Unemployed? Hate Your Crummy Job? Start Producing!

Originally posted by HangTheTraitors
Um, ok, so who the heck is gonna BUY THE PRODUCT?? One of your unemployed friends? Or one of your line-cook friends who are paying off several tens of thousands in school loans?

If work is that SCARCE in your area, (or any other area for that matter) then nobody is gonna buy these home-made, old-school products. They are gonna buy the BARE-BONES NECESSITIES in life such as FOOD, and RENT, and GAS. If folks are all out of work or working low wage jobs with expensive degrees nobody will buy the product silly!

Bad economy, no jobs, people working minimum wage with EXPENSIVE degrees = WE'RE SCREWED!!!!! No little hand crafted nick-nack, or gadget, or gizmo is gonna cut it and make someone a success story. It wont even make them a success until the economy is good again and then you can get a REAL PAYING job instead of the little non-profiting HOBBY. Jeez, come on now!!

edit on 7-9-2012 by HangTheTraitors because: (no reason given)

I sell Children's Books that I write, Illustrate and Publish myself.

I sell them on the Internet for up to $20 each.


They are of professional quality, and I hear no complaints.




If I can do it, anyone can.

reply to post by Eidolon23


My question is:

Produce? With what? *Everything* takes materials and tools- and without money.....

Where I come from, America isn't famous for it's underemployed people who started brewing beer in their cellar and became a millionaire, but it's famous for the guy sueing the poor bastard for 10.000.000 $ because he found a fly in a beer bottle. Or how about the guy that sits in one of your chairs and sues you because it breaks and injures him.

Make 100 $ with brewing beer .. lose 10.000.000 $ for fly in bottle.

reply to post by wylekat


I hear you, wylekat.

I tried to provide an example of what one can do with found materials and minimum outlay, and there's a lot of resources out there for DIY'ers who need to work on the ubercheap. Here's a great site for more ideas:

openmaterials.org...

But you know? Growing produce really is the least outlay/greatest return. I save my own seeds from year to year, so even that cost can be eliminated.

reply to post by H1ght3chHippie


The point isn't to become a millionaire. You can't get into this with the expectation that your homebrew is going to take off into a multinational concern.

What you can expect is a sense of pride and accomplishment, some very happy neighbors and friends, and a lot of pressure off your strained wallet. I have yet to hear of a single lawsuit, btw.

Originally posted by Destinyone
reply to post by Eidolon23

 

You are right. I started my own home business going on one and a half years ago. Hand made goats milk soaps and organic creams, lotions, and now expanding into at least 6 new product lines. I started with 2 goats, now have a small herd.

I started selling to friends. Then did some craft fairs, and now have a regular weekly spot at my local farmer's market. Several shops are now carrying my products too. I went from making a few dollars a week, to now around $2,500. a month, and Christmas is just around the corner. I expect sales to double in the next 4 months. I am building my online store. Who knows what will happen after it's finished.

Yes, it's hard work, and long hours. But, I did build it myself, no matter what Obama says. I'm 61 years old, was retired. If I can do it...so can you!

I also use my goods for bartering for fresh veggies and fruit, and even a hand made quilt. The sky's the limit when it comes to bartering. I've bartered for goods I ended up selling for a lot of money.

Des

edit on 7-9-2012 by Destinyone because: (no reason given)

Sorry but you didn't do it on your own and you even admit it in your post.

Then did some craft fairs, and now have a regular weekly spot at my local farmer's market. Several shops are now carrying my products too.

You had to rely on these businesses to help you market your product. So where do you get this "I did it all on my own" when it's clear you didn't. And it's amazing how you invented soaps, creams and lotions. Your just copying other peoples work.

reply to post by buster2010


Me-ow, buster2010! Wanna dial it back a few notches, buddy?

But you bring up a good point. This model works best if local businesses purchase local products, and if the community is engaged directly with their Producers. And yeah, maybe there are only so many ways to make a product, that doesn't mean that folks like DestinyOne aren't putting in long hours making a quality commodity.

And they should be given full credit for that, regardless of whether or not one happens to jive with their political beliefs.

The bottom line is important. Produce! Whatever you can, just go and produce! Anyone can do it. Some people produce music. I produce computer games. Some write books, some do metal fabrication. Create your own product, your own brand - sell it - be your own boss and reap the rewards Not everyone has entrepreneurial spirit but everyone should at least give it a go every now and then, it may pay off sometime.

Imagine if everyone you knew was happy and confident with their jobs. Imagine how conversations would change, I for one, wish it was a bit more like that. People moan about their jobs 24/7 where I'm from, and I want to punch them because anyone can take matters into their own hands and work for themselves doing something they at least enjoy (may not be prosperous to begin with). It's great that people work, it's even better when they do it for themselves.

Certainly in the UK it's a very good time to consider it. Start building your product, how do you know it won't be a big hit in 10 years time when all the others have folded? Micro-businesses are the way forward, things individuals can run, and thankfully here we're getting the support.

