There are many reasons you want to consider homesteading, like escaping the pressure of working 9 to 5. You may dream of a simple, self-sufficient life that requires less money to support your family. Homesteading offers are a way to escape debt, live within your means, and an opportunity to invest in your home. Homesteaders thrive on self-sufficiency, and what’s more self-sufficient than making your own money? Here are four top tips for growing your homesteading business.
Be sure to have ample time and help available
A significant element for success in any business is time and support. Therefore, it is practical to determine whether you have enough time or the needed help for your particular homesteading idea. For instance, if you want to sell food from your homestead, you may have to cultivate many vegetables, which implies needing more time and assistance to weed, harvest, and pack.
You may also want to determine if you have the skill and time to take care of a bigger garden and its associated maintenance. The bigger the vegetable plot or farm, the more time and help you’ll need.
Charge from the beginning
It can be hard to ask for money when you first start, especially when doing business with family and friends. However, treating it as a business and everyone else as a customer is crucial. You can charge a lower price for beta-testing for your close friends and family. But you want to make sure they know you are charging less only because you are trying it out.
You can also charge full price for beta-testing but only sell a limited number of things. Be sure to get feedback and possible suggestions to help put your business in the right direction.
Consider the market saturation
Many homesteaders sell produce from their backyard, and even though they don’t make so much from it, it can sometimes be profitable. For instance, although you can sell eggs from your backyard chickens, you may have several people offering eggs in your local area market. Under such circumstances, it can be better to consider selling outside your region or sell to locals at lower prices.
Either way, you can still make some money from your homesteading. If you consider producing to sell outside your region, it can be useful to compare freight shipping costs to avoid delays and unnecessary charges, especially when dealing with perishable produce.
Try job shadowing
Certainly, someone in your neighborhood is already doing what you want to accomplish. So you might want to see if you can interview or possibly work with them for a few days to learn a thing or two. For instance, if you want to have a booth at the farmer’s market, it can help if you go there and engage with some of the people who already have one.
You can learn about their most successful setups, when they have the most foot traffic, and what works best for them. Likewise, you can find out what isn’t there and use that to your advantage.
