How to Start a Water Refilling Station

 

Water refilling stations are among the most promising ventures. The demand for clean drinking water will never diminish, and water refilling stations are the preferred supplier of a growing number of people. Besides its profit potential, this business is easy to operate.
 
Many homes and offices rely on water refilling stations for their potable water due to fear of contaminated supply. Even depressed areas rely on water refilling stations for their drinking water. There are basically two ways to enter this business: you can either buy a franchise or you can start from scratch on your own. If your funds are limited and want all profits for yourself, or you want to start your own chain, here are some tips to get you started:
 
Determine what type of water you will sell. There are many types of water you can sell, among these are purified water, mineral water, alkaline water and PI water. Conduct market research in your target market to know what will be most suitable. The selling price of the types of water differs widely; so does the equipment needed to produce them.
 
While setup costs vary, you would need around P500,000 to get you started. Approximately half of this will be on the water purification equipment, with site renovation, delivery vehicle and working capital being among the major costs.
 
Find an ideal location. It should be at least around 25 square meters and look sanitary, and you must also take into account the actual equipment that will be installed, the layout, and the number of people who will operate the water refilling station. If you will need a lot of equipment or personnel due to a large projected demand, then you must add this factor in finding a good area. If the layout of the site is irregularly shaped such that it has spaces that you cannot use, then you will need more area.
 
Read and comply with PD 856. This is the Sanitation Code of the Philippines. This is the primary law dealing with the regulation of water refilling stations. Note that the Department of Health (DOH) is the government agency in charge of supervising water refilling stations.
 
Attend the DOH mandated seminar on the proper maintenance of water refilling stations.
 
Purchase a delivery vehicle. For most water refilling stations, bulk of the sales will come from deliveries than walk-in customers. The usual delivery vehicle of choice is a motor cycle with carrier or a multi-cab. Some make do with a pedicab.
 
Have sufficient capital to finance the lending out of hot and cold water dispensers. There are many establishments that prefer you supply the dispenser.
 
Your personnel should be in uniform, practice sanitary practices and provide good customer service.
 
BusinessCoach, Inc., a leading business seminar provider, conducts seminars on how to start a water refilling business. You may contact (02) 727-5628, (02) 727-8860, or visit www.businesscoachphil.com for details.
 
Click here to view details of the seminar: Starting a Water Refilling Station Business »
 
*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.