Restaurants, chefs, grocers, and food marketers are all very well aware of this.  They spend a lot of time and money feeding our craving for novelty.  Although some innovations fall as flat as a peppermint soufflé (remember green ketchup, garlic ice cream, or olestra?), our produce shelves are burgeoning with fruits and veggies that wouldn’t be recognized just a few years ago.  Portobello mushrooms weren’t common until the ’90s, and neither were daikon radishes, fiddleheads, tomatillos, Jamaican yams, or carrots in any other color but orange.  Producers can generally get a premium price for new offerings.  In our region, ground cherries—that common but largely forgotten roadside plant our grandparents foraged for free—now go for $3.50 a pint.

Value-added products using these new crops generate even more purchasing incentive.  Folks may be a little hesitant to buy something if they don’t know how to cook or eat it.  They may not know what to do with Saskatoon berries, but they sure as heck know what to do with Saskatoon Berry Jam.  Seaweed might be a little intimidating to some, but they wouldn’t hesitate to scarf down a plate of sushi.

Produce aisles sometimes offer recipe cards for shoppers beside the produce they want to sell.  Presenting a photo of a tempting dish entices buyers and eases any hesitation to try it.  Once a new food reaches a tipping point of general acceptance the big manufacturers jump on the bandwagon.  They may not present it in a healthy or even truthful manner, but their promotion solidifies the food as a cultural norm and is a benefit to small producers who no longer have to educate their buyers.

But until there is an established demand, there is risk.

The biggest challenge to growers taking a new path is matching up your current resources to what you want to try, understanding your potential market, and your tolerance for risk.  If possible it’s best to launch your new venture without digging too deeply into your own savings.  That said, you need to be careful about going into debt as well.  How to resolve this conundrum?  Begin with what you know or are producing already.  This means you already have some expertise and an established market that may be more likely to accept new offerings.  The greater the cash outlay needed for your product, the truer this is.

For instance, let’s say you’ve fallen in love with Water Buffaloes.  Don’t laugh.  Water buffalo milk is rich, creamy, and is the very best for making mozzarella cheese.  According to the Archer family who runs Fairburn Farms on Vancouver Island, buffalo milk has fifty-eight percent more calcium than cow’s milk, forty percent more protein, forty-three percent less cholesterol, and is a rich source of iron, phosphorus, vitamin A and protein.  Seventeen percent of the world’s milk comes from the water buffalo.  It’s easier to digest than cow’s milk and is good for many people who are lactose sensitive.

But establishing a water-buffalo herd is not for the novice.  During the Mad Cow Disease scare of the 1990s, all ruminants purchased from Denmark were ordered destroyed and their carcasses tested.  Although this disease has never been found in water buffalo, the Archers lost their entire herd of nineteen Danish-born animals.  They were in debt and without income, but with a few Canadian-born calves and never-say-die determination they rebuilt their herd and began producing milk and breeding stock.

Innovation on this scale is not for the timid.  It’s a better option if you already have the land, or a dairy, and a marketing outlet (Fairburn sells all their milk to local artisans, Natural Pastures Cheese Company).  But the opportunity for growth can make the risk worthwhile.  If you search for “water buffalo yogurt” online, you’ll find several North American farms producing it.  The product fits well with America’s trend toward buying healthier, locally-produced, organic meats, and dairy.

But what about we smaller homesteaders who want to try growing something new?  Luckily there are hundreds of options out there, and small local and/or organic farmers are already well-equipped to meet the needs of niche markets.  The trick is to match up what you already have to the opportunities that exist.  The following is a four-step process to find your perfect fit.

Step One:  Brainstorm

Open your minds and imaginations and get set for an adventure.  Gather up paper, pencils, and some intelligent, optimistic people and write down some ideas.  Anything goes.  No holds barred!  Don’t invite any nay-sayers to the table.  This is the time for creativity to flow, and nothing dampens that process as well as someone exercising “caution”.  Make a rule: no negativity.  So what if you live in Arizona and you imagine growing scented purple rice.  Put it out there and worry about the practicality of irrigated rice paddies in the desert later.  Sometimes a great idea overwhelms the obstacles, so don’t put the obstacles first.  This is where the creative types can go wild.  Give them free rein.

Step Two: Qualify

After you have a couple of hundred wonderful ideas, go get a coffee and take a break.  When you return to the table, it’s time to put those erasers to work.  First, remove anything that doesn’t absolutely excite you.  Then make another list, this time of resources.  How much time can you devote to developing something new?  What are you currently growing?  How do you market your output now?  Do you have any excess funds for your new venture?  What about acreage, soil type, water resources, climate, local pests, etc.?  Even if you don’t have your land yet, don’t skip this step.  You probably have a good idea of where you plan to homestead and what you’d like to grow.  This is where the bean-counters in the group can go to town.  Be as detailed and realistic as possible about your assets.

Step Three: Kill Your Darlings

You now have two lists.  One with innovative ideas, another with realistic assets.  Now is the time to match them up.  Now is the time to kill your darlings.  If you live in a hollow in Arizona with an underground aquifer that seeps out to support rice, then keep your purple rice idea.  Otherwise put it on the back burner for now.  If you worry about diseases that transfer from ranched wildlife to their wild cousins, then an elk farm may not be for you.  If you don’t have the funds to build a fish farm or the acreage to support water buffalo, toss those ideas into the bin.  Pare down your list relentlessly.  If it helps, don’t imagine these ideas are gone for good.  File them for later assessment.  Now is the time to listen to the cautious types, the practical ones who’ve been wriggling in their seats until now.

Step Four:  Pick one and go for it

What you will end up with after all of this is a list of qualified options.  This list is gold.  If you’ve done this right you can fly with whatever is left.  Give yourself enough time to learn and create the best quality before you head to market though.  This is especially true of edibles you plan to sell to specialty customers like chefs.  Consistency, reliability, and reputation are essential in niche markets.The following are a few innovations that have succeeded.  Let them inspire you!

Snails

There’s an old joke about a little snail who painted a big “S” on his car.  When asked, he said it was because he wanted people to look at him as he passed and say, “Hey, look at that big S-car go.”  Cute, but in fact the name “escargot” is a French moniker for any kind of snail.  The Helix polmatia is the large, white-bodied snail most commonly associated with French cuisine, but its cousin, Helix aspersa also makes great escargot.  This is the smaller, grey-bodied critter that decimates gardens across North America.  Raising these as food is a kind of poetic justice.

Demand for escargot is far greater than local supply, with most chefs purchasing tinned snails imported from France.  Locally grown escargot has good growth potential as it offers better value and often better quality for restaurant buyers.  You can start small with low cash outlay.  Mary Stewart is a successful snail rancher in California who supplies top chefs all over the country.  According to NY Times writer, Jeff Gordinier, who calls her “The Snail Wrangler”, Mary’s snails are in high demand because she makes the effort to cultivate the best and thoroughly clean them of grit before market.  Mary advises potential snail-farmers to take time to learn the art of heliculture before approaching chefs who are very particular about quality.

Salt

Hurricane Wilma decimated Midge and Tom’s landscape and irrigation business in the Florida Keys in 2012.  Instead of lingering on the devastation, they looked around and focused on the bounty of salt that surrounded them.  Using the battered remains of their decks and pipes they built two salt houses and began to produce solar-evaporated sea salt.  They now successfully sell their salt online, and through local shops and CSAs.

In Canada’s far east, a Newfoundland farmer named Ward George wondered what to do with an unused greenhouse he had in his nursery business.  The idea of farming salt struck him as he reached for the shaker one morning.  Why the heck buy salt when outside his doorstep was a vast briny ocean full of the stuff?  He laid out a twenty-five-by-fifty-foot sheet of rubber liner in his greenhouse to collect sea water siphoned out of Trinity Bay and let the sun and wind evaporate it off.  He now sells online, to restaurants, to the local Rocket Bakery and at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market.

You might check out “White Gold: A Brief History of Salt” for some useful trivia to schmooze customers.

Mushrooms

At one time the perfect snow-white button mushrooms now decorating produce bins were merely a French dream.  But those renowned connoisseurs of gastronomic delights developed a consistently white strain the world fell in love with.  That is, until the eighties when people began to demand more colorful fare.  The Portobello is actually a marketing invention.  When young, the giant fungus is, in fact, a crimini—that brown sister of the common white mushroom.  When older and larger it was considered too tough and strongly flavored for human consumption and was discarded as pig feed.  Then someone had the bright idea to reinvent the cast-off, call it “portobello”, and sell it as a brand new mushroom.

Now mushroom bins may hold shiitakes, oysters, chanterelles, porcinis, enokis, and morels.  Many edible mushrooms are marketed as having health benefits.  Reishi are listed on fitday.com as the “Super Anti-‘Shroom with anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal benefits”.  Maitake, shimeji, turkey-tail (inedible, but makes a powerful medicinal tea) can all be cultivated.  Mushrooms can be marketed fresh, or dried, through Farmer’s Markets, CSAs, to local restaurants and health food stores, or online.

Mud

When Shelly Egbert noticed the odorless, fine-grained mud oozing out of geothermal mud pots on her family’s property in Nevada, she had a brainstorm.  Why not sell it so people could slather it all over themselves?  She partnered with a friend, Summer Powelson, to extract and market the stuff.  They conscripted their children to help harvest and package the mud and Black Rock Mud Company was born.

They sell their mud online and to nearby spas and casinos in Reno.  The company has a strong eco-culture and adds value to their product with packaging that has been imbedded with non-invasive wildflower seeds that you can plant and grow.

Microgreens

In 1983, the Jones family lost everything they had to crop failure, including their land.  Traditional farmers, they’d grown cash crops of soybeans and corn but now had to start from scratch.  They leased land and began to grow new crops.  When a local chef asked them for squash blossoms their entrepreneurial curiosity was peaked.  What other exotic crops might be of interest to chefs?

They began to grow microgreens that elicited intense interest within their new market.  They developed their craft and now provide tiny, baby herbs and lettuces with the flavor and unique shapes and colors demanded by fine chefs around the world.  The Jones’ have now completely abandoned traditional farming.  They focus on healthy soil and working with nature to provide the best produce.

Booze

You can make wine out of just about anything.  But also look at other fermented products such as mead, sake, or hard cider (which can be made from a variety of fruits from apples to plums).  Check your area’s regulations as distilled alcohol is regulated differently than beer and other fermented products.  In our neck of the woods, cottage wineries are becoming more popular.  If you already have an orchard, why not look into boozing it up?  It’s one of the most lucrative value-added markets.  Product can be sold on the farm, at local markets, or online.  Look up local marketing boards for advice.

Poo

Cattle rancher Annie Haven markets her “Haven Natural Brew Tea” on her website.  Looking just like those tea bags you dip in your mug in the morning, these packets of dried manure are steeped to feed your garden plots or potted plants.  Haven even sells gift packs.  Selling manure can create income, but converting it into compost can increase return dramatically.  At Tandem Park Riding Center in Colorado, manager Laura Voshchenko was paying $450 a month to have manure carted away.  In an article written by Rick Kahl for stablemanagement.com, she says she now charges $40 a truckload for compost made from that same manure.

Chris McLaughlin, a master gardener and writer for vegetablegardener.com, touts the many advantages of rabbit poop.  It’s easy to spread, has all the benefits of animal manure, and doesn’t have to be composted before used.  Doug Knippel keeps rabbits in raised pens and sweeps out rabbit manure frequently.  Once screened, he bags the manure in empty rabbit-feed bags and sells it at $5.00 a bag.  He estimates he takes 33% off the cost of feeding his rabbits this way and money saved flows into profits.  Doug also sells worm poop.  Check out his diverse farm at NWRedworms.com.

