HOW TO START AND MAINTAIN A COTTAGE INDUSTRY BUSINESS
The cottage industry is on a fast-track return and exploding in the production of high-quality, innovative, and much-needed products. The current economic crisis happening around the globe is sparking this fuse. It is of no surprise that all people of the earth know they are in the midst of a major global financial collapse. Over the past 20-plus years America has been stripped of its industry base. It is just a matter of time before everything is seized up. However, this does not have to happen! Not while on our watch! Where big corporate global companies have failed, it is now up to the common man to pick up the pieces. You are that person! You are one of many that can combine with others to build that synergy providing Americans with high-quality products that will maintain and uplift quality of life.
Cottage industries have been around for thousands of years, e.g., tanners, cobblers, smiths, weavers, woodcrafters, etc. One has only ever been practically limited by the amount of resources upon the face of the earth, which is in and of itself vast.
With millions of people being laid off from corporate industries and other various avenues of employment it is no surprise they are now seeking ways to survive, not only to supplement their income, but to make it a full-time endeavor.
This e-book will outline the basic principles for starting your own cottage industry based business. This is not only for information, but a “call to patriotism to do something now!” We are calling on you, your family, and your loved ones to bring your country from the brink of chaos and disaster! Consider it your duty!
The cottage industry is technically a limitless field, especially with today's new modern technology and tools. There are some exciting things on the horizon that will re-establish the American dream of working with your own hands and operating your own business. This is what will allow you to work with family and loved ones, bringing families back together!
HOW TO GET STARTED
You need to declare that you are going into business for yourself whether part time or full time. You will need to outline skills that you and your family and friends are capable of doing.
You will need a base of operations, whether it is your multimillion-dollar home, the average cookie-cutter home, apartment, RV, a tent out the middle of nowhere, or even the back of your car.
Make it your determined golden rule to make and build in America!
You will need the tools to build your business. This does not have to be expensive or extravagant; in fact, you probably already have many of the things you need. Most people already have smart phones, and this is an invaluable tool to promote your product or service. We the people have access to a host of tools, such as small hand tools to major power tools, sewing machines, leather, wood tools, metal working tools, glues, adhesives, plastic injectors. Most even have access to another family member that has accumulated productive machinery that just sits in the garage!
GET YOUR MINDSET RIGHT!
Think of building this business one brick at a time and start with your cornerstone, which is you. Everyone on this earth has a skill to do something. Most have hobbies that take skill and all you need to do is translate that skill to production! Either you are shown something, or you can be trained in something, that will help you toward that paycheck.
Do not think of getting rich “monetarily” in this type of industry! However, set your mind to understanding that wealth comes in other forms—free time, time with your spouse or children, less stress, sleeping in a little instead of having that 9-to-5 grind! Not to say there is anything wrong with making profit and supplying the needs of yourself and your family, but being realistic in that you're not going to get extraordinarily rich is a better mindset to have. We will now leave the dishonest mindset of the high-odds betting mentality of get-rich-quick schemes and their promoters, which only pull in suckers every day! You are not one of them!
The proper mindset to have is, “Can I pay my bills, supply my needs, have health, safety, and welfare, provide for the needs of my family, and elevate the quality of life within my home?” This is what is important! This is wealth!
This is quite exciting since that cottage industry is reliant upon the person and/or their family members working from their own home, with their skills and basic tools, to build a product or service that will enhance their community and their personal lives. With today's technology you can technically reach millions of people across the globe with your product or service!
MAKE UP YOUR MIND!
What do you want to build and sell?
Many of us have ideas of providing a product that will enhance quality of life. However, most do not, and the reality is that not too many things are radically new! Most products, no matter the product, are built much in the same fashion as they always have been. Let us not forget, as the economy gets tougher, buying new is not always the best choice—this stems from us being marketed to be good consumers!
Many are now looking to repair their items, and this is where opportunity comes into play. Some of you have a natural knack to repair things. Can this be done from a home base? Again, the cottage industry of repair is practically limitless!
What you will need to decide is “what excites you and your family?” “What would stem pride and honor in a product or service of your choosing?” It may be something that's already been built, and the process just needs to be repeated in order that the supply is there for the customer. You could actually build for another producer supplying the very part that they need. Then there is the new and exciting technology of 3-D printing, which is becoming extremely affordable, and the resurgence of old school custom-built products. These things leave the window of opportunity wide open for cottage industry businesses.