Furthermore it's worth reading into, especially if perhaps you're unemployed and claiming benefits - because there is good support. They don't just rip away your benefits when you start working for yourself (as self employed), in fact they won't even stop certain benefits if you don't cross a threshold. Also it's worth individuals remembering in the UK they have up to £8,000 tax free pay a year. You need to earn around 80k a year before you have to start VAT taxing your customers.

There's a a fair amount to it but a read through a few documents and you can see how reassuring the process is and that it's not overly complicated at all, becoming your own boss. Granted, the Job Centre have only recently introduced "self employment" schemes that actually seem to SUPPORT you (rather than just 'teach' you), so make use of it! It's worth a risk here and there, yes it can be daunting and it can also drive you a little mad, but most will tell you it's thoroughly rewarding, good luck!

PS S&F for you OP

reply to post by reficul


When I read your reply, it reminded me of how my daughter, one of four, decorated her bedroom.

She was in high school so had even less money than I did. A friend of hers was a good artist. She had done her room up as a castle with "painted" outlines of stone work and folded poster board to cover shelf hangers so they looked like stones.

One wall was just blank, so she traded her helping this guy with his classes for him to paint a large dragon on this wall. He used some "glow-in-the-dark" paints for it's teeth, claws, and eyes. It still looks pretty cool.

I tell you this just to spark some imagination and as a suggestion you might could use.

I see the purpose of the topic of this thread to spark that bit of imagination in all of us. We should never just sit down and give up.

I have always told my kids, "There are two words at the end of -- American -- which we should always remember. Can anyone tell me what those words are? Try I CAN !!"

Originally posted by H1ght3chHippie
Where I come from, America isn't famous for it's underemployed people who started brewing beer in their cellar and became a millionaire, but it's famous for the guy sueing the poor bastard for 10.000.000 $ because he found a fly in a beer bottle. Or how about the guy that sits in one of your chairs and sues you because it breaks and injures him.

Make 100 $ with brewing beer .. lose 10.000.000 $ for fly in bottle.

Too bad you never hear about the dumb-ass who sat in his over stuffed recliner; smoked and drank beer until he couldn't get up.

While sitting there in a stupper, he dropped his cigarette onto the floor and burned down the house.

Well, so much for not taking a chance on getting ahead.

reply to post by markymint


Thank you.

The possibilities truly are endless. Our creative nature, our ability to conceive an idea and make it manifest is one of the most amazing and singular characteristics of our species. Making things is the joy of being human, and we activate the best portions of the human experience when we become Creative beings.

This propensity to produce, this wonderful capacity we have is crushed out of us from a young age by most major institutions. A content, self-reliant population doesn't, I guess, translate to good consumers in the current model. But the current model robs us of great swathes of our rich human inheritance, and I say we start to reclaim what makes us happy and whole.

The current paradigm shouldn't be scrapped, just tweaked. And we need to do the tweaking.

I recently lost my slow cooker, then I bought another one, and well, they must be made in china or something because the thing didn't last through two uses. So, well, I found out about the alternative, solar ovens, much better than a slow cooker in some way, especially if you are finding your electricity out as much as we have this year. So, I've been looking into how to build them, and I've decided to try it.
I'm kind of thinking, after a good storm these things might be rather handy to have around as you are trying find a way to cook up a freezer full of food quickly to avoid having it go to waste!! Especially if you are like me and have an electric stove! They look like that are rather easy to make, can be very, very cheap, or made with wood, aluminum, and a little bit of glass.

just a suggestion??

reply to post by dawnstar


OMG, that is rad! I hadn't ever heard of Solar Ovens, but they are completely badass, and one can easily and inexpensively make one.

Here's a site w/ many types, with plans, photos and instructions.

solarcooking.org...

This one is my favorite.

reply to post by Eidolon23


I am gonna try and make on of the box types, with just cardboard boxes for now, just to try it out. my yard has alot of trees, so not sure if I can find a place that will be sunny long enough to cook anything....if Iike the little cheap box , I might invest in some wood, aluminum, and a pane of glass and put my unemployed son to work building a good one..

reply to post by buster2010


recap of busters post - you can't do it without the government......

As to the OP, why would people want to start producing when they can sit back and collect government benefits.

reply to post by Eidolon23


Wishful thinking, but unless you join with the private interest pimps and move to China, is nothing left in America to produce.

That is how the government and private interest wants it.

reply to post by MidnightTide


Because they are not happy doing so? I guess I just don't take as dim a view of my fellow Americans as some.

Also, the idea that one needs government assist to make things = radunculous.

reply to post by marg6043


I beg to differ, and I think this thread is chock full of first hand accounts of what is possible through small-scale production and distribution.

I submit that anything made under execrable conditions abroad (save electronics, and even there you can be surprised) can be made right here, by independent artisans.

Nice work ladies, you sure know how to get the dollar when you need to..

respect where its due

reply to post by Eidolon23


Bills and regulations in the US at federal and local level made almost impossible for the small business to succeed on their own.

While hospitality and services businesses encouraged anything in biggest scale is harder.

That is why everywhere you go small business entrepreneurs are failing miserable and going bankrupt within one to two years of starting.