Spawn the World Has Never Seen Before

We tend to think of hybrids as GMO-produced Frankenfood, but humans have been developing hybrid strains of fruits, nuts, vegetables, and livestock since farming began.  Familiar veggies common today weren’t around at the dawn of agriculture.  For instance, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and kohlrabi were all cultivated from the wild mustard plant.  Hybridization occurs naturally through the cross-pollination of related species.  Think rutabaga (a cross between turnips and cabbage) or grapefruit (pummelo and sweet oranges).  Recent developments seen in markets are blood limes (lime and mandarin orange), Tayberries (blackberry raspberry cross), tangelos (tangerine and grapefruit) and Jamaican Ugli fruit (grapefruit, orange, tangerine).  If you have a talent for plant breeding you could produce something truly unique.

Weirdos

Less common fare such as Chinese artichokes, chayote, purple sweet potato, hairy cucumbers, Juneberries, seabeans, quince, baby sea-kale, rat-tail radishes, orach, quinoa, turmeric, Halloween radishes, Buddha’s hand citron, blue-berried honeysuckle, birch sugar, tiger nuts, sunchokes, sorghum, and nopales cactus are only a few of the fascinating options out there.  Check out what suits your climate, and resources.  Also, consider medicinal or culinary herbs or growing landscape or ornamental plants.

Good luck and good innovating!

The post Weird Things to Grow and Market on the Homestead appeared first on Homestead.org.

Another benefit of raising heritage turkeys on the homestead is you can choose the length of the project.  You can choose to purchase turkey poults every year, making this a short-term annual project or you can keep a tom and a few hens and let them hatch out poults for you.  If you want layers, you MUST keep a heritage breed.

Heritage turkey breeds are the only choice for you if you want to keep a flock of turkeys and hatch their eggs out each year.  Heritage breeds are able to mate naturally whereas the turkeys you buy at the supermarket, Broad-breasted White Turkeys, have so much breast meat they are unable to mate naturally.

If you want to breed heritage turkeys, keep one tom for every ten hens.  Turkey mating occurs in spring.  It takes 28-31 days for the fertilized eggs to hatch and 6-7 months for the poults to reach maturity.  Turkey poults cost $10 a bird so if you have the time and space for a few extra birds on your homestead, it makes economic sense to hatch out your own.

Blue slate turkeys, bourbon red turkeys, Narragansett turkeys, and black Spanish turkeys are excellent heritage breeds.  Young toms reach 23 pounds and the young hens reach 14 pounds.  The Royal Palm Turkey is a smaller heritage breed, with young toms reaching a weight of 16 pounds and the young hens reaching 10 pounds.

Spend some time in the winter, before your growing season gets busy, researching the breed of turkey that is best for you and your farm.  Put some feelers out in your area, and contact your best customers, in order to have an idea of the number of turkeys you will be able to sell. Continue creating a customer list by advertising at farmers markets, Facebook and other social media platforms, and word of mouth.

Turkey poults are extremely sensitive at the beginning of their life.  That is why you need to have a clean, secure brooder ready before you receive your poults.  Build your brooder in early spring before you become busy with spring and summer homesteading chores.

Order your poults in June.  Make sure you are ordering from a reputable hatchery and inquire about any guarantees when you order. Thoroughly check over your poults when they arrive and immediately place them in their brooder.

In addition to being secure and clean, make sure the brooder is warm.  Attach a 250-watt clamp-style lamp in order to keep their nest around 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week.  Gradually lower the temperature each week until they no longer need an extra heat source and are out on pasture, around week seven.

Check on your poults hourly throughout the day for the first week or two.  Baby poults are prone to flipping onto their backs and suffocating. Check for drafts as well, and continue to check the temperature.  Aerate and clean the bedding daily.  They need adequate feed and fresh water at all times.

While they are in their brooder, create a turkey run on pasture.  A mobile poultry tractor works great because it allows the birds to receive adequate, fresh pasture and can be moved frequently, allowing your land to rest.  The coop should have at least 3 square feet per bird and it should be tall enough that the birds can stand upright.  Provide areas for turkeys to roost.

Once the turkeys are strong enough to leave the brooder, they are easily integrated with chickens.  As long as there is plenty of space, and the feed can be separated, chickens and turkeys will thrive on pasture together.

Start your poults on a high-protein feed and be certain they have fresh water at all times.  The starter feed should be fed for eight weeks.  From 8-16 weeks, you can decrease the protein to 20%.  Their finishing diet (16 weeks to slaughter) should contain at least 16% protein.  Protein sources can include fish meal, soybean meal, or peanut meal.  Provide your turkeys with grit as well.

Over the course of 20 weeks, toms on a commercial diet will eat 100 pounds of feed each, and hens will consume approximately 64 pounds of feed.  Providing access to good-quality forage will decrease the amount of purchased feed while allowing your birds to benefit from exercise and natural sunlight which promotes good health, as well as tastier, more nutritious meat.

September is the time to contact everyone who expressed interest in purchasing a holiday turkey.  Remind them of their interest, quote your prices and ask if they will be purchasing a turkey for Thanksgiving.  Tell them you will call again in November to arrange a pick-up or drop-off date.

Some people who expressed interest earlier will decide not to purchase a turkey from you. You should know how many turkeys you need to sell after contacting your customer base. Ramp up your advertising in order to sell all the turkeys you have raised.

It can be difficult to know how to price your turkeys.  You will not be able to compete in price with the turkeys sold in supermarkets, nor do you want to.  Commercial poultry farms are gargantuan in size and the turkeys are crammed in as tight as possible.  Birds bred for weight and large, white breasts cannot mate naturally.  They are medicated in an effort to prevent the diseases that sunlight and exercise prevent naturally.

The minimum amount you should charge for a pastured heritage turkey is $4 per pound, and it is not uncommon to create a set price of up to $75 per bird.  Research prices in your area.

Pastured turkeys are ready to harvest and process at 20-24 weeks.  If you are selling to neighbors and local individuals, you can process the turkeys yourself.  If you are selling to restaurants or other retail outlets it is best (legally and financially) to let a local processor do it for you.

If you are selling your turkeys as “fresh, never frozen”, the week of Thanksgiving is going to be a busy one.  Get your harvesting and processing area ready Sunday night so you can get right to work Monday.  Keep your processed turkeys as cold as possible without freezing and deliver fresh turkeys on Tuesday.  An alternative to processing all of your turkeys in one day is to give customers the choice of receiving a frozen turkey.  Frozen turkeys can be done in batches before the fresh turkeys need to be harvested and delivered.

Mount a turkey-sized killing cone to the side of a building.  Have two or more sharp knives ready, along with a cull bucket and a water hose. Set up a processing table close to the scalding area.  You need a pot large enough to in which to dunk and swirl the birds, and a heat source that can reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit.  Finally, have a large cooler filled with ice next to the processing table.

To harvest each turkey, hold it upside down and carry it to the killing cone.  Pull the head through the bottom of the cone and slit the jugular vein and carotid artery.  To do this, cut just behind the tendon where the beak and tongue attach.

Holding the feet, dunk and swirl the turkey in your pot of 140-degree water.  In just a few seconds, the feathers will remove easily.  Pull out of the water and pluck.

Rinse the bird.  Remove the feet and head.  Eviscerate, taking care to not cut into the intestines.  Cut the muscle tissue around the neck, then bend and break through the bone to remove the neck.

Once the bird is processed, rinse with cool, running water inside and out.  Place the bird in the cooler filled with cold water, making sure the turkey is completely submerged.  Chill for one hour before patting dry and packaging.

There are other ways to make money from your turkey farm after you have sold the bird to grace a holiday table.  First, if you are hatching turkey eggs, hatch out extra and sell the poults.  Remember, these sell for $10 a bird – much more than day-old chicks.  Second, after processing, collect and dry the feathers.  You can sell them to local crafters or incorporate them into your own crafts.  Finally, turkey manure is an excellent compost, either alone or mixed in the compost you have.  Bag it up and sell it to your local gardening club.

Turkeys are an easy way to make holiday cash on your homestead.  Give it a try this year with a small flock. If you enjoy it, and you make money with it, you can grow your operation.

The post Raise Heritage Turkeys for Holiday Cash appeared first on Homestead.org.

I spun around in my chair to face them and mentioned what a delightful surprise it was to have them both pop in.  I was in a good mood and why not?  I had been with the company for only six months and while I didn’t necessarily agree with all the decisions my boss made, I liked my job and had already received a raise that doubled my starting salary.  As HR Director, I could already feel the positive impact I was making with the employees and was grateful to have a job after a long bout with unemployment.

Both men sat down and looked uneasy.  I expected them to throw some human resources-related conundrum at my feet, but instead, my boss blurted out a sentence I’ll never forget.  He said, “I’m no longer comfortable with our relationship.”  At first, I didn’t know what he meant, so I asked him, “You mean you and me?  Our relationship?” waving a finger back and forth between us.  He nodded his head to affirm.  I asked why he felt that way and he spat out some vagaries that I don’t even recall now.  I do remember saying out loud, “This is surreal; I can’t believe this is happening.”  He offered a separation agreement which included a meager severance by which I recall being insulted.  The next few minutes were a blur.  My boss walked out of my office while my colleague helped me pack up my personal belongings and then escorted me to my car.  I drove home in tears; overwhelmed with shock and disbelief.

After a week of licking my wounds and slowly coming back to reality, I got angry.  I deserved to know why my income had suddenly been taken from me!  I re-ran the daily events of my tenure in my head hundreds of times, wondering what I could have done wrong.  I had a stellar work record, received nothing but positive feedback from the entire management team (including my boss!) and had made huge strides in improving morale.  The answer to “why” never came and probably never will.  The worst part was feeling forced into accepting the severance just out financial necessity.

Eventually, I felt grateful.  Yes, grateful.  This experience had finally taught me the valuable lesson that there was no such thing as “job security.”  That was a paradigm that died long ago.  In the days of our grandparents, employers were patriarchal entities that provided security and peace of mind to their employees.  In those days, people worked for a company for thirty years then retired with a gold watch and a nice pension.  In short, they were taken care of.  In modern days, if you can find a job, you’ll be lucky to keep it.  Hard work alone will not keep you employed.  Office politics, corporate downsizing and little to no investment made in developing a positive culture is now the norm amongst employers.  Lest I be attacked by a group of marauding corporate suits waiving flags of legal papers, let me say that not all employers are indifferent about their employees.  There are some progressive companies out there who are helping to foster fully engaged, satisfied employees that can feel secure about their jobs; they are just few and far between.

I mentioned that I had finally learned this lesson, because this was not the first time the lesson presented itself.  In 1998 I started working part-time as an assistant to the CFO of a small manufacturing firm.  It was a good company run by even better people and I thought I would retire there.  The company put me through school and within four years I worked my way up to the position of HR Director, creating the department from the ground up.  Within eight years my salary reached six figures.  I loved my job and I loved the people I worked with.  Then in 2005, the company was sold to a larger, very structured corporation.  Many of us experienced culture shock under the new corporate ownership compared to the more laid back, fun-loving atmosphere we enjoyed under the previous owners.  Two years after the sale, the last few of the original senior management team were released.  My husband and I were among those last few.  I spent the following three years taking classes and going to workshops and exploring uncharted territories within myself.  I garnered certifications in life coaching and hypnosis, gained a Master Reiki designation and also became a Master Gardener.  Even though I was looking for my niche in helping others, I always kept one eye on the employment ads, in case something showed up.  I loved life-coaching and for a short time I ran a private practice, but never really committed to it, because I was still clinging to the old paradigm of job security.  That’s how I ended up working in HR again and subsequently ended up without a job again, which brings us full circle.

