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Entrepreneurship:  Need some feedback here please...  |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 28 2008 : 11:53:07 AM
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Hi everyone. I've been gone for a while out on the farm. It's in a little town and there's some retail but not much. A small retail outlet center and a Wal-Mart. The only major employer is the hospital, of course. I've been looking for a job but as fast as they are posted, the position fills. Most of the jobs are for skilled trades (of which I have no skills) or medical.
I'm thinking about opening my own business but need some ideas...
Antique stores and resale shops are huge here and there are tons of them. Plus lots of garage sales. No one is making any big money though and I'm not sure how they keep their stores open. I am looking into the viability of offering an ebay listing service...
My VA business will work part-time but it's time intensive if you have to drive back and forth to meet with clients or pick up/drop off work. Plus the fees I can charge would be a lot less than what I charge now. I do have some clients that I can keep, provided I can get wireless internet access but this is proving to be difficult at the moment. It may cost me my existing clients.
There's no farmers market, another idea I'd thought of, and no where to sell stuff I might make.
I was thinking about turning my brand new barn into a small craft studio and offering craft classes, supplies that can't be found locally, and then a place to sell the stuff we make. The only problem is that this will take some time to do since the barn is storing our furniture while the house is built.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2008 : 12:07:13 PM
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I would kill for a craft store/classes in my tiny town. If you have a farm, maybe start a B-n-B.
Farmgirl Sister #91
Make cupcakes not war! |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2008 : 12:17:13 PM
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Unfortunately my husband moved us to the farm to get us away from people. He wants to be totally off the grid. He would not be open to having people come onto the property so anything I do has to be done somewhere else... so a B&B wouldn't work. I would love to do one but it's a LOT of work and there's a lot required in terms of investments. And I have no facilities for this. But it would be fun to do.
We're trying to raise Angora goats but I am a total novice at shearing and processing the fiber. I've butchered the first fleeces and the vegetation on our property has pretty much ruined this next shearing too. We're learning but I don't have all the equipment or training I need to do it profitably right now.
On top of that, while I did invest in quality animals, only some are registered. And my bucks were too young to breed the does this year, so I don't think we got any kids coming this spring.
It's frustrating because he seems to have expected a quicker profit turnaround. He keeps asking me how much we LOST (to the penny) on them and how much we will lose over the next 12 months. *sigh* I haven't even gotten set up enough to begin making any profit. Not to complain of course, but it's been tough because even a part time job or business would cover the expenses for the animals and give us enough to get started with something else that could bring in more money.
But I'm determined to do up business plans on a couple of different options. The problem is finding something to tide me over and give me some operating cash while I get stuff in order. For example, a house would be nice. I've been camping out in a tiny RV with no electricity or proper plumbing for the past six months.
I am working part-time with my Virtual assistant business, and if I had internet access there on the farm, I could expand it into something that would take care of our needs. But I can't get the internet access I need. Aargh! In the meantime, I have to commute to the old house in the city in order to meet my clients and work on their projects for any length of time (beyond the battery capabilities on my laptop.) The 180 mile RT commute (2x a week) is killing me and costing me a fortune. I am covering the costs of the commute but there's little left over.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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Edited by - Bluewrenn on Feb 28 2008 12:25:00 PM |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2008 : 12:36:33 PM
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I guess I should concentrate on getting the VA business working in my little town. I might be able to find an office I can rent cheaply (or in return for some bartering of services) and then get internet access in the office. I have a cell phone, so a phone is taken care of, and I have the equipment already. I just need to get a few supplies for it to be fully functional and I may even have all the supplies I need for some initial promotional materials.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2008 : 8:21:16 PM
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you have totally described the situation in small town texas in areas that have not become a tourist area aka, bonham, and apparently hillsboro. but the idea of renting a space in town might be doeable.
i dont really know what you do, erin, could you talk a littl more about that? i sorta understand that it must have something to do with computers?
for a long time we didnt have the high speed internet here, but now we do....but it is tied in with cable and pretty expensive. so we just have the dial up kind.
if you are a computer whiz type, could you teach at a junior college, or sign up to sub teach at the local schools.
and on the goat issue. so far we have only had 1 kid this year and we usually have about 5-6 by now. i consult grace gerber here about all things goats cause she gives wonderful advice. last year 1 of my goats birthed in july!!!!! grace says sometimes they do that, change their birthing cycle and maybe that is happening with yours so maybe their could be more on the way.
