When erecting buildings, especially entire complexes of structures, it is often necessary to create mock-ups that exactly repeat the future building at the right scale. However, not only models of buildings are created, but equipment, premises, and not every company has the opportunity to maintain a staff of modelers, especially if the creation of models is necessary only with a certain, not too frequent frequency. In this regard, it may be important to create your own mock-up workshop, in which mock-ups are made according to customer orders. At first glance, it seems that this is too specific an occupation that will not pay for itself as an organized business, but the successful experience of many companies suggests otherwise.
Currently, there are several large companies on the market that operate in several regions of Russia, have representative offices and partners in many cities, they have an established work scheme, an excellent reputation and a large client base. It will be very difficult to compete with such companies, so it is better to focus on providing an offer to those customers who, for some reason, cannot apply to large mock-up workshops. Most often this is due to the high cost of such companies. Lower price – at first, in fact, the only possible competitive advantage, otherwise the big companies will almost certainly outperform the newcomer – they have more experienced staff, more advanced equipment, and a good reputation. Competitors are not only large companies, but also single modelers who offer their services to customers at a fairly low price. At the same time, such people practically cannot overestimate the price, because otherwise they will lose the opportunity to attract customers at least somehow. Among these singles, you can find professionals in their field who can really create very good layouts. In this case, the opened company can offer cooperation to such people, and this will solve several problems at once: it will be possible to get rid of a competitor and solve the personnel issue.
As for mock-up companies that are on the same level as a start-up entrepreneur, they can become a very serious problem, because a potential client will not see much difference between such workshops. On the other hand, given the specifics of business, we can say that even in large cities there are not yet a large number of companies that are engaged in such work, that is, the market is not yet filled to some extent. The market does not experience a shortage of offers in most cases, but still, if you offer the client something completely new or simply cheaper / better quality, then the new player will almost certainly receive attention from many customers. Just keep in mind that such a business will almost certainly be possible only in relatively large cities, because in small ones there will not be enough customers to support their company even, let alone make a profit. Moreover, if an enterprise or an individual located in some small city needs a layout, then he can order it with delivery from a large company. Thus, it is better to work initially not only with companies that work in their city or region, but also with customers from all over the country.
To get started, you need to register as a business entity. If an entrepreneur opens a business on his own, then it will be enough for him to register as an individual entrepreneur, while it will not take much time and will not require large investments, it will not take much time and effort, that is, in many cases this is the most optimal solution, especially considering ease of reporting and bookkeeping subsequently. If there is a need to register a legal entity, then the preferred form is a limited liability company, because in this case, as in the case of individual entrepreneurship, a simplified taxation system will be available, which involves transferring no more than 6% of income to the state or 15% of operating income.
Any special permits are not required for work, only if the company will not be directly involved in the construction process. Typically, mock-up workshops simply create a model that is most often used for demonstration at exhibitions, but not as a model for construction, that is, although it is an engineering designed model, it cannot strictly be accepted in construction. If the layout is just a project for construction work, and calculations will be carried out on it, then you need to think about joining a self-regulatory organization that unites construction organizations. In this case, it will be possible to directly cooperate with construction companies and fulfill orders for them, but work permits in this case will be issued by the SRO. This is more of an engineering job.
When all legal issues are settled, you can proceed to find a place for your work. This does not require a very large production facility, because the creation of mock-ups today is carried out on relatively oversized installations. On the other hand, the layout can be very large, so you need a workshop in which you can create models of the largest possible sizes. In general, a workshop needs a room no larger than 100 m 2, large areas are still unlikely to be required, because the scale of the models in most cases is not too huge for the layout to occupy the entire room. But this applies only to the production premises, we also need administrative premises, as well as a “warehouse” for finished products, and although it is not entirely correct to call it a warehouse, it is necessary to store the manufactured layout somewhere until the customer has taken it away. Therefore, a sufficiently large building or premises is being sought, while still needing to be located in the central, and even better – in the business districts of the city, because in this case it will be most convenient for customers to get to the workshop. The cost of renting then can be very, very high, and not every company can afford it. The specific figure depends on the city of work and the location in it, it is always more expensive in passing places, just as in multi-storey business centers. However, the location can have a very strong impact on the number of visitors.
Next, you need to think about the internal equipment of your production. The operation of the administrative block will require only the creation of a simple office space, for this you need to make a simple repair (and even then, this is far from always required), buy the appropriate furniture and equipment, in general, this will not require too much money, but the exact amount depends on the volume work. Significant investments in the premises will be required only if it was decided to build a building for their own needs, then the project can be estimated at several million (or even tens of millions) rubles. Next, you need to provide jobs for layout designers and designers themselves. To do this, you need to buy sufficiently powerful computers and purchase the appropriate software. In general, it should be noted that the creation of layouts involves the creation of either a virtual layout or a natural one, and in the latter case it is quite difficult to create a project without a virtual sample (or rather, it is already much easier). And to create a virtual project, capacities and specialists of a different profile are required than for creating a natural layout. That is, you need a complex with powerful equipment, you will have to allocate at least 100 thousand rubles for this, although equipment in large companies usually costs several times more.
To create direct natural layouts themselves, you need to buy special equipment. First of all, these are CNC milling and laser machines, their cost can vary significantly depending on the model, but milling equipment costs an average of 150-200 thousand rubles, especially expensive and powerful specimens have a price tag exceeding 1 million rubles; a laser machine will cost about the same amount, these are generally machines of about the same level.