Success means different things to different people.  I thought success for me was making (and spending) lots of money.  I also thought it was about feeling important—having some clout in an organization—some power.  But I was wrong.  Even while I was in leadership positions and enjoyed them, there was always a small voice nagging at me that I was supposed to be somewhere else, doing something different with my life.  I came to realize that success for me meant freedom.  It had nothing to do with money and everything to do with lifestyle.  My husband and I now live on a five-acre educational micro-farm—something we’ve dreamed about for years.  We make our living in a variety of ways: we run a landscaping business from April to November while continuing to develop the farm’s brand and create value-added products.  I coach and hold workshops on gardening and personal development.  I also write two blogs and recently started a line of dog products branded by our Dachshund, Max (the farm is named after him).  The products will be sold through a farmer’s market, an Etsy shop and Max’s website.  To save money, we grow our own food and I make homemade soaps, shampoos and household cleaners.  We re-purpose as much as we can and we heat with wood.  Our lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but for us, it’s a paradise that no high-income corporate position can lure us away from.

By “dropping out” of the corporate rat race, we have made a conscious decision to give up certain luxuries.  We forgo expensive restaurant food, opting instead for home-cooked meals with ingredients we grow ourselves.  We no longer take vacations, but we also don’t have to deal with long airport lines, high gas prices, and over-priced tourist food and lodging.  Over the course of this journey, we lost our four-bedroom, three-bathroom house (with in-ground swimming pool) to foreclosure.  The upside is we don’t have a huge mortgage or sky-high taxes and I don’t have to clean three bathrooms anymore!  My husband doesn’t miss the aggravation of maintaining the pool and surrounding ten acres, either.  Instead, we enjoy living in a smaller, maintenance-free cottage and taking the drive to the many local beaches that are so close to us.  I no longer drive a Land Rover, but I also don’t have the gas cost and expensive upkeep of it, either.  I now drive a Volkswagen, which is much better on gas.  We no longer buy expensive, fancy gifts for Christmas and birthdays.  Instead, we give smaller, more thoughtful, gifts (often home-made) and find they mean more to the recipient.

So by now you must be thinking, “I have bills to pay; I can’t just leave my job and go live in the woods.”  No, you can’t.  This article isn’t about leaving your job; it’s about leaving Corporate America.  If you are the type of person that thrives in a high-paced, high-stress corporate position that requires long hours and a ruthless competitive spirit, then it’s doubtful you would even be attracted to this article.  In fact, reading this would be a precious waste of your all-too limited time.  It’s more likely that you are stuck in a corporate position with golden handcuffs that prevent you from leaving because you need the high income to pay for the lifestyle you’ve created.  It’s also likely that your identity is so entangled with your high-profile, high-paying position that if you lost that job today, you would be left with a sizeable identity crisis.  If either of these statements describes your situation, then you may want to re-think your idea of success and its relationship to your corporate job.

Everybody needs an income—that’s just a fact of life.  I’m not suggesting you run out and quit your job tomorrow. But if you truly want to leave the corporate rat race and do something more meaningful with your life, there are ways to do it.  You’ve got to be prepared for sacrifice and a lot of self-examination.  You’ll need to adopt self-sufficiency and creativity.  You’ll need to utilize resourcefulness.  Above all, you’ll need to loosen up and laugh a little.  A sense of humor goes a long way when you’re re-inventing your life.   Expect mishaps and misdirection along the way.  Your life won’t be perfect, but you will be happier and you will feel freer.

There’s a few ways to go about leaving Corporate America, depending on your situation, your personality, your family status and your appetite for risk:

Leaving Corporate America Step 1: Make a plan.

Make a five-year (three-year, one-year) plan and take the time to daydream! Determine exactly what your ideas of success and freedom are and write them down.  Visualize yourself living your new life—what does your typical day look like?  Jot down the details.  Now start to make a plan around that daydream.  Your plan should include reducing or eliminating as much debt as possible.  If necessary, plan to downsize and/or change the location where you live and shed your excess belongings. M y husband and I sold much of our “stuff” on eBay.  It’s necessary when you move to a house that’s half the size of your previous one.

Learn the skills you will need.  Take classes and workshops related to the lifestyle you want (e.g. cooking, sewing, beekeeping, gardening, et cetera).   Make arrangements to try out the lifestyle you want before committing full time.  For example, if you decide you want to open a Bed and Breakfast, contact some B&B owners to see if you can shadow them for a weekend or be a “Guest Inn Keeper” while they go on vacation.  You can also contact “Vocation Vacations”, an organization that arranges for individuals to take vacations to immerse in and learn hands-on the vocation of their choice.  Getting this involved in the planning stage has the added benefit of making you happier, sooner.  Happiness is directly linked to the amount of control people believe they have over their lives.  Planning gives you a sense of control while you are still working in the corporate world, making the wait more bearable.

Next, define your exit strategy.  How long will it take before you can leave corporate America and make a living in a different way?  How much money will you need each month?  You’ll be surprised how little you can really live on once the unnecessary expenses are removed.  We saved a great deal of money by shopping around for a bundled insurance plan (home, auto, life, et cetera).  We also use coupons, bundle our communications, and grow much of our own food.  Look at every single line item in your household budget and ask yourself, “What can I eliminate or reduce?”  Some savings will be a natural result of leaving the corporate world, especially if you’re moving to a lifestyle business that you run from home.  If that’s the case, you will likely see savings in the following areas right away:

• Gas and commute-related costs
• Parking fees
• The cost of expensive lunches
• The cost of your morning espresso and muffin
• Wardrobe upkeep
• Clubs and professional membership fees
• In some situations, the cost of daycare (a huge savings)

Ladies, you can also give up the monthly spa days and weekly nail salon visits.  Once eliminated, most luxuries aren’t missed that much.  You can always compromise and squeeze in a luxury here and there, like going to the spa once a year to splurge.  You’ll appreciate it more and it will cost less than your current habit.  One word of caution about using this planning option: don’t get stuck in this stage.  If you tend to be a perfectionist you can easily fall into the “analysis paralysis” loop, so beware.  You’ll never have something planned perfectly—that’s what is so great about life—it’s full of surprises!  Learn to embrace them and move forward.  Set a goal to make the move for a specific date—and then make the move!

Leaving Corporate America Step 2. Jump right in.

The second option is for those of you who are out of work already.  You have two choices with this option: you can try to get another corporate job then move forward with option number one, or forego the corporate search and move right into a lifestyle change.  Think about what you want, do your research, then start making changes and immediately move forward following the suggestions in option one.

Leaving Corporate America Step 3. Get your toes wet.

Option number three is a compromise between options one and two.  You will start by identifying your ideal lifestyle and calculating how much income you will need.  You will then immediately offload as much of your debt as possible and begin living below your means while remaining in your corporate job.  Brown bag your lunch, carpool, bring coffee from home instead of buying it, et cetera.  Give up the luxuries and scale back where possible.  You will use your current job to fund your new lifestyle.  If your new lifestyle includes starting a small business, then start purchasing what you will need for that business, like ordering business cards and creating a website.  You should also purchase any special materials or equipment you will need.  By investing in your new lifestyle now while you still have a sizeable income, you will increase the odds of successfully leaving corporate America later.  If you have the time and energy, it will also allow you to start a business part-time (depending on the business) before you even leave your current corporate job.  Some people are more comfortable with this option as it allows them to ease into the transition and have the business somewhat established in advance.

With any of these options, remember to network!  Let people know what you’re up to—you’d be surprised who is willing and able to help.  Also learn to barter goods and services—it’s the new (old) currency model.  My husband and I bartered labor with a friend to rebuild a fire-damaged cottage on five acres that would become our new home.  It saved a lot of time and money and both men were happy to have each other’s help with their projects.

Regardless of the option you choose, you will need to produce an income.  Does your new lifestyle include starting a business as I suggested in option three?  Or do you just have a lifestyle in mind and now you need to fund it? If you have a lifestyle in mind and you want to fund it, consider some ways to make an income while you downsize and explore your new idea of success.  Brainstorm around the skills you possess in the position you are in right now.  How can you market those skills and turn them into something you can sell?  Many times you can do what you’re doing now, just on a smaller scale with better clients, by becoming a consultant in your chosen field.

Are you considered an expert in your field?  Do you have writing skills?  How about becoming a freelance writer for a trade publication, or starting a blog and monetize it, or writing articles, or e-books?

Do you want to get away from your chosen field altogether and start a small business?  The following are some flexible self-employment opportunities:

• Catering
• Blogging
• Speaking engagements
• Writing
• Cleaning houses
• Gardening
• Landscape design
• Architecture
• Hairdresser
• Massage therapy
• Event planning
• Florist
• Dog training
• Handyman/woman
• Seamstress
• Professional organizer
• Homemaker/companion to the elderly

If that list doesn’t interest you, look to your hobbies.  What do you like to do in your off-work hours?  If you don’t have any hobbies because you’re always working, it’s definitely time to re-assess your priorities and your idea of success.  Some great ways to produce income from hobbies include:

• Cake decorating
• Teaching workshops about your hobby (knitting, sewing, et cetera)
• Teaching yoga
• Personal training
• Dog grooming
• Dog kenneling
• Selling knitted items
• Opening an Etsy shop for handmade crafts
• Selling artwork
• Car detailing
• Creating websites
• Dog walking
• Petsitting

So we’ve explored some ways to drop out of Corporate America, but how do you stay out?  The key is having the following:

• 100% commitment to your new lifestyle
• An unshakable belief in yourself
• A craving to be free
• A redefined sense of success
• Multiple sources of income

Without this list of five key ingredients, you’ll likely get discouraged and go running back to what seems “safe” to you, even though a corporate job isn’t really safe at all.  Whenever someone else determines your income and your degree of worth, it’s not safe—you’ve essentially given up control of your livelihood.

We’ve more or less touched on most of the five key ingredients so far, except for one: multiple sources of income.  Since you will most likely take a huge cut in income making your lifestyle change, you don’t want to pick just one source of income.  If you do and that one source dries up, you’re out of luck.

Let’s look at an example: suppose you’ve got a corporate job in the big city that you’d like to leave.  The commute is a nightmare and you are getting to the point in your life where you’d like to do something different.  In fact, you’d like a whole new lifestyle altogether.  Let’s also suppose you own a huge house in the country.  It’s near a tourist attraction and it’s got several bedrooms and bathrooms.  You could sell the home, but since the real estate market’s decline a few years ago, the sales value of your home isn’t enough to pay off your mortgage.  The kids are grown and out of the house so it’s just you and your spouse at home.  You decide to keep the house and turn it into a Bed and Breakfast.  You and your spouse love to cook, garden, and socialize.  Many of your current home expenses would have the potential to become tax write offs (seek the advice of your tax professional).  A B&B may produce enough income to cover the mortgage with enough guests staying there in the tourist months.  It’s a great idea; but if you rely solely on guest income and you have an “off” tourist season, you can’t pay your mortgage.  If, however, you add related sources of income, you would have a financial cushion to get you through those dry seasons.  Building a brand and capitalizing on it and providing related goods and services will round out your income sources.

So what do I mean by “related sources of income”?  I mean more ways to make money with the same asset.  In our example of the B&B business, some related sources of income would be:

• Renting out the gardens for wedding and graduation pictures
• Providing local small scale catering
• Rent the venue and provide the catering for small bridal and baby showers
• Selling your B&B’s famous raspberry jam
• Holding seminars on cooking, jam-making, garden design, et cetera on site
• Indulging your hobby of woodworking and selling your woodcraft
• Blogging about B&B ownership and monetizing the blog with related ads
• If your site has enough land, you can grow a specialty, tourist-drawing crop (such as pumpkins or apples) as well.

My husband and I live not too far from a local inn that also has a small vineyard and winery on site.  They serve dinner, host small weddings and special events, and provide wine tastings and tours of the winery in addition to their inn-keeping business.

