Working from home

Things didn't work out the way I had hoped. Oh well life goes on. Happy Gardening.

Well don't get discouraged Narc. Keep in mind what you want to do and go for it. Keep us posted. Jeanette

I now work out of my house, it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gotten laid off when my company reorganized and I don't have to worry about insurance b/c my hubby has it.

I draw pet portraits in colored pencil. My start ups were my art supplies, 2 drawing tables, an electric and a battery operated pencil sharpener, a good light, a scrapbook-type paper cutter, photoshop and a scanner, a cell phone so I didn't have to give out my home phone number and a very inexpensive website, I already had a computer and decent printer.

I started doing free portraits of family and friends dogs and rescued dogs and put the samples on my website. I send flyers to vet hospitals, put flyers all over my community, and do fundraisers for rescues. Much of my business is word of mouth, I am doing my fifth commission from a vet I never met who I sent a flyer to and he recommends me to his patient's moms.

It is usually hard for an artist to also be a businessperson, but I like both. I am interested in promoting original art.

I started 2004 with specific business goals and specific tasks to make those goals and I think that's real important, especially with art related businesses. My next goals are to expand my portfolio of children's portraits, and custom house signs with paintings of dogs and gardens. You know: The Smiths. With the house number. I feel it would be good if I had more than one "product" on my website.

As far as interruptions, my kids are grown, and I do all my work 9 - 5 and take the weekends off. I like to chat on message boards like this that are about one of my other interests, it is my substitute for office friends and I can do it when I need a break. My family and friends understand, but they are busy people too and so I don't really have a problem with that.

As far as taxes, my husband used to be a sign painter and I did all his bookkeeping and taxes so I have no problem there. I even got audited by the IRS and it was great, actually, because it confirmed I was doing it right!. If you don't know what you're doing, take a non-credit class for potential small business owners at your community college or adult-education at your high school. Not only will you learn what to do, you will meet other folks who share your interests and might even get customers if you decided to do something business-related.

I think this is a great thread, it's great to hear others' stories, too!

I am about to retire at 57 and am looking forward to working from home. I have lots of ideas and am working one many of them in my spare time.

Two things occur to me. In relation to narc, I am not sure that not getting on with someone in your paid work situation is the best reason for starting to work from home. Secondly, on a more positive note, I think there are marvellous opportunities for us gardeners to work from home.

Think of the difference in price between a seed and a plant, and the very small amount of cost it takes to turn one intot the other. I recently returned from rural France, where, in local open markets, scrawny Rudbeckias were being cheerfully sold for €15 (a bit more than $15). At Easter, in France, I planted small Rudbeckia plants sown from seed the previous summer and they are now magnificent plants massively better than anything that was on sale in the markets.

My own belief is that the opportunities are in plants that are not commonly grown. The plant kingdom is full of wonderful species that you never see in gardens. Growing Petunias to sell in competition with every Tom, Dick and Garden Centre could be hazardous, but rare Primulas, Incarvilleas, etc., would set your produce apart from the rest...

Wonderful!!! Welcome to our thread Razzie and Cinemike I really find it interesting what others have done, and are doing now. Razzie, that is really neat that you have the talant and your imagination to get started in a business like that.

And Cinemike, you definitly have a good idea in the rare plants. Also, like the Rudbekias, perennials. There are a lot of perennials out there that a lot of garden centers and discount stores, i.e. Home Depot etc. don't carry.

It's good to have your ideas, you two. Keep us posted on how you are doing. Jeanette

Thanks, Jeanette.

Cinemike, I think that's a great idea, too! My next door neighbor just showed me her bill from a landscaper to plant 4 azaleas, a plum tree, 4 types of holly, 2 common boxwoods, an azalea and a couple other things and seed a tiny lawn. $3,700.

Big bucks there Razzie, Cinemike. That is horrific. There actually is good money in plants and gardening if you know how to go about it. Jeanette

This book may give some ideas.... but too late for Narc since I noticed she's no longer a paying member.

Edwards, Paul
The best home businesses for the 21st century: the inside information you need to know to select a home-based business that's right for you. Penguin, c1999.

