You could earn your living by giving new life to beaten-up furniture. If you’re into upholstery you’ll already know that a fair arsenal of equipment is involved, including:

• Hammers
• Glue guns
• Staple guns
• Work benches
• Springs
• Webbing
• Decorative fabrics

Decide who your customers are. It could be other businesses, interior designers, businesses that use seats like hair salons and pubs, vehicle-based businesses, doctors needing equipment reupholstered or domestic residents. It might be the case that you want to upholster items from a particular period in history though you’re limiting your potential business depending on where you’re based.

Video and photography are essentials. Upholstery lends itself well to timelapse videos as well as before and after shots (with loads of progress photos in-between).

On the diversifying front, try selling leftover upholstery fabric or host classes, in-person and online. Offering services like curtain fittings and selling the furniture you’ve upholstered yourself will boost your business too.