How to Start a Water Refilling Business

Part 1 - How to start a Water Refilling business - Background

A water refilling business produces safe, drinkable water for consumers. Normally, a water refilling business’s water is cheaper than retailed bottled water. Buyers can purchase pre-filled two-to-five-gallon water bottles or bring their own jugs.

Typically, a water refilling business has a refilling “station” which uses a kiosk to distribute water. Other water refilling businesses, meanwhile, provide water refilling stations for public spaces like museums, parks and schools. A water refilling business might promote the use of reusable water, as opposed to wasting resources. Similarly, they usually promote the use of reusable bottles, as opposed to disposable plastic bottles.

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start a Water Refilling business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening a water refilling business?

Here are the basic things you will need to pay for: 

-Initial water refilling machine

-Storefront

-Delivery vehicle

-Legal documents and business permit

-Supplies (bottles, stickers, etc.)

What are the ongoing expenses for a water refilling business?

Ongoing expenses include rent and utility costs. You’ll also need to source your water. In general, incremental costs can be as little as $0.02 per small water bottle refill. Expect to pay employees per hour, at about $10 per hour.

Who is the target market?

While residential homes provide great clients, you’re better off targeting commercial entities. Make sure you’re selling to larger businesses, as they’re most likely to buy refilled water bottles in bulk. Plus, they can redistribute them for your business—requiring less overall money to distribute your products.

How does a water refilling business make money?

A water refilling business makes money by collecting, testing and redistributing water. Normally, the water is sold in bottles. It can, however, be sold to larger companies for mass distribution. Some water refilling companies sell water filling stations for the home.

How much can you charge customers?

Refilled water bottles vary in price. Most can be purchased for as little as $1. Larger, five-gallon water bottles can be charged at about $15. If you’re selling mounted water refilling stations, consider pricing them at about $500 to be competitive.

How much profit can a water refilling business make?

A successful water refilling business can net its owner as much as $40,000 per month. As the business expands, however, money will need to be managed effectively to ensure proper scaling.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Connect with local businesses quickly, and take a disciplined approach to account management and promotions. If you can, make sure your employees are knowledgeable about social network marketing to reduce overall costs. Competition between brands can be difficult for start-up businesses, so it pays off to invest time and effort. Offer something competitors can’t give, and establish a solid value proposition.

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at a water refilling business?

Every day, a water refill business sources water for cleaning. Machines are installed, repaired and maintained. These machines can process water for redistribution. Water must be sampled to ensure that the treatment process went well. If the sampling results don’t meet standards, the business needs to check its machinery. Water refilling machines eventually distribute the water into different containers. These containers are loaded onto delivery vehicles which carry the water to different outlets.

Other daily responsibilities include marketing, management and financing. Unlike other businesses where marketing promotion alone can gather consumers, water refilling businesses require a little more perseverance.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful water refilling business?

To become a successful water refilling business owner, you’ll need to have a solid handle on water analysis. Additionally, you’ll need to know how to implement marketing tactics while supporting environmental causes.

From a competitive standpoint, you’ll need to run promotions often and have a disciplined approach to business operations.

What is the growth potential for a water refilling business?

The water refilling industry is growing rapidly. It’s become a profitable business for entrepreneurs, and a lot of consumers are choosing refilled water because they’re turning away from tap water. Assuming quality control is upheld, a water refilling business can make quite a lot of money—even becoming a national distributor.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a water refilling business?

Water refilling businesses are usually needed, and they’re likely to succeed if its area has no access to clean pipe water. For this reason, they’re incredibly profitable in places like the Philippines. Because a water refilling business promotes sustainability while protecting the environment, it has a higher chance of success if an area requires additional efforts.

Make sure you promote quality control and safety measure when jump-starting your business. Also, check with your local health department before getting involved. There’s a good chance your business needs to abide by several standards which you might not have thought about.

How and when to build a team

A team of two to five should be built as soon as possible. You’ll need maintenance operators to handle the machinery. Similarly, you’ll need to distribute efforts across marketing and management spheres. The water refilling business can get complex, and plenty of water needs to be analyzed and redistributed.

Part 2 - Is a Water Refilling business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Water Refilling business in 90 days