To simplify the work today, 3D printers are increasingly used to create layouts. The most complex machines can cost more than 10 million rubles, but this applies to the most modern and sophisticated equipment. A simple 3D printer can be bought for 100 thousand rubles, a more or less high-quality device will cost 400-500 thousand rubles, in general, it all depends on what materials the company works with, and what percentage of the work is not done manually. In addition, a plotter is bought, which will cost about 50 thousand rubles, although in some cases it will be necessary to purchase more expensive machines (if working with a wide format) – up to 200 thousand rubles. Some other auxiliary equipment may be required, we must not forget that
You also need equipment for electrifying the layout, this is simple electrical equipment, but here it is necessary that specialists also have sufficient knowledge to conduct wiring, and the work here should be almost jewelry. In general, the purchase of equipment will cost 1-2 million rubles, a large company must allocate about 5 million rubles in order to be able to deal with several projects at once, or at least have more powerful equipment. Also, many companies offer their clients the creation of sketches and drawings for the subsequent assembly of the layout, because not every company has drawings for recreating an already built building. In this case, in addition to specialists who can create such drawings and draw up technical documentation, you need to buy equipment for shooting and calculations.
It takes a lot of people to get the job done. The entrepreneur himself, if he is not involved in creating layouts, can take a leadership position, that is, perform administrative and organizational work. In addition, people are hired who negotiate with clients, answer their questions and do other similar work. The main people are the layout designers themselves, who work directly with the designers. To create sketches, you need appropriate specialists who know how to create design documentation. Modelers should be able not only to create a natural project, but also to create it on a computer, and sometimes this requires the involvement of specialists in various fields. You may have to involve programmers, but all business processes that are not related to making a profit by the organization are best outsourced. This includes bookkeeping, advice on tax and legal issues, as well as ensuring the safety and security of the enterprise, because it is not advisable to maintain your own security service. The staff of the enterprise is calculated depending on the expected amount of work, one layout designer is not able to manage several projects and even create one layout alone. In this regard, a team of specialists is needed who are fully coordinated with each other. one layout designer is not able to manage several projects and even create one layout alone. In this regard, a team of specialists is needed who are fully coordinated with each other. one layout designer is not able to manage several projects and even create one layout alone. In this regard, a team of specialists is needed who are fully coordinated with each other.
An important issue is the promotion of the company’s services. To do this, you first need to leave information about yourself on all thematic portals on the Internet, as well as create your own website, which will become a powerful information and advertising platform. The cost of creating and promoting a site can cost several tens of thousands of rubles, but this will attract a fairly large number of consumers. At the same time, using the site, you can work with clients from all cities of the country, sending the ordered layout by mail or using transport companies. Advertising in the local media can also be effective. You can also consider contacting companies that search for potential customers who are ready to purchase the product, but this can be too expensive for the company. In general, construction companies become the main consumers, although quite often other organizations that want to show the planned view of a building or complex under construction also need mock-ups. Models are often exhibited at special business exhibitions, and an entrepreneur who visualizes his buildings and structures is sure to draw attention to his stand. Large organizations eventually become regular customers of the mock organization, and in a few years, when the client base is formed in this way, you can count on a constant influx of orders. However, in addition to legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, individuals who need to create a model can also apply to a mock-up organization; this kind of orders are really rare,
You can also work on a franchise, today especially large organizations are expanding the field of their activities precisely by attracting other organizations as partners. In some cases, this format of work is even more convenient and profitable, but this can only result in extra expenses for a lump-sum fee and payment of royalties. If the franchisee is known in the city, then you can think about starting cooperation with him, otherwise it is easier to start working under your own name. The main source of income is the creation of full-fledged layouts, but the price of the final product can differ significantly for the same size, depending on some parameters. The cost of one square decimeter of the layout starts at about 500 rubles, but this is practically the minimum. An important determining factor is detail, the higher it is, the accordingly, the cost of the project is higher. Electrification can increase the cost of the project several times, the same applies to moving objects (waterfalls, rising smoke, etc.). Another important parameter is the speed of project execution. It usually takes about one month to complete an average layout, but in many cases, clients need urgency and are willing to pay a lot of money to have the project completed in a few days. In this way, the entire staff is involved, which makes it possible to complete the task urgently. In general, a small layout costs the client about 100 thousand rubles, but often the total amount is more than half a million rubles. rising smoke, etc.). Another important parameter is the speed of project execution. It usually takes about one month to complete an average layout, but in many cases, clients need urgency and are willing to pay a lot of money to have the project completed in a few days. In this way, the entire staff is involved, which makes it possible to complete the task urgently. In general, a small layout costs the client about 100 thousand rubles, but often the total amount is more than half a million rubles. rising smoke, etc.). Another important parameter is the speed of project execution. It usually takes about one month to complete an average layout, but in many cases, clients need urgency and are willing to pay a lot of money to have the project completed in a few days. In this way, the entire staff is involved, which makes it possible to complete the task urgently. In general, a small layout costs the client about 100 thousand rubles, but often the total amount is more than half a million rubles. In this way, the entire staff is involved, which makes it possible to complete the task urgently. In general, a small layout costs the client about 100 thousand rubles, but often the total amount is more than half a million rubles. In this way, the entire staff is involved, which makes it possible to complete the task urgently. In general, a small layout costs the client about 100 thousand rubles, but often the total amount is more than half a million rubles.
Such a business is quite promising and interesting, but it will take a lot of time to take its place in the market and generally find consumers for their product, because some companies do not even think about the possibility of creating layouts, because they did not face the need to participate in exhibitions.