Of course, not every home is equipped to become a B&B or a micro-farm or any other destination or lifestyle business, but hopefully you’ve gained some ideas and have become inspired to outline your new idea of success.  If you brainstorm, incorporate the five keys into your plan and really want it, then you can make the lifestyle of your dreams become a reality so that you can drop out of Corporate America and stay out, for good!

The post Drop Out and Stay Out! Leaving Corporate America for Good appeared first on Homestead.org.

“Think about your kids’ future.”

“You’ve worked so hard to get here, and now you’re just going to throw it all away?”

In spite of my conviction that the life-changing choice I had just made was the right one, the comments from well-meaning co-workers, friends, and family still sent a hot flash of fear through me.

Was I being selfish?  Did my children really need my time more than the income my Fortune 100 marketing provided?  Would I be able to return if my plan failed?

On the outside, my life seemed close to perfect.  I had worked hard and sacrificed for over fifteen years to get where I was.  I had a wonderful husband, and two beautiful daughters in prestigious daycares.  I went on expensive vacations, visited the spa every other week, and bought my children most of the toys and gadgets they asked for.  We frequented live-theater events, galas, and art exhibits, and donated generously to charities.

On the inside, though, I was miserable.  The nature of my position meant I was never fully off-duty.  Business trips, overtime, and constant interruptions grew in frequency as the economy worsened and my employer consolidated the ranks.  Even without the added responsibility, the nature of my high-pressure position left me with little emotional energy to focus on my family at the end of the day.  My duty of reviewing and approving the work of others in my company without the authority to back up my decisions resulted in regular conflict.  The last year of my time there was spent defending the choices of others to hundreds of stakeholders.  The constant tension began to affect my health.  I developed neck pain so severe I had to wear heat wraps under my clothes just so that I could move.  I felt trapped.

I began to resent the fact that others were raising my children.  My eldest daughter took her first step and uttered her first words in my absence.  My lunch breaks were spent in my cubicle watching her daycare’s webcam, and feeling a stab of pain when she cried or ran into her teacher’s arms.  I felt the moments I had anticipated enjoying as a parent were stolen from me, and handed over to a daycare worker who would never cherish them as a mother would.

Together, my husband and I searched for a solution that would allow me to stay home, or at least reduce the number of hours I put in each day.  Unfortunately, I had served as the primary breadwinner for most of our marriage, and it just didn’t seem doable.  I asked my manager if he would be willing to let me go part-time or come in early so that I could spend a couple of hours with my daughters in the afternoon.  He declined.

Then Labor Day weekend, 2009, came.  It had been an especially difficult week at work, and I couldn’t wait to spend three days with my children and husband.  But, instead of enjoying a weekend filled with end-of-summer fun, I experienced what I can only describe as an epic meltdown.

Watching the girls play and interact, the reality of how just how much I had missed hit me like a freight train.  I couldn’t believe how much they had developed in the past year, and all of the little accomplishments I had been too busy to notice.  On top of that, my six-year-old had begun struggling behaviorally in school.  We had been taking her to speech and occupational therapy weekly with little success.  Her teachers were not willing to work with her, and her confidence level plummeted.  My baby was spending most of her day with guardians who resented her.  It was more than I could bear.

It was then I realized that things had to change.  My family was more important than the size of my paycheck, but I wasn’t sure how we could survive on anything less.  Part-time jobs in my field were virtually non-existent.  Starting my own business seemed like the best option.  Having worked in e-commerce for several years, I decided to give that a try.  I set the goal of quitting my job by the end of January and dove into how to make a simpler life possible for my family.

First, my husband and I hashed out the possibilities.  We discussed all the opportunities and challenges we would face if I were working for myself.  To be honest, it was more than a little terrifying.  I hadn’t been without a job since the age of sixteen.  The fear of living in poverty had contributed in large part to my drive for success.  We agreed, though, that a change had to be made.  My husband’s support throughout the last few years has been invaluable.  Without it, transitioning out of the workforce would have been nearly impossible.

Next, we took a good, long look at our finances.  We listed all of our bills and expenditures against my monthly income.  We decided to cut what expenses we could and subtract the total savings from my monthly income.  I would then write a check to our family account for the balance.  To make things easier, my husband assumed management of the family finances, while I managed accounting for my business.

The biggest and most obvious savings in our case was childcare.  With monthly tuition for our two small children at nearly $1,500 per month, it was a significant expense.  The spa trips were an easy (and expensive) item to cut, especially knowing that my mani/pedis were a reward I gave myself to cope with the stress of my job.  Now that I would have more time to manage my own home, I canceled our cleaning service and lawn care.

At this point, we really started getting creative.  We estimated that if I no longer had to commute the 40 miles to my office and daughters’ daycares, we could save another $100-200 in fuel.  I agreed to drop the professional hair color in favor of the DIY variety.  Gone were the subscriptions to magazines we never read and expensive lunches out.

We set modest grocery and entertainment budgets.  I took up making cleaning products from scratch, re-taught myself how to sew and crochet, and expanded my cooking routine to include more homemade sauces, dressings, and other ingredients.  Cable was out, Netflix was in.  The more we brainstormed, the more opportunities we found to whittle our budget down to a manageable size.

When we finished, the total savings added up to nearly half of my take-home pay!  The sense of relief was incredible.  The more we realized how few of our indulgences were “necessary”, the more realistic the idea of staying home became.  With some savings I had accumulated over the years, I knew I could supplement my income as needed until my business was more established.

It was time to get down to the business of my business.  Since I had worked in e-commerce for the better part of a decade (and marketing for over fifteen years), opening an online store was the obvious choice.  All I needed was a business plan, a website (which I could build), a business license, and enough products in stock to get me started.  I just had to decide what to sell.  After some consideration, I remembered that a couple of kitchen aprons I had given recently as gifts had been met with rather enthusiastic responses.  A little market research confirmed that vintage-style aprons were a hot commodity.  With my vision in place, I dove into the task of setting everything up.

To be honest, it was a difficult phase.  What little time I had left over after work was spent working on the new business.  I knew that the most important time of the year for retail (both online and in stores) was Thanksgiving to Christmas, so I believed it was crucial to launch on the first of November.  My expectations had been pretty low for the first few months, so I was pleasantly surprised by the initial burst of sales I received.

With my business in place, the moment of truth arrived.  Nervously, I submitted my resignation.  I tried to push the doubts to the back of my mind and imagine the freedom my new life would bring.

The first few weeks at home were amazing.  I established a work schedule which began in the early morning, with an hour or two set aside in the afternoon to spend time with my daughters.  I will never forget one evening when we were all four sitting and playing on the kitchen floor.  My husband studied me thoughtfully for a moment and said, “You know, I’ve seen you smile more in the last six weeks than in the last six years, combined.”

He seemed happier too.  I think that, because I had taken on more responsibility around the house and with the kids, some of the stress of our previously hectic schedule was lifted from him.

It wasn’t long before we began seeing changes in the children, as well.  My eldest daughter’s behavior improved, her confidence increased, and both children grew less focused on material things.  Even now, both often remark on how they enjoy spending time with their family.

Within a month or two, requests for freelance work started to trickle in.  Word-of-mouth spread, and what began as an occasional project grew into a full-time workload.  Eventually, I phased out the retail portion to devote more time to my freelance business, which requires less overhead.

One day, while conducting research for one of my clients, I came across a website dedicated to urban homesteading.  I had dreamed of living on a farm for most of my life, but assumed the investment would be more than we could afford.  It had never occurred to me that we could create a farm right in our backyard in the city.

What appealed to me most was the fact that an urban homestead could be established slowly, without the financial risk of establishing a traditional farm.  We could maintain our current employment while working toward a more sustainable, healthy lifestyle; and possibly save more money and create an additional revenue stream in the process.

But there was a problem: the only thing I could reliably grow was mildew.  My black thumbs were so well known that my friends had an ongoing bet as to who could buy me the plant I couldn’t kill.

I knew gardening would present me with a sizeable learning curve, so I began reading anything and everything I could find on the subject.  I watched YouTube videos by experts and amateurs, joined Facebook groups and discussion websites, and attended gardening club meetings and classes.  As my understanding grew, so did my confidence.

We eventually decided to try planting a small garden for a season or two, to see if vegetables could actually survive my care long enough to produce a harvest.

I have to admit to being a little over-eager that first season.  We started more seedlings than would ever fit in our two 4’ X 4’ raised beds.  Some seedlings were started far too early and had to live in pots inside the house until the last frost date finally passed.

As time went on, the list of mistakes grew pretty long.  The beefsteak-tomato cages were too big for their pots; we lost a dozen cilantro plants to over-watering; the kiwi plants never really thrived; and we were plagued with furry, long-eared pests until we figured out that we needed to surround the beds with rabbit wire.  Cabbage moths and a (yet unidentified) tomato-eating bird added to the frustration.

In spite of our setbacks, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the ground cherries flourished; the lettuce supplied enough for our salads all summer; the abundance of green beans made up for what we had lost.  The Muscovy hens we had purchased rewarded us with fresh delicious eggs, pest control, and endless hours of entertainment.

By far the greatest harvest, though, was largely intangible.  My children developed a love of gardening and caring for the animals that far exceeded my expectations.  The four of us enjoyed working outside, getting dirty and breathing the fresh air.  The girls developed a sense of pride in “our farm” and began doing chores without being asked (even grudgingly admitting to enjoying the work).  It became routine to check on the garden as a family after work and school each day.  When weather permitted, we lingered outside, talking and playing together far into the evening.

Through this whole experience, I’ve come to understand that urban homesteading is a process, and a process in which I draw joy.  In my previous life, mistakes were something to be feared, minimized, and prevented at all costs.  Now they are an expected and often welcomed opportunity to grow, learn, and experience another facet of living as much as we can from this earth.  My journey towards urban farming has made me a more patient, understanding mother as well.  I encourage my children to make mistakes and learn from them along with me.  I no longer care if they come in covered with dirt, because I’ve learned to appreciate the almost spiritual experience of spending time in tune with nature.

Best of all, we’ve become an experience-oriented family, as opposed to a materialistic one. This Christmas the girls had a difficult time coming up with a wish list for Santa, but were quick with a dozen requests for traditions they wanted to relive and people they wanted to see.  Even though they received fewer gifts than in previous years, this Christmas they both told us they received everything they wanted and more.

It’s funny that, from the outside, we appear to have less than we did before.  Yet from the inside, I feel like the richest woman in the world.

The post Stay-at-Homesteader Mom: Parents Leaving Corporate America appeared first on Homestead.org.

CSAs and herd shares require a fairly large homestead – large enough to grow enough produce to consistently fill orders or large enough to raise animals.  Subscription boxes, on the other hand, are a business model that anyone can do.

Before examining the three individual businesses, there are some standard practices that every business should undertake. First, make sure you understand your state and local regulations.  Second, create a basic business plan that, at the very least, outlines your goals, mission, business structure, and pricing.  Next, gather a core group of people who can give you feedback on your products and help with marketing and distribution.

When starting a homestead business, you also need to know what your USP – unique selling proposition – is. What problem does your product solve, and how are you different from your competitors?

Investigate whether there is a demand in the market for your product.  If the market is saturated with a product similar to the one you want to sell, you may find that you have to price your product so low that you will not make a profit.

Finally, start thinking about a retention strategy.  This may seem strange when you are still trying to find your first customer, but it is important to think long-term.  Some easy-to-implement retention strategies include customer loyalty programs, referral rewards, educational blogs and newsletters, and credits toward the next purchase.

Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA)

A farmer operating a CSA sells shares of their harvest to local customers.  Farmers receive payment upfront and subscribers receive a weekly or bi-weekly box of produce throughout the growing season.  Most CSAs operate on a 20-week schedule, with many offering the option to buy a 10-week share. Boxes are delivered or picked up at a predetermined place and time.

Before you decide to operate a CSA, ask yourself: how many people you are able to provide produce for, consistently, each week?  This is determined not only by the amount of land you have, but also by your time and energy.  A CSA is simple, but it is not easy.

It is easy to underestimate the work you will be doing and to undervalue yourself and your product.  The best way to come to a fair price is to estimate the average market price of the produce you are selling and multiply that by the number of weeks in the share. Add at least 10% of that total to compensate for labor.

If you are interested in operating a CSA but are not ready to take the plunge, ask the closest CSA if you can add one product to their weekly boxes.  This will give you an idea of how a CSA works and whether it is something you would enjoy doing.

Herd Share

A herd share is a co-ownership arrangement where members own a portion of a herd (or single animal). Their share allows them to receive farm-fresh milk, eggs, or meat directly from the farm. Because most farmers’ markets do not allow the sale of meat or raw milk, this arrangement benefits the farmer and local customers who want local and humanely-raised food.

Knowing and complying with state and local regulations is extremely important in this homestead business, as violating these rules will result in legal troubles. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund offers state-by-state guidance and your community agriculture department will be happy to help.

Pricing for a herd share usually involves a one-time buy-in fee and a monthly fee.  Each share purchased entitles the member to a certain amount of product.  If the customer wants more than what the one share provides, they can purchase more shares.

Before you sell your first share, draft the contract you will use.  The contract should include a place to note the number of shares purchased, what the one-time fee and monthly fees cover, the products they will receive, and the distribution process.  You should also include any termination clauses and go over potential liabilities.  When creating a contract, it is always a good idea to run it by a lawyer who is familiar with agricultural law.

Subscription Boxes

According to Shopify, the market for subscriptions has been growing for years and online subscriptions are estimated to be worth $2.3 trillion by 2028. Of course, big businesses account for a lot of that, but small businesses can also get a piece of that pie.

Subscription boxes are simply boxes filled with curated or handmade items that are sent to subscribers on a regular, predetermined schedule.  Just like CSAs and herd shares, subscription boxes provide a predictable income and provide the business owner with more cash on hand since many subscription businesses require payment for the full term of the subscription upfront.  This also allows you to start a homestead business with minimal upfront investment.

There are four types of subscription boxes: curation, replenishment, access, and hybrid. The curation box contains thoughtfully selected products, usually theme-based.  Curation boxes work well for clothing, bath and body products, and food.

Replenishment boxes let customers automate purchases of essential items, usually at a discounted rate.  While this is usually a business for commodity and convenience items, homesteaders who choose the replenishment box business would do better as business-to-business wholesalers.  For example, local inns or B&Bs might be interested in stocking locally made bath products.

Access boxes give subscribers access to lower prices, exclusive deals or private access to a variety of products.  If you already have an online store, an access subscription might be a good addition.

Hybrid boxes simply integrate a subscription service into your existing business.  A fiber artist could sell subscription boxes of wool or a baker could create boxes of flavored baking salts.  By adding a small subscription box to your established homestead business, you can test the waters while adding a predictable revenue stream.

As this year comes to a close and you begin planning your next homestead year, consider if one of these business models is a good fit for you and your family.  Start small so as not to get overwhelmed, but know that you can always scale up as you become more comfortable.

The post Recurring Revenue From Your Homestead: CSAs, Herd Shares, and Subscription Boxes appeared first on Homestead.org.

A niche homestead business is a small-scale operation that specializes in producing a limited range of products or services.  Even a backyard or apartment homesteader can do this.  While the specifics will depend on the business you choose, there are basic guidelines that apply to any niche business.  Following them will help you turn a vague idea into a money-making reality.

Find Your Niche

As you’re considering what product or service to offer, consider four things that determine whether a niche has the potential to be profitable.  First, does it solve a specific problem or meet a strong desire?  Second, do you have a clearly defined audience that wants this product?  Third, does this product or service use resources and skills you already have?  And finally, is the market overly saturated with the same or similar products?

For a product to be successful, ensure that it is useful, high quality, unique, and aligned with your values.  It’s great to dream big and have an idea of what you want your business to look like in the future, but it’s best to start with one great product that you will enjoy producing consistently.  For example, if you want to sell a line of bath and body products, start with a body oil or lotion.  Get feedback from customers and scale up as you get more customers.

Plan the Work, Work the Plan

Every good business, regardless of size, benefits from a basic plan.  You do not need to write a full-scale business plan, but you should know where you are, where you want to go, and how you are going to get there.

The easiest business structure to set up is a sole proprietorship.  If you think you want an LLC, research the laws in your state and follow them to the letter.  Once you decide on the structure, decide on your business name and check its availability.  If you are going to have your own website, make sure the name you chose is available as a domain name.

Many, but not all, states require you to register your business.  You can check on your state’s webpage.  While you’re checking, look into your state’s cottage food laws if you are going to be selling consumable items.  Most farmers’ markets will require proof that you are complying with these laws before they allow you to sell food.

You can run your business out of your personal bank account, but this is not a good idea.  Having a business bank account allows you to track your business expenses and income more efficiently.  This makes tax time a lot easier, and it also gives you an immediate sense of how your business is doing.  It makes quick work of tracking expenses.  A business account also puts you in the right frame of mind: this is a business, not a hobby.

Because this is a business and not a hobby, pricing your products for profit is important.  A simple formula is cost of materials + time to produce + overhead + desired profit = final cost.  If you have determined your product or service is profitable and the market is not saturated, people will pay the price you set.

Marketing and Selling

Some people love marketing, some people don’t.  The fact is, it has to be done.  You can do it in a way that aligns with your values and personality so it feels more natural and less “salesy.”

The first thing people talk about when discussing marketing techniques is branding.  Branding is simply the way you decide to present yourself to your customers.  You already started branding when you chose a name for your business.  Now you will want to choose a few colors and a font that you will use in your packaging and online.  Finally, the stories you tell about your business, family, homestead, and values are all part of your brand.  How do you want people to feel when they think of you and your business?  This is the basic question you must answer to create a consistent brand.

Markets and craft shows are a lot of fun to sell at, and you get the added benefit of meeting people face-to-face and getting real-time feedback on your product.  Of course, selling online is an option that immensely increases your potential customer base.  There are thousands of platforms, but the main ones are Etsy, Shopify, Instagram Shops, and Facebook Marketplace.  Etsy has a good amount of fees, and Facebook Marketplace is best for local sales.  Shopify can link to your Instagram account, allowing you to sell from two shops while promoting your business on Instagram.

Day-to-Day Operations

Running a business can be overwhelming, but there are things you can do to alleviate the stress.  First and foremost, keep your vision in mind.  When we forget why we are doing something, the work seems much more tedious and unbearable.  Second, enlist the help and support of friends and family.  They don’t have to work for you, but their understanding and support play a big part in your success.  Third, streamline your operations and work in batches to prevent yourself from reacting every time a new sale or opportunity presents itself.  Have a day for production, a day for packaging, a day for shipping and delivery, an administrative day, and marketing days.

Keep a calendar for the dates of your markets and craft fairs.  Work backwards from each event to figure out what needs to be done in order to be ready.  Breaking each event into several milestones will ensure you are organized and completely prepared on the big day.  These are the days you should only be interacting with potential customers.  Rushing to get things done at the last minute is a recipe for disaster.

Celebrate Your Successes

Earning an income from your homestead is important, but not as important as living the life of your dreams.  Your business is just one part of that dream.  Don’t get so caught up in the numbers that you forget to live your life and love your people.  Celebrate your successes – every single one of them – with the people who have supported you in this venture.

The post How to Start, Operate, and Market a Niche Homestead Business appeared first on Homestead.org.

I could understand how he felt.  He’s a contractor who makes low six figures.  He is spending $6,600 on insurance premiums for a health insurance package with a $3,000 deductible and a $15,000 maximum out of pocket cap per year.  He’s right.  He doesn’t use his insurance.  He pays for his procedures—such as testosterone injections—out of pocket, and he has no health issues at 52 years old.

Since we’ve known each other for a decade and we are buddies I decided to tell him how much I pay for my health insurance.

“Yea, I know how expensive health insurance can be,” I said.  “My monthly health insurance premium for me, my wife and my 17-year-old daughter is $13 per month!  Outrageous!!”

Just to have a little fun with him I added, “And our deductibles and out of pocket expenses are insane!  $500 deductible per person and $1,500 total out of pocket cap for the family.  Can you believe that?”

He looked at me with a mixture of hatred and humor.  “I hate you!” he quipped.

My friend knew my back story.  In 2003, we both worked for the same company.  We had similar backgrounds of self-made corporate success… clawing up the ladder.  The difference was, I changed my mind about the high-income, high-cost corporate lifestyle in 2008.  In 2011, my family and I moved out to our East Texas homestead with the goal of becoming “Poor on Purpose.”

Our health insurance conversation occurred in 2015, a short four years after my decision to become Poor on Purpose.  That year my friend was 52, I was 46.  He made six figures and worked 50+ hours a week.  I made $24,000 per year working 4-6 days per MONTH.  He spent more money eating out each month than I actually earned!  Yet, he was jealous of me, instead of the other way around.

My friend has been divorced since 2005 and lives in a high-rise apartment in Dallas.  His rent?  $2,500 per month.  I bought a 10-acre farm with some outbuildings and a small mobile home for $50,000.  My rent?  Zero.

My friend drives a Mercedes SUV for about $650 per month plus $150 per month for insurance.  His car expense is $800 per month, plus $80 per month in toll-road driving for a total of $880.  I drive a 2006 Toyota Prius that I bought used for $3,000.  My liability insurance is $35 per month and I pay no tolls.  My monthly car expense is $35.  His car gets 19 MPG, my car gets 46 MPG.

My friend has TWO thermostats in his 1,300 square foot apartment.  He has electric AC and heat.  His average electricity bill is $180 – $220 per month.  I have a wood-burning stove and use zoned window AC units that I only turn on when I’m in the room.  I also spent $5,000 installing a small solar array.  Even though I live in a mobile home—which is essentially a tin can—my average electricity bill is $50 per month.

We could go down the list.  I don’t know all of my friend’s expenses.  However, I do know what MY expenses were before I moved out of the city to become Poor on Purpose and I know what they are now:

My friend makes more than $76,452 per year.  He also spends a lot more than $76,452 per year.  That’s not his income.  That’s what MY income was before I decided to become Poor on Purpose.  I lived in a modest $140,000 home and drove “normal” new cars, instead of a Mercedes SUV.  Notice that the list doesn’t include credit-card bills or other credit payments.  I have never been a fan of revolving credit.  It also doesn’t include luxuries like vacations or spa treatments.

The FIVE major lessons I learned when I decided to be Poor on Purpose.

1.  I would rather live in a mobile home on my 10-acre homestead than in an expensive house in a subdivision.  In 1950, in America the average house size was 930 square feet.  My two-bedroom mobile home is 880 square feet.  Plenty of space, especially when you add 10 acres.

2.  I can easily create a self-employment income of $2,000 per month living just about anywhere.  I became a dog trainer.  I live 2 hours outside of Dallas.  I advertise my services in Dallas.  I do “in-home” dog training for about $250 per visit.  That means I need to see only 8 clients per month.  My cost of advertising and driving is $500.  So, technically I need to see only 10 clients per month.  I generally see 2 clients in a day.  Thus I work only 4-6 days per month!

3.  Because I can control my income by choosing how many dogs I train, I can keep my net income down to around $2,000 per month.  This is important because it allows me to have essentially no income taxes and get massive Obamacare credits for my family’s health insurance.

