5-7 cm: the task is to fit a picture of nature into the composition. Basically, they buy different taiga landscapes, where the pattern of stones is formed, for example, into stream flows, rocks or forests. One of the most popular subjects is a wooden house in the winter taiga.”

The average production time for such a “canvas” is one painting 9x13 cm per day. Anything smaller or larger takes longer at the expense of finer detail or scale. The minimum price of a painting is 4,000 rubles for an image 6x9 cm, and the average cost is 15,000. Also, some of them cost from 20 to 200 thousand rubles.

Owners of firms for foreign partners and just private individuals gradually began to buy such things from Siberian Stone (also more often as a gift for residents of other regions). That is, paintings today are an authentic souvenir from Siberia, suitable for status persons.

In 95% of cases, they are made for availability, and not to order. Due to the specifics of the technique, it is difficult to work on order: it is impossible to show very thin elements in it, there are other limitations. Therefore, customers usually have to choose from what is available.

“Once, one person wanted to order a “status gift” from me to another friend together with friends. I had a picture in stock for 30 thousand. They told me - but the three of us give, we need thousands for 60-100. But there was no such thing in stock, and there was little time for manufacturing - only a week. Therefore, it did not grow together with that order, ”recalls the creator of Siberian Stone.

Under the USSR, the institute gave pictures from its production to the directors of other institutes, guests from other cities and countries. Vladimir Putin, among other things, received such a work when he arrived in the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok a few years ago. He was presented with a map of Russia, made in the same mosaic technique.

Marketing and promotion

B O The majority of Siberian Stone's clients are residents of other regions, mainly in Central Russia. “So far, buyers mostly learn about us through word of mouth. But with the expansion of the range, it is logical for us to advance on the Internet, and we have already started doing this this year, - says Stepan. - At first, we created our website, threw money into Yandex Direct, and even hired special people for this. And that was a mistake. There was not a single sale from there, and now we have closed it.

In order to understand which products, in addition to paintings, have prospects, Stepan eventually began to “probe” the audience through social networks. Started group in Vkontakte And your brand's Instagram account, ran ads there. I began to study subscribers and ask directly through surveys: what would you like?

“We took groups that also deal with stones, subscribed to their subscribers. There was a response, but there were no sales, - states the stone cutter. - They went when we started working with those who don't know about stones, but just sympathize with them for some reason. The collector is not interested in the beauty of the material: his drawers are filled with specimens that are far from always beautiful - the main thing is that they are rare. So there are few such people. And there are much more people who are interested in the beauty of the stone.”

Let there be light

So Stepan began to sell simply beautiful cut stones on a wooden “frame”-stand. The price of such a product is from 1 to 4 thousand rubles, while the master made about 50 of them - and they turned out to be in demand. In the future, the stone cutter intends to sell such decorations to the interior with a special light accompaniment, he has already assembled the necessary microcircuits for this. According to him, other craftsmen do just stones on stands, but not yet with light.

A few months ago, Stepan also moved on to his first mass production, serpentine Christmas tree magnets. During this time, he managed to sell several wholesale parties (the largest - for 500 pieces for 25 thousand rubles). Surveys also showed that customers want cabochons for jewelry and beads.

Also, Chupin did not forget the sudden request for a "status gift from three" and plans to expand in the category of premium gifts. Now in development, together with a wood craftsman, there is a table with a mosaic picture on the lid. He is also working on a diptych in expensive wooden frames worth 200,000 rubles. Stepan has already entered several online stores of premium gifts for further cooperation, and is negotiating.

“When we finish the first table, I will be proud,” says Stepan. - And it's very cool - to do something that you can be proud of. And it's worth all the criticism. Almost all of my things had critics who said - who needs it, who will buy it? And then people came and bought everything.”

On the hunt for agate

According to Stepan, some of the stones cannot be obtained or bought today, and they are taken from the old - "Soviet" - stocks in the warehouse at the institute. For example, charoite. It can be purchased, but, firstly, it is not easy to find a genuine stone. And secondly, it costs $ 100 per 1 kg, while 70% of this volume in the work goes into the trash can.

Fortunately, most often Siberian Stone works with common materials - marble, jasper and agate. In addition to them, jade, seraphinite and other stones are also used, but the most diverse in pattern and color are marble and jasper. “The same charoite is mined in the only deposit in the world, on the Chara River, it is considered a semi-precious stone. But it's just purple, that's all. But jasper can be of a variety of colors, ”comments Stepan.

Some of the raw materials need to be purchased. For example, a master acquires some types of marble at large-scale production of monuments or in online stores. When a large marble object is made in production, there are always scraps left. For some, this is garbage, but for Stepan - a tree or a bank for a picture.

What is not bought must be mined in quarries and rivers in the Urals, Altai, in the Novosibirsk region and in other places. Moreover, usually a different stone is located in completely different places: somewhere there is only a certain type of jasper, somewhere - only agate, etc. “Last year, I participated in an expedition specifically for the stone from which we make the base of houses for landscapes - this is such a striped jasper. We went to Altai for her, ”recalls the master.

Over the past year, Stepan made five expeditions for his brand in his own jeep - the first two times as a reconnaissance, the other three took 0.5 tons of stone to the workshop. Collected raw materials personally with the help of one or more friends. “Next year I will go to Yakutia for rock crystal to start working with it,” Stepan plans.