also for extra income, maybe you could sign up part-time as a home health aid. the rural communities have a real need for that and usually there are openings....be sure to ask them about their re-imbursement fee for travel/mileage so you dont eat up the money in gas, or say you can only go in a small geographic area.
also, erin, if you havent done this, go back and read some of your early post on your blog about how much you wanted to get out to the farm. i loved reading them. and you are not alone. i can only speak for myself, but sometimes as much as i love this place and this life,,
i have to remind myself why i want to be here, it is wonderful, but it isnt always easy......but life in plano wasnt either and i wasnt happy their.
oh yea, if you "ruined" the wool for spinning couldnt it be used for felting, i have recently discovered needlefelting, and i love it. and i havent given up on spinning but sometimes i wonder if i will ever get the knack of it!
hang in there erin, continue to dream your dreams and stay with it, i believe you can do this.
keep me posted.
love
fran
(http://farmfolks-frannie.blogspot.com/) |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2008 : 9:07:48 PM
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Thanks for the pep talk, Fran... I'm definitely planning to keep the wool for either felting some floor coverings or for stuffing toys and the dogs' beds...
I didn't mean to sound like I'm discouraged about the farm itself. I'm a little frustrated with the goats not having been bred, but then again maybe they are and I just don't know what to look for - LOL!
My little guys were trying but who knows if they "scored" so to speak. We did breed them late - November through January, but I'm not sure we left them together long enough. For the past month we have just put them all in together - sort of a reward for the boys for having tried at all. They're only a year old this January, so maybe it was just too early.
[Speaking of babies - the girl I got the bucks from had 42 kids born this year and if you're in the market for a good registered buck or doe, I can pass you on the email she sent about her animals for sale. She's kind of pricey but they are generally all registerable AND she has some of the best genetics in the US.]
As for the virtual assistant business, I do a wide variety of things on the computer - anything from typing and transcription to scanning photos and slides and converting them to digital files, then building slides shows and putting them on DVDs (so they can be played on a tv like a movie.)
The only difference between me and a secretary in the company is that I work from home and the clients don't have to provide me with an office, equipment or benefits. Plus many of my clients can be found online. They don't have to be local, although my current group of clients are all from Dallas.
An update from earlier - I called the local newspaper to inquire about placing an ad about finding an office to rent and not only did I place the ad, but I talked to them about possible articles I could submit to them AND about maybe working for them part-time. Woo-hoo! They have a position open right now! It's only one day a week so far, but it's a start. And at least I applied for it in time!
Cross your fingers.
I'm considering signing up for substitute teaching but am only available certain days of the week right now. That makes it hard.
If I can just get internet access on the farm (and not just from town) then my options will open up a whole lot. There's a lot I can do with wireless or high speed access.
And I think my hubby's distress is coming from my lack of a full-time income and our having two households to pay for right now. (Not to mention a whole lot more mouths to feed... )
I know it'll get better but I've been down on the farm for six months already and we had the land for a full year before I even got there. And the house has not even been started yet.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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Edited by - Bluewrenn on Feb 28 2008 9:20:58 PM |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Feb 29 2008 : 07:44:53 AM
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erin, thanks so much for the quick response. i was a little worried about you cause i thought you might be discouraged, also i just know myself that there a moments when i think what the heck am i doing?
anyway, congrats on the job with the newspaper. as far as the sub-teaching goes i think you just let them know when they call if you can fill in or not.
anyway i think the paper job sounds great and maybe a little more flexability.
we are covered up here with male goats and actually have some for sale here.
we have a small herd of 9 and want to have 1 male and just a few females.
thanks for the update and keep us posted on your progress.
love
fran
(http://farmfolks-frannie.blogspot.com/) |
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Linder
True Blue Farmgirl
592 Posts
Linda
Lake Forest
IL
USA
592 Posts |
Posted - Feb 29 2008 : 2:42:02 PM
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Erin, I LOVED your craft barn idea! You could call it that too...The Craft Barn. Nice.
You could always work on that idea as a longer term project and cultivate the VA business for the present.
At some point you could get an etsy site and sell your crafts on there too.
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" |
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Entrepreneurship: Need some feedback here please... |
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Need some feedback here please...
