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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Published on May 10, 2022
Investment range
$1,800 - $4,450
Revenue potential
$41,000 - $73,000 p.a.
Time to build
0 – 3 months
Profit potential
$38,000 - $65,000 p.a.
Industry trend
Growing
Commitment
Flexible
Here are the most important aspects to consider when starting your knife sharpening business:
Starting a knife sharpening business has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s right for you.
Trends in the knife sharpening industry include:
Challenges in the knife sharpening industry include:
Startup costs for a knife sharpening business range from $1,800 to $4,500. The largest expense is for a business website. You also need a knife sharpening kit, such as an Edge Pro Apex kit, which only costs $250. You don’t need anything else, other than your knife sharpening equipment.
If you want to hone your knife sharpening skills, you can take a 3.5 hour course online for $30 from TSPROF.
| Start-up Costs | Ballpark Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up a business name and corporation | $150 - $200 | $175 |
| Business licenses and permits | $100 - $300 | $200 |
| Insurance | $100-$300 | $200 |
| Business cards and brochures | $200 - $300 | $250 |
| Website setup | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
| Knife sharpening kit | $250 - $350 | $300 |
| Total | $1,800 - $4,450 | $3,125 |
The price to sharpen knives is $1 to $2 per inch of blade. It’s unlikely that someone will have you sharpen just one knife, so these calculations will assume an average sale per customer of $20. Your profit margin will be high, around 90%.
In your first year or two, you could have 40 customers per week, bringing in more than $41,000 in annual revenue. This would mean nearly $38,000 in profit, assuming that 90% margin. As you get referrals and repeat customers, you might have 70 customers per week. With annual revenue of $73,000, you’d make a healthy profit of $65,000.
There are really no barriers to entry for a knife sharpening business except facing competition from knife sharpening businesses that are already established.
Now that you know what’s involved in starting a knife sharpening business, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market.
Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.
Research knife sharpening businesses in your area to examine their services, price points, and customer reviews. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing a mobile knife sharpening business, or a professional knife sharpening business for chefs.
You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as western style knives or serrated knives.
This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away.
Read our interview with Albert Edmonds to uncover the secrets of turning a passion for knife sharpening into a thriving business.
You should be able to sharpen any of the following items:
With the right tools, you could also sharpen lawnmower blades or other tool blades.
You can also offer mail-in knife sharpening service, if your customers can’t make it to your store.
Prices for knife sharpening range from $1 to $2 per inch of blade. Check your local market prices to make sure you’re competitive. Your profit margin should be very high since you’ll have few ongoing expenses. You should aim for 90%.
Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.
Your target market will be broad, so you should spread out your marketing to include sites like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. You can also connect with the owners of businesses that use knives, such as restaurants, on LinkedIn. You can also find them on Google or Yelp and call them directly.
In the early stages, you may want to run your business from home to keep costs low. But as your business grows, you’ll likely need to hire workers for various roles and may need to rent out a shop space. You can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist, Crexi, and Instant Offices.
When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:
Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:
Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these.
Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.
Here are the key components of a business plan:
If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.
Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.
Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business!
Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to knife sharpening business.
If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state.
Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your knife sharpening business will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely.
Here are the main options:
We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization, and answer any questions you might have.
Choose Your State
The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN.
Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.
The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist, and taxes can be filed online.
It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.
Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:
Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a knife sharpening business.
Starting a knife sharpening business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.
Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits.
You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more.
You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package. They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.
This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.
If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.
Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account.
Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your knife sharpening business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.
Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account.
Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.
Here are some types of insurance to consider:
As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business.
Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.
You may want to use industry-specific software, such as Fixably or R.O. Writer, to manage your scheduling, jobs, and invoicing.
Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.
You can create your own website using website builders. This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.
They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.
Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:
Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that set it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your knife sharpening business meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire.
Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your knife sharpening business could be:
You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a knife sharpening business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in knife sharpening for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections.
The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in knife sharpening. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership.
If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a knife sharpening business include:
At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need.
Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter. Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent.
If you’re looking for a simple business to start in a growing industry, knife sharpening could be just the ticket. As people buy more expensive knives, the demand for knife sharpening is growing. You just need some basic equipment, a good marketing plan, and a willingness to work hard and provide great customer service, and you could be sharpening your way to serious success!
This guide has sharpened your business knowledge, so now it’s time to start your entrepreneurial journey — and your knife sharpening business.
Yes, a knife sharpening business can be profitable. Ongoing expenses are very low, so you’ll keep most of what you make. You just need to do good work and serve your customers well and you can be successful.
It is generally better to sharpen a knife while it is dry. Wet sharpening methods, such as using water or oil, are typically reserved for specific sharpening systems or when recommended by the manufacturer. Dry sharpening allows for better control and precision during the sharpening process.
To differentiate your knife sharpening business, focus on quality, offer specialized services, provide exceptional customer service, and showcase your expertise.
The angle at which a knife is sharpened depends on factors such as its use and type, but generally, kitchen knives are sharpened to a bevel angle of 15-20 degrees per side.
Source high-quality sharpening tools and supplies by researching reputable brands, seeking professional recommendations, reading customer reviews, and considering professional-grade options.
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