Friends-competitors

In addition to the joy of creativity, in the new business, Stepan likes a completely different competition than in a standard business, and it cannot be called competition. “What would be the answer in standard business in response to the question “How do you do this?” “It's a trade secret!” And that's okay. But in my practice in stone-cutting, it often happened that they would show you for nothing how to do something, or even give you equipment, ”says the founder of Siberian Stone.

For example, one of his stone-cutting customers asked him to make several hundred magnet Christmas trees for himself. Stepan ran out of raw materials at that time. And the customer just provided it for free to the Novosibirsk master.

And familiar stone cutters from another city took the idea of Stepan's magnets from Stepan's group and made them in their own way. Instead of a showdown on the topic of copyright, everything ended with a conversation about the intricacies of creating such things and the nuances that the “competitors” did in their own way.

Another acquaintance, who is engaged in stone processing, presented Stepan with a cabochon processing machine - because he had an extra one. “Somewhere we all may compete, but somehow it turns out that we cooperate much more often,” the stone cutter summed up.

Natural natural stone is used today in various fields of human activity, from jewelry to construction. One has only to apply imagination and from an ordinary stone you can get a work of art. And it seems that no man-made creation can be compared in beauty, with the gifts of nature. Today, however, technology makes it possible to obtain such building material as natural stone for paths.

Types of natural stones and their features
Where to start stone production?
How much can you earn making stone?
A step-by-step plan for opening the production of natural stone for paths
How much money do you need to start a business
Which equipment to choose for the production of natural stone for paths
What OKVED for the business of producing natural stone for paths
What documents are needed to open
Which taxation system to choose
Do I need permission to open

In the decoration of interiors and exteriors, gypsum products occupy an important place. Natural gypsum stone of various colors and textures looks interesting, for finishing various surfaces and paving the sidewalk. It can be an imitation of brickwork or marble tiles, or it can be narrow sandstone garden paths.

In its beauty and naturalness, it is in no way inferior to its natural counterpart, but at a price it is more affordable. Therefore, today the business based on its production is developing quite successfully. If you are engaged in the sale of finishing materials, you can expand the range of products through the production of such stones. Well, if you are only thinking about your business, then you can start with a similar production.

Types of natural stones and their features

There are a great many stones in nature - precious (beautiful strong transparent crystals), semi-precious, ornamental (opaque minerals), original (rare for collections). Let us dwell on the most famous of them used in the construction industry.

Name	Stone features	Where is used
Zlatalit	He does not care about high humidity and other negative effects. It is able to reflect light well and at the same time change color from light to dark green. Its strength is higher than that of granite, but at the same time it lends itself well to processing. It consists of silver, gold, tourmaline, garnet, Muscovite. Doesn't cost more than tiles.	It is used for interior and exterior decoration of buildings, swimming pools, paving, landscape design.
Breccia	A block of stone, tightly linked, due to clay, limestone, silicon from one or more rocks.	Breccia marble (the strongest) is well ground and polished, has a beautiful decorative pattern. It is used for cladding and for the manufacture of countertops or window sills.
Sandstone	Consists of sand, clay, flint and quartz. It is porous and monolithic. They differ in color and strength.	Used for wall cladding and paving
Quartzite	Popular in our country is Shoksha porphyry (quartzite from Karelia). Quartzite is a durable and difficult to process material. Durable and resistant to wind and moisture. Its artificial analogue, similar in properties, is porcelain stoneware.	It is used in the construction of houses, roads, the manufacture of refractory bricks.

Where to start stone production?

To open a business, you need to: purchase molds, raw materials, find a suitable room, study and test the technology of pouring and painting. You will also need to find distributors and think about advertising the product. As a rule, it will take a little time, because today suburban construction is quite popular and stone garden paths are considered fashionable.

To open a workshop and launch the production of products, a small room of about 20 m2 with heating is enough to work in the cold season. The process of producing stone from gypsum does not create much noise and production can be started in a garage, shed or utility room. The workshop must be equipped with leveled tables and a drying cabinet to speed up the drying of products.

Gypsum facing stone can be made without expensive equipment. Such production does not require a large start-up capital. The main expense item is the purchase of high-quality molds, they can withstand from 1000 to 15,000 castings, in the future you can purchase several molds of the same type.

The gypsum solution is poured into special molds, after 15 minutes the finished product can be taken out of the mold. Artificial stone can be dyed by adding powder pigments to the gypsum mortar, this will allow you to color the product from the inside, while at the joints and cuts the product will not be white. Also, the product can be painted by applying liquid pigments to an elastic form with a brush. The result is an almost natural and very inexpensive stone for laying garden paths.

How much can you earn making stone?

It is possible to produce about 8 m2 of finished products from one mold in one work shift. And from five forms you can get 40 m2 of decorative stone. The cost of 1 m2 of gypsum stone is $10, for one shift this amount will be about $400. The cost of materials is small, a bag of gypsum weighing 50 kg costs about $ 7, and from 5 to 10 m2 of artificial stone can be obtained from it. Decorative additives, pigments and dyes are also used, they are also not very expensive. For 40m2 you will need various additives and dyes for $25. In total, the average production cost of 40 m2 is no more than $120. In total we get:

You can sell artificially created natural stone through repair organizations. Or sell in small batches to private buyers who are engaged in the fact that garden paths are made to order from natural stone. Or you can provide a similar service yourself, thereby you can have a big profit and get a constant sale of products.