4.  I didn’t vote for Obamacare.  I, personally, think it’s bad national policy.  But it’s the law of the land, and for a family of three with a taxable income of $24,000 per year, our Silver Level plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas costs $13 per month.  It’s a major benefit of being Poor on Purpose.

5.  If I choose to live in a place with very low property costs—such as East Texas where land sells for $3,000 per acre, if I live in an OLD mobile home with a property tax value of $3,500, if I pay cash for cars instead of buying new, if I allow my farm to partially feed me and entirely entertain me, then it turns out that I need very little money to live.  My annual property tax is less than $350 per year, for instance.

Earning ONLY $2,000 per month I still get $1,000 per month in disposable income.  How can I spend it?  First, I can build a rabbit house for about $1,000 and raise and sell meat rabbits.  I could decide to buy some farm implements, like a tractor, and make a small payment of $250 per month for it over a few years.  I could raise chickens, plant crops, or build small furniture pieces to sell locally or to “antique” shops in Dallas.

I could also save it!  Did you notice that the big city lifestyle in which I had to earn over $76,000 per year did not budget any savings?

What about Retirement?

My friend told me, “It’s impossible to retire on Social Security alone.”  He is right… IF you have a lifestyle that requires over $6,000 per month, then YES it is impossible to retire on Social Security alone.  What if you have a lifestyle that requires less than $1,000 per month?

I am 46 years old.  If I want to replace a $6,000 per month income with payments from a 401k when I retire, how much would I need to save?  Assuming I retire when I’m 70 and live until I’m 84, and assuming normal levels of inflation and returns on my investment… then answer is I would need a nest egg of about $1 million.

To create that nest egg, I would need to save about $1,500 per month for the next 24 years.  I will have saved about $400,000.  With compounding, it will have grown to $1 million over that time.  I could then extract both the interest and principal to live at HALF my high-cost lifestyle in retirement.

Please notice that the budget listed above did not include $1,500 per month in retirement savings.  If I add that (even pre-tax) I need to earn $95,000.  Do you know what percentage of households in America earn that much?  Roughly 20%… less than 1 in 5.

Alternately, with my Poor on Purpose lifestyle, I can easily save $5,500 per year in a traditional IRA if I want to.  That’s only $460 per month and it’s tax-deductible, so it doesn’t affect my low-income tax status.  $5,500 per year until I’m 70 would create a nest egg of over $400,000.  This will provide an income (without Social Security) of $24,199 per year until I’m 88.  With a little Social Security, I’ll receive even more for even longer.

But Isn’t Being Poor Bad?

Generally, poor people have a difficult life.  They are always broke.  They might live on welfare.  They are often seen as lazy or drug addicts.  The difference between being poor and being poor on purpose is that the first group still has to pay high bills for housing, energy, food, and the expense of working minimum wage jobs.  The second group—poor on purpose—lives an easy lifestyle because they have “PRE-PURCHASED” housing, vehicles, energy, etc.

I am Poor on Purpose because I focused all my energy, money, and time on getting out of debt, selling unnecessary assets, and pouring all my money into just a few assets: Land, Basic Home, Basic Transportation, Solar Energy.  By doing that ONCE, I freed up my need for additional money for a LIFETIME.

What is the Return for Being Poor on Purpose?

Being Poor on Purpose, with a country homestead, benefits include:

• Tons of leisure time to commune with nature through gardening, building, and living in peaceful surroundings.
• Low stress.
• The ability to focus time on family, spouse and loved ones.
• Freedom to pursue alternative income sources and alternative lifestyles.
• Reducing retirement savings needs tremendously.
• With Obamacare, extremely low cost insurance premiums.
• Extremely low, or no, income taxes.  (I live in Texas where there is no state income tax.)
• The CHOICE to work or not work.

I don’t know what the official definition of retirement might be, but I considered myself retired before I turned 45 years old.  I do still work some, but it’s exactly on my own terms and timeline.  The reason this is true is SPECIFICALLY because I decided to become Poor on Purpose.

If I had chosen an expensive mortgage for my homestead, if I drove a brand new Ford F-250 instead of a high-mileage used Prius, if I had kept my high expense lifestyle even on my homestead, then I wouldn’t be financially independent.  I wouldn’t be able to choose when and how I work.  I wouldn’t get low taxes and low health-insurance costs.

There are two ways to become “financially independent.”  One, you could earn and save enough money to be rich then live off the interest.  Two, you could lower your cost of living down to minuscule amounts so you don’t need very much money.  I chose the latter.

These things are a choice.  Many people never think of it that way.  They think, “I must work harder each year to make more money each year to afford a better lifestyle each year.  That’s America!”  However, many homesteaders have chosen exactly the opposite.  We strive to require less money each year so we can have more leisure time each year so we can enjoy our lives today, at any age, surrounded by nature.

The Keys to Being Poor on Purpose:

1.  FREE HOUSING: Instead of staying in a high-mortgage/rent environment in the city we sold everything we could and bought a cheap 10-acre homestead in the country with a small mobile home.  Even with a small mortgage of $800 per month it could be paid off in less than 5 years.  Then NO RENT forever. In 1950 the average house cost $8,000.  It wasn’t a 2,500 square foot, stone-faced land-barge with marble top counters.  Yet, somehow people managed.

2.  NO CAR PAYMENTS OR EXPENSIVE INSURANCE: Car payments not only cost the payment (with interest), they also cost full-coverage insurance.  There are plenty of $3,500, or less, cars available that are reliable for at least two more years.  With a car that cheap which I will own for a short time I don’t need full-coverage insurance.  I can self insure.  After two years I can sell the $3,500 car for $1,500, add $2,000 to it and buy another $3,500 car.  The average cost of a new car today is $33,000.

3.  REDUCE ENERGY COSTS: Electricity and heat are two lifetime-costs that go up with inflation.  The more energy-efficient I become, the easier my life gets.  I lowered my electricity bill to less than $30 per month in winter and less than $80 in summer.  I live in Texas where air conditioning is required six months each year.  I stopped using the central AC and went to three individual window units.  I turn the unit I need on for the area I’m in.  The others stay off.  That saved me at least $100 per month in summer.  I installed a wood-burning stove for winter heat.  That saved me at least $100 per month in winter.  I also conserve in other ways.  It’s not hard.

4.  STOP SPENDING MONEY: When I lived in the city, our main entertainment was spending money.  Life was actually boring in our suburban house, so we would go to stores and buy things like lawn furniture, restaurant meals, movies and activities, clothes we didn’t need, etc.  The homestead is not boring!  I have rabbits, chickens, milk goats, a tractor, gardens, fruit trees, neighbors, and more.  I don’t need to spend money to entertain myself.  Look at your bank and credit-card statements.  Now remove every unnecessary purchase.  How much did you save?  I, personally, saved over $1,000 per month.

5.  WORK FOR YOURSELF: Not everyone can do this, but self-employment is a huge money saver.  Working for someone else is a big expense.  The expenses include driving to work every day, eating lunch out, clothes and clothes upkeep, having a nice car to park next to all the other nice cars in the parking lot and more.  On average it takes $1.30 worth of work to bring home $1 when you work for someone else.  When you are self-employed you get tax breaks for driving your car, health insurance, and much more.  Plus you only have to work when you need to, not 8 AM to 5 PM every day of your life.  PetSmart pays a dog trainer about $10 per hour.  I make over $100 per hour working for myself.  This is true of many jobs.

6.  MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD: If you buy a piece of pie at a restaurant with coffee and a tip it will cost $9 just for one piece.  If you buy a whole pie from the grocery store it will cost $6 or more.  If you MAKE a pie it will cost about $1.50.  There is a huge difference between buying a piece of pie for $9 and making an entire pie for $1.50.  That pattern repeats itself over and over when you have the time, energy, and interest to make your own food.  If you also grow some of your own food then the cost of eating can go down dramatically.  I raise meat rabbits, chickens for eggs, goats for milk, and gardens for veggies.  It’s fun, it gives me something to do that doesn’t cost money, plus it’s very relaxing.