What is the one thing that is always going to remain—people need to food, shelter, clothing, tools, and products to make their quality of life worth living! You need to research what your skill sets are and what the demand is for producing a product or service! What does your community need? What can be sold in your country or in the world? You are in a massive market now with access to millions! The opportunities are limitless in textiles, plastics, paper, wood, metals, and the list goes on and on.
GETTING STARTED
After assessing yourself and your friends and family’s capabilities you then need to assess what tools you have in order to produce and sell a product or a service. Remember to keep it very simple at first. Everybody has to buy and sell something, even as an employee of a major corporation. You will be successful! There will be many errors along the way, but do not be discouraged. These are just bumps in the road that will smooth out through trial and error.
There is absolutely no reason or excuse to NOT start a small, home-based cottage industry business, whether you are an employee of a burger joint or a mega-millionaire inheritor, whether you live in an apartment or a trailer!
If you live in the United States the tax code favors business, and you need to take advantage of that since everyone has to pay taxes. Why not invest in yourself and take advantage of the current tax code that favors you to invest in and build a home-based business? Depending on what jurisdiction you live in you need to do a little research on your state and local levels as far as what requirements are needed for what specifically you want to do. For the most part, if you work from home, you will not need a license, permit, or registration as long as you are not using materials that are dangerous to you or your neighbors and you conduct business that is completely lawful and beneficial to all of those you are selling to.
Remember to keep it simple and keep it small in the beginning. As you branch out, it is all a learning curve. You will discover what needs to be done as far as all legalities are concerned. This is where you can incorporate your own family members and close friends. Each and every one of your family members and/or friends has a skill set and can help you in many facets of the business. This is absolutely necessary. What better thing to do but to have the ones you love working with you! Get them excited as being a part of a team that is helping to enhance the quality of life for you and your loved ones. Each and every one of them is good at a certain task, per se´, accounting or bookkeeping. This is the foundation of any and all good business practice. Knowing your bottom line is crucial. It is also good to have counsel from many. When making decisions as far as products or services, it is good to bounce ideas off of your loved ones to see whether this is favorable or unfavorable or what can be done to make it favorable. Someone within your team might be good at research. This is good to get feedback on whether whatever product or service you decide to pursue can give you some foresight on the longevity and profitability of your home-based cottage industry business.
ONCE ESTABILISHED
Once you have established a product or service that you are comfortable with, and are very proud of building or providing, you need to focus on repeat business. For example, you are very good at repairing cell phones or smart tablet screens. It is to your benefit, as well as your customers, to get and receive feedback. This is vitally important and cannot be stressed enough. In this technological age, with the ease of access to so much information, people are becoming extremely buyer savvy. Many people look to feedback in order to make a buying decision. Even receiving critical, or what could be construed as negative, feedback can help direct you in assessing and processing your customers’ needs. This is not to say that you need to bend over backwards and take a major loss just because somebody is unhappy and always will be unhappy no matter what you do. The world is full of those types, but you need to plow forward and provide an excellent quality product and service in so much that your customer base will be loyal. Ultimately, the best form of advertising is word of mouth! Even though you may never meet your customer in person, if they like you and are happy with what you do, they will tell everybody through their social networks, family, and friends about your product or service.
No matter what product or service you have you need to have the ability to get the word out. You are going to have to build a customer base. Start small and stay small—this will give your customer the best experience of personal trust when providing them with what they need or want. In today's world the best way to get the word out is through the Internet. The expanse of social media is unfathomable! You can access Amazon, Google, Facebook, twitter, eBay, Etsy, Instagram, Craigslist, Backpage, Tumblr, YouTube, Blogger, eBay classifieds, and local newspaper classifieds either on the Internet or even in print! You can create accounts with many of these social media outlets for absolutely free; not to mention, Amazon and eBay for sales accounts. They have very simple directions on how to set up your accounts and to start selling immediately! It is just one gigantic global flea market! This is a great way to get started in your new endeavor whether it be full time or part time at no out-of-pocket expense! This may require some patience, and it rarely happens over night. However, with consistency and persistence you will get noticed. Stand strong and customers will look to you as a rock-solid business even if you are small. In fact, that is the great thing about being on the Internet—nobody knows how small you actually are!
Other options are fairs, local shows, and open markets. They may require a small amount of money to open a table, but this may be necessary and applicable to the product or service that you promote. Do not forget that all costs incurred for such an event are a tax write off! This is a great way for your local community to become informed of what products or services you can provide.
WHAT ABOUT CAPITAL?
