For those who want to make money with a home business because they need (or like) to work from home, the new century (even in the slow economy) has created a surprising number of home based business possibilities allowing people to generate full time income, make extra money to pay off debt (such as pay off a credit card or student loan) or earn a regular second revenue stream such as retirement income from their crafts, cooking, hobby, or gardening.
Today, society is demanding – in huge force – items that have one or more of the following qualities: locally grown, organic, one-of-a-kind, heirloom family recipe, eco-friendly, natural health promoting, handcrafted, homemade or artisan. And these products can be for bath, home care or a food product. See the real life examples below.
Many who desire a work at home situation have never been low on talent with cooking, crafts, gardening, and so on. But in the past, homemade was out of favor, while now it is cherished again. Work from home situations seemed odd, but now the work at home business seems up-and-coming. It was once hard to reach customers with advertising, now there’s free or nearly free internet communication that reaches the world for just about anyone. Climbing the corporate ladder was once a high aspiration.
Now, we’re in a renaissance of small enterprise, small business, entrepreneurship, and home based business. It’s accepted and desired.
Whether it’s the young, the retirees, or the work at home moms and dads, here’s how they do it.
They design their own “value-added micro eco-farm business” whether urban, small town or rural. They choose a food product, a handcrafted gift, a homemade spa product — something they’re good at making. They grow or raise part of the ingredients for it from their own garden, greenhouse, small acreage or even rooftop urban garden. That’s the “micro eco-farm” segment. Next they turn it into a product rather than selling the “crop” as a raw item. Meaning they turn the garden crops into a handcrafted food item, they turn the herbs into a spa product or gift product. That’s the “value-added” segment. Then they give samples to prospective customers until they get it just right, then sell it to local niche markets or unusual shared interest groups such as local day spas, local bed and breakfasts, local restaurant chefs, spiritual groups, local massage therapists, local personal chefs, That’s the “business” segment.
Here are some real life examples.
– A woman with a small subdivision backyard grows wildflowers, collects the seeds, and sells her own handmade greeting cards with flower seeds as corporate and wedding party gift cards as a work from home small business.
– An at home single mom has a basement wheatgrass growing business selling fresh cut wheatgrass to people interested in natural health.
– An at home farm mom wanted her own private home business, so she now earns a projected $65,000 a year from two acres of greenhouses and outdoor gardens, selling vegetables to local restaurants year-round.
– A man in Canada grows heirloom vegetables in a few small urban yards, calling this “spin farming,” and reports earnings of $50,000 a year from his home based business.
– People now love artisan spa and bath products, and at the same time are interested in natural health and herbal products they put on their skin. An at home mom grows herbs known for skin health, and makes handcrafted soaps to sell to local bed and breakfasts, local small inns, to individuals for home personal use and as items for gift baskets.
– A woman who loves herb gardening grows native sage, and makes sage soy candles from her converted garage workshop for a small but worldwide spiritual group that loves the essence of sage.
– A small-acreage lavender herb farm makes lotions and oils for massage therapists.
– An herb gardener teaches classes on growing, harvesting and cooking with herbs from her own backyard herb garden as her home-based business.
– An at home mom who wanted a family-friendly part time home business grows a large garden of vegetables and allows her church members to u-pick them. She always plants one small section for the local food bank.
These people each create their own independent home business or small business. They don’t pay a fee to a larger company to sell the same products everyone else is selling. Instead, they grow, handcraft and sell something unique to themselves and their communities.
Could your garden, hobby, cooking talent, handcraft, or a secret family recipe be the answer to your desire to work from home, pay off a credit card debt, supplement the family income, save for a big vacation, or even earn income for extra alternative healing?
The Author
The Center for the Micro Eco-Farming Movement will lead you to more information and offers direct links to those who are succeeding in these green, artisan home businesses, whether from their urban rooftop, small town backyard, or small acreage.