7.  LIVE IN A LOW COST AREA: Moving just 2 hours outside of Dallas lowered the cost of land from impossible-to-buy to $3,000 per acre.  Had I gone 3 hours from Dallas I could have bought land for $1,800 per acre.  Living in a big city is expensive from rent to taxes to tolls.  Plus, rules and lack of land takes away opportunities to reduce your required income even more through raising animals and gardening.  Finally, living in a low-cost area reduces the need to “keep up with the Joneses.”  In downtown Dallas, every 5th car is a luxury car.  In the country, every 5th car is an old, dented pick-up truck.

~~~~~~~~

That is how I became rich by becoming poor on purpose.  Right now it is 2:21 pm on a Wednesday.  I spent the morning working in my rabbitry.  I changed the oil in my Prius.  I am planning how to seed my oat field this week before the rains come.  My wife just padded into the room with a few chicken eggs for the refrigerator. For dinner, we will eat food that we grew, including rabbit or chicken, then sit on the porch and watch the sunset.

Where is my friend?  He is in the bowels of the 84-acre Texas Instruments building complex in North Dallas, doing computer engineering.  In a few hours, he will enter gridlock traffic to drive to a high-rise apartment.  Since he won’t get home until 6:30, at the earliest, he will probably change clothes and go to a restaurant to eat a $60 meal.  He will watch some TV, go to sleep and get up in the morning to face more rush hour traffic and do it all over again.  He is “rich”… he makes a low six-figure income!

I read an article a while back that Texas Instruments will be selling that campus and laying some people off.  In 1995 Texas Instruments had 60,000 employees.  Today they employ less than half that many.  The final reason to be Poor on Purpose?  You never know when your employer might make you poor by accident.  I’m sure my friend will be fine… I hope he will be fine… will he be fine?  What happens when you have a high-income lifestyle without a high income?

I, personally, would rather be poor on purpose.

The post Become Rich by Being Poor on Purpose appeared first on Homestead.org.

Jobs are few and far between out in the sticks, and in this economy,  your move to the backwoods has to be proceeded by some thoughtful considerations on the subject of income.  Do the math: a slow economy plus our desire for a good, country lifestyle equals you coming up short on cash if you’re not careful.

The days of a totally self-sustainable country lifestyle are likely all but gone; the days of manufactured products, must-haves, and can’t-do-without possessions are here to stay.  There aren’t very many of us that won’t need money at some time to maintain our homestead, clothe and feed ourselves and our children, and have a few of the finer things in life we’ve all come to expect.  This is where the outside, gainful employment comes in: you’ll probably have to locate some.  Either find a job or create a business.

At this point, you may find yourself getting a little discouraged, but don’t.  The key is to make the most of where you are and who you are; remember the old adage “Use it up, wear it out, make it last, or do without.”  Apply the same philosophy to figure out how you’ll make it beyond the sidewalks.

Jobs in the country are not as easy to find and they will pay you less, so if we can’t survive on one, and many times we can’t, even living way under our means, then it’s time to think about creating our own source of income.  The possibilities are endless, and you don’t have to count on just one income stream; several folks in my county do more than one job, or they mix an outside job with a work-at-home skill they’ve developed.  Begin by thinking about what you already do—what is your hobby and can you make it into a profitable business?  Can you find a niche and create a need or product to fill that niche?  Look around you at the inventiveness of your neighbors and get inspired.

Homestead Gig 1: Doggy Daycare and Pet Sitting

As I look around the area of the country where I live, I see that this one area of interest has spawned dozens of businesses that seem to fit in great with the country lifestyle.  One of the reasons a lot of us move to the country is our love of animals and to have enough room to raise them.

Doggy daycare is a huge business, our pets are our children and no one wants to leave them home alone all day.  You may be going out of town for a day or a week, but you want your dog or cat to be happy and well cared for, so doggy daycare—for a day or a month—is a great solution, and this business fits in nicely for someone who has a few acres for the dogs to roam on.  You may need to build a few kennels and invest in some portable dog houses, but your investment for this business doesn’t have to be huge.  Start small and build to include grooming and training as well.  Maybe even pet photography—who wouldn’t want a picture of Fido or Mimi sitting atop a hay bale?

If you’re going to board dogs, you’ll need space for dog runs and kennels, and having a few acres in the country should provide you with this space.  A small pool and various dog and cat toys will go a long way in keeping your animals happy.

Other aspects of animal care to consider:

• Pet Sitting
• Pet Grooming
• Pet Photography

Homestead Gig 2: Income Tax Service

Tax preparation is one of the least expensive start-up businesses, and one that lots of consumers will find helpful.  If you’re sure you know what you’re doing before you get into this business, you can turn a good profit.  It does require that you do your homework in preparation; Uncle Sam is adamant and particular about laws and regulations.  Educate yourself on the Internal Revenue Service and the state tax laws by taking courses at your local community college or on the Internet.  Also, H&R Block offers courses in tax preparation each year before tax season.

Choose a special, dedicated area of your home for your business; you’ll need a place away from family noise and distraction to be a success at this business.  Your office also needs a separate phone line for incoming business calls, a computer, printer, fax machine, and copier.  Place a small ad in your local paper or online and attract the folks that don’t want to pay high city prices for getting their tax returns done.

You can start your business completely solo, or be part of a franchise—there are companies that will let you use their name for a fee.  Set up your home office and get to work, and remember to claim the home-office deduction on your own taxes.

Homestead Gig 3: Seamstress (Alterations, Sewing, & Reweaving)

Anyone who knows how to sew and enjoys it can put their knowledge and abilities to work.  There are many opportunities available to start a seamstress and alteration home-business.  Include things like simple mending of clothes, sewing on military patches, altering school uniforms, and reweaving.  Also known as invisible mending, reweaving dates back over 200 years and is the method of repairing damaged cloth by taking threads from a concealed part of the garment and reweaving them over the damaged area.  Reweaving is an art that has seen better days but is now enjoying something of a comeback.

Country people are more likely to appreciate and value the frugality involved in mending and altering clothes.

A sewing business can be a profitable full or part-time business, and you should start out by first assessing your skills.  Can you honestly call yourself a seamstress? Can you make a wedding dress or tailor a man’s suit, or are you more of the crafty type who makes aprons and Christmas stockings?  Invest in the best sewing machine you can afford,  at the very least a machine with a straight stitch, a zigzag stitch, and a buttonhole stitch.  You’ll also need a serger to finish seams, a table for cutting, and an iron.  You should have a room set aside just for sewing with storage for all your supplies.

Homestead Gig 4: Junk Haul Off – Have Pick-up, Will Travel. 

Everyone has it: junk!

This is a business I’ve seen work very well in the country; it’s a green business that you can start with no more than your pick-up truck, a place to dump the stuff, and a small ad in your local paper.  You’ll be hauling things away that regular trash services can’t deal with, therefore it can be a very lucrative business; we’re a society of consumers with lots of junk and no way to get rid of it ourselves.

Haul off appliances, carpet, tires, furniture, and all the rubbish that adds up so quickly out here beyond the sidewalks.  This business will help you keep your neighborhood clean by recycling, you can even make side money by fixing up some of the junk you haul off—it’s a homestead gig with a side business built-in.

Find your local recycling centers and what they’ll accept.  Help the hoarders.  It seems that since people in the country tend to have more room to spread out on, they tend to have more junk—you could find yourself in junk heaven.

Homestead Gig 5: Bees, Honey, and Beeswax

I’ve always been fascinated with bees and the process of making honey; I’ve sometimes fantasized about beekeeping.  Well, through the study of the art, I found it wasn’t that complicated.  Contrary to what I thought, starting a beekeeping business isn’t that challenging and doesn’t require expert knowledge or skill, and best of all, not a lot of money.

Through my research, I uncovered a cardinal rule for beginner beekeepers: don’t buy used equipment.  The hives may contain a virus that could not only harm the bees but cause them not to even want to go near the hive.  At this point, you need to talk to local beekeepers and find out what kind of hives they use for the area in which you live.

When you’ve decided on the type of hive you want, then decide how you’ll add the bees, with a nucleus, a package, or a swarm.

Nucleus:  The nucleus means you buy a 3 by 5 frame and a hive with a brood and a laying queen.

Package:  These bees come by the pound and include a laying queen, you’ll also get a sugar feeder for the bees.

Swarms:  These are swarms caught by beekeepers and used to supplement their own hives, the danger here is of the bees having a virus known as Tracheal Mites or Varroa.

Raising your own bees can provide you with a great hobby, a source of fresh honey and beeswax, and an interesting way to earn money.  You don’t need expert knowledge or skill to start this business; many people in the country keep their own bees for fun and profit.  Basic beginning supplies are a hive, a smoker, a protective suit, and feeders which can be a heavy-duty plastic bag or plastic container.

Homestead Gig 6: Food Vending

This is another one of those great businesses to start out of your home because it’s low-cost and you can work it either part or full-time; the added bonus is being able to attend all the festivals and country fairs in your area.  Since it’s a cash business, the licensing requirements aren’t as stringent—another plus.  However, it’s a competitive business and you’ll often be learning on the fly.

Think about all the great festival food you’ve eaten; what stands out in your mind?  Was it the Coney dog, the hot dog, the funnel cake, the ice cream, the curly fries?  Basic advice from seasoned food vendors is to go with what you love.  Rent or buy your food cart by going to auctions, checking out the classifieds and online sites, and message boards.  The equipment you’ll need to make your chosen food can be found used.  Remember to buy all required licenses so you’ll be in compliance with the health department.  Check online for good deals on hot dog carts, trailers, and concession trucks, and visit restaurant supply stores for items like coffee makers, microwave ovens, and pots and pans.

Homestead Gig 7: Chimney Sweeping

This is a career you really need to be committed to since you’ll spend most of your time on a roof or wedged into the small space of a chimney, you’ll get very dirty, but you’ll be performing a valuable service in keeping chimneys safe and healthy.  Get certified through the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), where you’ll learn to inspect and service all kinds of chimneys, and other heating devices like pellet and wood stoves, which are popular in country homes as well.

Some equipment you’ll need as a chimney sweep: chimney brushes, chimney brush rods or a rope and pull rings, fireplace cover, protective coverings for furniture and rugs, metal bucket, shovel and broom, vacuum cleaner, and a powerful flashlight.

Homestead Gig 8: Cobbler (Shoe/boot Repair and Shine)

A shoe repair business makes a lot of sense in these tough economic times, but to repair shoes so that your customers can actually get a few more years wear out to them does take some skill.  Shoe repair isn’t as common a trade as it used to be, so if you want to learn this trade, you might start out as an apprentice, learn from someone already in the business by working for them for as long as it takes.

Join the Shoe Service Institute of America (SSIA). On their website, you’ll find updates on industry news, contact information for wholesalers and suppliers, ads for equipment sales, and business opportunities.

To repair shoes and boots you’ll need hammers, shoe nails, heel savers, adhesives, and screwdrivers, to name a few.

Homestead Gig 9: Farrier

Being a farrier is a dangerous job and one you need to be dedicated to in order to be successful.  But if you love horses, you’ll find this profession engaging and in demand.  It’s one of the professions that fit in nicely with the country lifestyle, especially if you have room for horses.  Do you have a natural interest and ability with horses and are you willing to put in the time to learn?  This is the type of profession that you could apprentice for, but you’ll also need to prepare by studying horse anatomy, trimming, molding and shaping of horseshoes, how to apply horseshoes, and the handling of the horse, as well.

If you want to apprentice, go to your local farrier’s supply or feed supply and ask to put up an ad requesting to become an apprentice.

Some tools you’ll need to have as a farrier are an anvil for molding horseshoes, a farrier knife and hoof nippers for trimming hooves, a farrier’s forge to custom make or fit horseshoes and horseshoe nails among other things.  Check out HorseHoofCare.net for more information on becoming a farrier.

Homestead Gig 10: Wildcrafting

Can you really make money collecting nature’s bounty?  Herbs, leaves, stems, bark, and the like?  Yes, you can.  You can harvest the bounty that’s all around you and sell them for use in medicines, home remedies, potpourris, food… the list goes on and on.  Start out by buying a good plant book and walking the woods and fields in your area to find out which ones grow and are in demand.  This is a time-honored profession and one that takes very little money to start; living in the country makes it that much easier to prosper with wildcrafting.

Roots will be your most profitable finding, especially ginseng.  You should hunt for any and all plants where you find the richest soil and lots of shade.  How you find those areas is up to you as most wildcrafters will not give up their secrets.  Some of the more common plants you can learn quickly and find pretty easily are catnip, nettles, herbs, and cactus fruits; you can always grow many of the most popular herbs yourself.

Reach out to herb buyers and get their price list; study your book on recognizing wild plants and on any sunny day strike out and launch your career.  You’ll need to acquire permits to harvest plants on public land, in most cases you can get these from the local sheriff’s office.

Supplies you’ll need, depending on what you harvest, may include: tools for cutting and digging like an adze-mattock, shovels, rakes and chainsaws, and various containers to hold the plants like boxes, bags, and baskets.

Homestead Bonus Gig: Odd jobs

The odd-job market potential is huge out there—let’s face it, we all have things around our homes we just don’t want to do.  That’s where you come in.  If you’re motivated, there are so many ways to make money.  Start out by being honest with yourself about what you can do, will do, and are willing to learn to do.  Then set your fees, make a simple flyer and/or start answering ads in your local paper for folks looking for someone to help them do the odd jobs they don’t want to do.