This is the GREATEST misunderstood topic! "It takes money to make money!" Sick and tired of that vomit? We are too! Many find this as a hindrance within their own mind and decide not to do anything at all! No matter who you are you own something that is clearly in your possession and that is something one could use. Even homeless people gather materials and refashion them into something useful bartering them to the public for what they need. For the most part, the majority of you out there have closets and garages full of stuff! It is time now to get lean and trim. Learn to part with things that you really do not need. In fact, really ponder on this and ask yourself “what do I really need?” You would be surprised on what little you actually need, and this is a good thing! You might even be astonished at the things you possess within your closets and garage that can be altered or changed to produce a unique product that someone may find beneficial. This is left up to your creativity and innovation!
You need to raise capital to start your cottage industry business. What materials are already in your possession that can produce your product? Are you already in possession of tools that are necessary to build a product or promote your service or production? Remember to think simple and easy to begin with. It is the highest probability that more than likely you are already in possession of the materials you need and the tools you need to build a product and/or promote a service. If not, have several yard sales to build up some cash to purchase the necessary materials and/or tools. If you have not done so already, start off with an eBay account. Whatever product you sell you will also find it on eBay. Start off by placing your product on eBay and go for a mid-price range, unless of course you can produce it at the least expensive price in your category. It is a step forward even if you place your product up and just barely break above even (you need to break just above even so that you can replenish the materials needed to resell your product).
PRODUCT ADVERTISING AND ACCURACY—HONEST PRODUCT, HAPPY CUSTOMERS!
Be sure to describe your product accurately. Show sharp, crystal-clear pictures, and fulfill these orders quickly and efficiently. Answer all buyer questions promptly, to the point, and simple to understand. This will help you build up your feedback. Again, be patient—it will come! Over a period of time you will build up this feedback. It is crucial to maintain 100% positive feedback, as buyers do look at this to gauge the product and your business ethic.
If your product qualifies, even if it is a home-built product, you can obtain UPC codes. This way you can sell your product on Amazon. This is very simple to do. All you have to do is Google “buying UPC codes,” and there are many companies out there who will allow you to purchase these codes for a very inexpensive price. Just be sure that you follow their directions on how to implement your code.
When you have produced a product, break down everything that you had to do and the cost of each item to produce this product. Do not forget to include even the shipping costs and energy such as electricity, gas, etc., to bring the materials together to produce your product. Then add in the cost of labor to produce it. Being in a cottage industry labor is a sliding scale based upon the need of the product. If it is considered valuable, your sliding scale can be adjusted quite high to meet market demand and profitability. This can be gauged easily if you use Amazon or eBay because they include these tools within their system for you to be a better seller. They make it very easy and have many tools to help you understand on how to use these tools, including representatives that will help you. Take advantage of these tools and learn how to use them. In no time, these tools will help you be a better seller and producer of high-quality goods and services.
BE DILIGENT & PRESERVERE!
Be diligent and build your business carefully, and you will create a masterpiece. Over time stockpile the necessary materials that you need to produce your product as the uncertainty of the global economy encompasses us. This will help mitigate any supply-chain disruptions. A small cottage industry will be able to ride out the rough seas ahead because it is a well-honed atmosphere that is tight sealed from any financial disruptions. Bartering and trading are the basic fundamentals of any cottage industry. As others get involved in this application, whole communities of businesses that are focused on being home-based, especially in a local community of like-minded cottage industry owners, is a formidable and diverse economic block. Being able to supply the needs of your fellow countrymen will get you through these rough times.
Finally, do not forget to add in taxes including sales and personal income. Personal income tax will be gauged after all the costs of doing business and producing your product is taken into account. Completely free small business tax information is located on the Web. There are many free programs on the Web as well that will help you make a business plan, plan out business costs, determine profit and loss, assist in tax preparation, and even project the capabilities of your product and/or service!
BUILD AND BE FULFILLED!
ACQUIRE MATERIALS FROM YOUR OWN BELONGINGS
PERPETUATE AND ACQUISITION MATERIALS AFTER SALES
MAINTAIN OR UPGRADE TOOLS
USE SIMPLE MARKETING FROM SOCIAL MEDIA AND WORD OF MOUTH
PERSISTENCE AND CONSISTENCE WINS THE DAY
BE HONEST IN ALL TRANSACTIONS
STAND TALL AND BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU DO
WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER
CUSTOMERS LOVE POSITIVE ENERGY
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Great article, thank you.
An encouraging post very thorough and helpful. Thanks for sharing.