Lilypon, is that the name of it that we can get it from the library? Jeanette

Cinemike

I don't know if you've seen this discussion http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/451810/

In addition, have you seen the EU's plant passport rules yet?

It is Jnette.....I work @ reference and just pulled the book this morning for a patron here.

Thanks Lilypon. I would imagine if it is a reference book they usually cannott be checked out of the library. Jeanette

It isn't a reference book....I work in the reference department where we help people locate all the books in our library's collection.

Thanks, I just checked our library and they have 2 books by Paul Edwards, but not that one. Jeanette

I would look at it as a starting point, it is somewhat dated. This is what Booklist had to say about it:
Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
The Edwardses have built themselves into a two-person industry. For nearly 10 years, in books and countless articles and columns on the Web, they have dispensed advice concerning self-employment, home-based businesses, and working at home. This guide, now in its third edition, is a proven helpful compendium of business opportunities suited for those who want to work from home. It has more than 150 pages more than its earlier edition; and nearly 25 new businesses have been added, replacing almost a like number that are no longer so popular. An introductory section explains the requirements for operating a home-based business. Then each of the profiles outlines what the business entails, contrasts its advantages and disadvantages, lays out specific steps to get started, and suggests ways to identify and attract customers. Trade associations, professional organizations, books, seminars, and Web sites for each business are also included. This book's greatest asset, however, comes from the inclusion of specific estimates for start-up costs and recommendations on how to price products and services. David Rouse

Jnette ask them to Interlibrary loan it in for you.

Lilypon, stealing this thread for a moment... Have you read the "Cat Who..." books? Doesn't that fictional character live in or near Moose Jaw?

Lilypon, I just did. Thanks, Jeanette

Another popular one by the same author:...

Edwards, Paul
Home-based business for dummies. For Dummies, 2000.

I wonder if you are thinking of this book Darius.......

Short and Tall Tales: Moose County Legends Collected by James Mackintosh Qwilleran
by Lilian Jackson Braun.

Braun wrote the "Cat who......." series.

I heard from the library that they are purchasing the book and will check it out to me Lilypon, Also, they do have the one for dummies. Do you recommend that one? Jeanette

Lilypon, yes, that's one of them... but Braun has written a bumch of them with "Q" as the main character. Actually, he would say the 2 siamese cats are the main characters, LOL.

The "For Dummies" series is very popular........it is in MJPL's collection. We tend to order books with excellent reviews...tho' the reviewer isn't always accurate. I would just look at them as a starting point and then look for more specific books once you have clearer idea of where your interests lie.

I've only listened to a couple of Braun's books Darius and that was a few years ago (I do remember enjoying one of the Siamese ones)....I tend to read historical and medical fiction and drool over the non-fic gardening books I've starred, checked and underlined in the ordering forms hoping to catch the eyes of those that hold the purse strings. ;)

I've probably read all of the ones in the series with the siamese. Light, easy reading when I'm overloaded with tech and/or garden stuff that I usually read.

Mine's light too.....usually on the bestseller list not the heavy stuff. A lady I worked with (likes similar books) calls our choices c*r*a*p...... DH choses the talking books for trips so my *reading* gets expanded. ;)

Several (20) years ago I got into ceramics as a hobby. I was out of work for a year. I purchased a set of molds for a nativity set, added a few more animals from other mold manufacturers and produced an 18 piece set. I cleaned the greenware, fired, glazed the bisque, fired, put gold trim on each piece, fired and then sold. I discovered that I could get $250 for the set if I sold it in May but only $100 if I sold it in December!! It was an ideal wedding gift - an heirloom treasure for the new couple. I left sample pieces in wedding gown shops with pictures of the complete set. I had so many orders I had to hire part time help - do it at your own home employment for others as well as myself. It was fun. But once again I had turned a hobby into a business - now what do I do for fun? I got it!! Spend the money. :-) I eventually turned the business over to a rehab program for getting people back on their feet after prison or some other crisis and I went back to work full time - doing the marrying :-) Just a reflection that a right product in the right nitch will work. Hang in there and have fun. Padre

Another example of making money out of a hobby. But once you start doing that it's not fun any more. Jeanette