Check out Craigslist gigs and classified ads online, search the web for “gig apps”  (there are many), pizza/food delivery, lawn & garden work, sell your scrap metal to local recyclers, donate plasma.  Do farm and ranch work like fence mending.

So there you have it.  There is a large variety of ways to make a living on your own if you just get a little creative.  Do some research, check the internet forums, contact your local officials, and ask your neighbors for tips and business ideas.  Take the time to assess and hone the skills you already have or to educate yourself further on something in which you’ve always had an interest.  You’ll find yourself gainfully self-employed in no time.

The post Ten Humble Country Callings: Homestead Gigs appeared first on Homestead.org.

Five Fun Farmers’ Market Products

A basket filled with artichokes is really unusual to see at farmers’ markets.  This is probably because there is a misconception that they are difficult to grow.  Not only are they easy to grow, they are a perennial that propagates by shooting up suckers.

Artichokes – You can grow artichokes by planting dormant root divisions or by seed.  Seed-grown artichokes mature faster, so if you live in an area with a short growing season, seeds are probably the best choice.  Before sowing seeds, refrigerate them in damp peat moss for two weeks.  This will help promote germination.  Plant them 1/2” deep in 4” pots six to eight weeks before the last frost.  Place in a warm, sunny window and keep the soil moist but not soggy.

While your seeds are popping, prepare the artichoke bed in a sunny location.  Double dig the bed, adding in compost which will help with fast growth and tender buds.  Plant roots 4” deep and make sure the seedlings are planted at the level at which they grew in the pot. Space them 4-6′ apart.

Keep the soil moist, cool, and weed-free.  This is most easily accomplished by mulching.  Artichokes will overwinter successfully in zones 7 and 8 if you strip off all the dead leaves and pile leaves over the plants to cover.  Top the leaves with a layer of soil.  Uncover as soon as the ground has thawed in the spring.

If you live in a colder area you can dig up the roots, brush off the soil and cut the stems 3” above the crown.  Store the roots in breathable bags in a cool area that will not receive frost.

Artichokes grow vigorously for three to seven years.  You have access to new plants every three years.  This is when you can cut the rooted suckers from the parent plant.  Replant the suckers in another bed and water well.

To harvest your artichokes, cut them before they open, when they are about the size of an orange, with 1” of stem.  They are best if used quickly, but can be refrigerated for up to one month.

Chayote – Chayote is a warmth-loving, tender perennial.  You can purchase the fruit at Latin markets and at most Wal-Mart grocery stores.  Chayote is an abundant producer.  When deciding how much to plant, bear in mind that one plant produces enough for a family of four. Chayote needs 120-150 frost-free days, regular watering, and a sturdy support trellis to climb on.

Plant a whole chayote fruit about 4-6” deep with the fat end down and at an angle so the smaller end is just level with the soil surface.  If planting more than one vine, space the plants 10′ apart.  In 120-150 days you will have a trellis full of the pale-green, flattened pear shaped fruits.  They have a nutty flavor and can be prepared just as you would prepare fall squash.  Harvest them with a sharp knife when the fruit is 4-6” in diameter, before the flesh gets hard.

To protect your perennial, cut down vines and cover plant with a layer of mulch before the first freeze.

To encourage customers to try this squash, set some jars of chayote pickles beside the fresh fruit.

Pickled Chayote

• 3 cups chayote, peeled, seeded and cut into strips
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 2 teaspoons each: salt and black pepper
• 2 hot peppers, halved with seeds
• Prepare six half-pint jars.

Combine vinegar, water, salt, and black pepper in a large sauce pot.  Bring to a boil, stirring to blend.

Distribute the chopped vegetables into the prepared jars.  Cover vegetables with the hot liquid, leaving a 1/2” headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Wipe rims and apply lids and rings finger-tight.  Process in a boiling water bath for ten minutes.  Remove from bath and let sit on the counter overnight.  Refrigerate any jars that did not seal.

Horseradish is the next alternative crop that is fun to take to a farmers’ market.  It is another perennial, but it can be invasive so take care where you plant it.  You need to start growing horseradish from root cuttings in rich and moist soil.  The roots want to grow several feet deep so be sure to prepare the bed, removing any large rocks.  Plant the root pieces in early spring with the small ends pointing down and the large ends 3” below soil level.  Space them 1′ apart in rows that are 3′ apart.  Water as needed, paying extra attention to watering during the late summer and fall.

In October or November use your spading fork to dig up the roots.  Any unharvested pieces will sprout again in the spring.

Horseradish roots will create interest at your table but a lot of people will be unsure of what to do with it.  Restaurants are usually the most interested in buying unprocessed horseradish.  Set a few jars of pickled horseradish next to the fresh roots and people are sure to buy.

Pickled Horseradish

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 7 cups (3 pounds) lightly packed shredded horseradish root

Prepare four half-pint jars or eight four-ounce jars.

In a saucepan combine the sugar, salt, and vinegar.  Bring to a boil, stirring often, until the sugar and salt are dissolved.  Add horseradish and return to a boil, pressing occasionally to submerge horseradish in the liquid.  Remove from heat once horseradish is soft.

Pack into hot jars and cover with liquid, leaving 1/2” headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Wipe rims and apply lids and rings finger-tight.

Place jars in a water bath and bring water to a boil.  Process in boiling water for ten minutes.  Remove jars and set them on a dishtowel overnight.  Check lids and refrigerate any that have not sealed properly.

Lettuce – Lettuce is boring, you may say, but I beg to differ.  The lettuce available at grocery stores is boring, and not very tasty, but growing your own lettuce will introduce you to some amazing varieties.  The best thing about lettuce is that there are varieties for each season so you can sell your salad year-round.

Lettuce is very easy to grow—there are no special tricks—so the key here is going to be how you present your lettuce to your customers.  Lettuce seems to sell well when there are choices.  The three that have worked well for me are heads of lettuce, bags of salad, and salad bowls.

Heads of lettuce are what you get at the grocery store: whole head of lettuce.  Different varieties lined up in a shallow pan of cold water look beautiful on the market table.  Directly underneath the display of heads of lettuce, have four or five lush potted salad greens that your customer can set on their porch and pick as needed.  Also let them know you also have bags of prepared salad in the cooler.  I sell half and full-pound bags of mixed salad greens, which not only includes leaf lettuce but Swiss chard, baby spinach, and fresh herbs.

Succession planting is important to keep your lettuce sales up.  Sow seeds appropriate to the season every one to two weeks.

Shiitakes – There are steps to cultivating shiitakes, but if you follow them your chances of success are high.  You can sell shiitakes by weight, and you can entice customers to your table by setting a small fruiting log in front of your booth.

You can buy shiitake plugs from online shops such as Fungi Perfecti.  While waiting for them to be delivered, select and prepare your wood.  Shiitakes do well on a variety of deciduous wood but thick-barked hardwoods like oak are preferable.  Other acceptable woods are sweetgum, ash, chestnut, ironwood, and hickory.  Although logs can be cut at any time of the year, it is best to cut them in late winter or early spring just before buds sprout.  This is when the sap and moisture content is the highest.  Let the logs sit for two weeks before you inoculate them.

Using a 5/16” drill bit, drill 1 1/4” deep holes in your logs.  Space them no more than 4” apart in an evenly-spaced diamond pattern.

Once the holes have been drilled, insert the spawn plugs.  Place the plug into the first hole and gently tap it with a rubber mallet until the top of the plug is flush with the bark.  Repeat.  Do not leave any drilled holes empty.

Once you have filled all of the holes, seal the log with a food-grade wax.  Melt the wax and apply to both ends of the log with a paintbrush.

Incubate your logs by stacking them, slightly off the ground, in crisscrossed piles in a shady area.  Water these logs once or twice every other week, for 5-10 minutes a stretch, until freezing temperatures or heavy rain begins.  Now you just have to wait.  In six to twelve months, your logs will be fruiting shiitakes!

Enjoy these farmers’ market products and stand out with fun and unusual produce.  Be sure to include value-added products when you can and recipes for any produce your customers may not be familiar with.

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Check out Jenny’s book on how to make money selling on Etsy.

The post Five Fun Farmers’ Market Products: Draw Interest to Your Table appeared first on Homestead.org.

Before rushing out to purchase your plants, create a simple business plan.  The key to making money with herbs is to decide in advance what you are going to use them for. If you are going to make seasoning blends, grow culinary herbs. If you are focusing on herbal teas, grow popular tea herbs. Medicinal herbs and products are popular, but be careful to follow your state’s regulations regarding the claims you can make.  This is especially important if you don’t have the luxury of extra space to play around with.  Having a solid plan will ensure you grow the right herbs for the projects you are considering, saving you time, money, and frustration.

The most popular culinary herbs are easily started from seed, and they reach marketable size within a few months. Start pots of culinary herbs every two weeks in order to have a steady supply to sell to your customers. The same holds true for herbs you plant in garden beds: if you are going to sell culinary herbs, you need a consistent supply to meet the demand.

Herbs do well planted right in the ground, and the majority of them are not fussy about the soil.  If you do not have a garden bed, most herbs do well in a large, shallow container with good drainage and at least five hours of sunlight each day.  Prune and deadhead container herbs regularly, but avoid over-harvesting.

Herbs are also used for fragrances and crafts. You can either make your own herbal crafts or sell dried herbs to other crafters. Herbs are used in body care products and cleaning products. Research the different uses and discover some basic recipes that you can build on as you grow. It is a smart strategy to start with one or two products, listen to customer feedback, and make improvements before you try to scale up your product line.

Once your herbs are full-sized, you can expect to harvest for three to six weeks before depleting your supply.  Even perennial herbs will need to rest and regenerate.  After harvesting your herbs, tie them in small bunches and hang them in a cool, dry area.  The back of a closet or your pantry is a good space to dry herbs.  You can expect to get one pound of dried herbs for every eight pounds of fresh. An alternative drying technique is to strip the leaves from the stems, place them in a paper bag, and store them in the refrigerator until dry.

To create an effective business plan and to keep yourself on track, it is important to know when you should plant and when you can expect to begin harvesting.  The following is a general timeline that should give you a basic idea of when you will be able to bring your herbs and products to market.

General Gardening & Harvesting Timetable

Late Winter

12 weeks before last frost date:

• Start lavender seeds indoors.

10 weeks before last frost date:

• Start Sweet woodruff indoors.

6-10 weeks before last frost date:

• Start oregano indoors.

6-8 weeks before last frost date:

• Start summer and winter savory indoors.

6-8 weeks before last frost date:

• Start marjoram indoors.
• Direct sow parsley in garden.
• Harvest rosemary.

Early Spring

4 weeks before last frost date:

• Start cumin seeds indoors.
• Plant horseradish.
• Plant and/or divide French tarragon.
• Plant coffee chicory.
• Plant sorrel.
• Plant cilantro.
• Begin harvesting parsley.
• Plant saffron.

Spring

• Plant and/or propagate stevia.
• Transplant oregano.
• Transplant summer & winter savory.
• Transplant marjoram.
• Transplant lavender.
• Plant rosemary.
• Plant chervil (succession planting every two weeks)
• Plant hyssop.
• Plant sage.
• Plant lemongrass.
• Plant chamomile.
• Plant saffron corms as soon as the ground is no longer frozen.

Early Summer

• Harvest parsley.
• Harvest sorrel.
• Harvest cilantro.

Midsummer

• Harvest marjoram.
• Harvest rosemary.
• Harvest summer & winter savory.
• Harvest coriander.
• Harvest chamomile.

Clip herbs constantly through midsummer – you do not want to allow the plants to blossom. When it is time to harvest the entire plant (annuals), harvest just before their flowers emerge. At this budding-up time, the leaves are at their most aromatic. Hose down the plant the day before harvesting and pick as soon as the dew has dried the following morning.

Late Summer

• Harvest lemongrass.
• Harvest sweet woodruff.
• Harvest sweet cicely.

Early Fall

• Plant rosemary.
• Plant sage.
• Plant sweet cicely.
• Stop sowing chervil.

Late Fall

• Overwinter tender perennial herbs indoors.
• Preserve (dry or freeze) the last of the harvested herbs.
• Harvest saffron.

Because herbs are becoming increasingly popular, finding a market for them is not difficult. The most important part of selling herbs is to know your market and be knowledgeable about your product.

The best way to make a reliable and consistent income from herbs is to sell bulk herbs to local chefs.  If you have a large and consistent supply of culinary herbs, local chefs are always interested.  Make sure you have enough to supply their demand and always provide them with clean product.   Add herbs to your booth at the farmer’s market. Smaller quantities of culinary herbs can be sold easily at farmers’ markets – either fresh, dried or made into a seasoning blend.  Promote yourself at craft shows. If you are growing herbs for crafts, hand out your card and show samples at local craft shows to vendors who sell herbal crafts.  Most of the time, they are buying from a craft store or online, which is more expensive.   You can also sell your own value-added herbal products at local gift shops.  In addition to local shops, you can create an Etsy shop and take advantage of their customers who are always looking for new products.

Potted plants are popular at farmers’ markets. You can propagate the herbs you have and sell them, either as a single herb or a combination of herbs that can be used together.  You can pot up your seedlings in just about anything, but the cuter the container, the more money customers are willing to pay.

Don’t limit yourself to selling physical products.  Teach people about container gardening for herbs, how to make bath & body products, or even how to use herbs in the kitchen.  Hands-on workshops that allow participants to take home what they have made lead to very happy students, repeat business, and free publicity via word of mouth.  If you find you really love herbs, consider becoming a Certified Herbalist.  There are several courses to choose from – research them and pick the one that is best for you.  The more you know, the more confident you will become, and the more you can charge.

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