Unemployed? Hate Your Crummy Job? Start Producing!

might work in a small town but big citys will always be selling what you have for cheaper. like walmart, they have shut down alot of family owned businesses by using kids/cheap labor to make their product

Originally posted by ricojo88
might work in a small town but big citys will always be selling what you have for cheaper. like walmart, they have shut down alot of family owned businesses by using kids/cheap labor to make their product

I bet if someone in your big city had the initiative to open a crafter's mart, much like a farmers market, open on weekends with booths, in one of the local parks. And advertised it under the title of "Made in America by Americans", it would do quite well. Promoted the concept of *Buy American*, with the help of organizations like Veterans, retired Military and such, they would be surprised at how many people are looking to do just that. Not *everyone* shops at Walmart, and so what if they do, they are still looking for fun family things to do on weekends that are cheap.

People still have pride in their Country. Maybe they don't have the extra money to donate to organizations like they used to, but they do have a little money to spend on items that make them feel proud to support their Country. I know I do.

Yet I guess it's easier to poo poo an idea, than to give it an honest try. I'd start with contacting local parks and city hall to obtain a permit to give it a try for a 180 day period. Or cheaper yet, a well known high school parking lot, so you'll have plenty of parking. Get a mass media press release out announcing the project. Human interest stories like this get gobbled up by the local media. Especially in this economy with so many having no hope.

All you get sitting on your thumbs, is thumbprints on your ass...

If it worked out...hell, Obama would even jump on board claiming he built it....

Des

reply to post by ricojo88


The big players always win in price.

So the logical response is to engage in what a marketing textbook will tell you is "non-price competition."

Like my wife's cooking. She can charge more, because she uses cane sugar and butter instead of corn syrup solids and hydrogenated soy. Seriously. No one is every going to pay more than $0.75 a slice for an apple pie that came out of a freezer.

Or like the eggs my neighbor raises. Their yolks aren't even yellow--they are closer to orange. and no two are the exact same size. And they are less than 24 hours old when I pick them up. The eggs are so fresh they make the corporate ones seem like a rubber whoopie cushion.

Think of your mom's spaghetti sauce. Why would you eat something that was put in a jar, 18 months ago, when mom makes it fresh every time you come for a visit? (You mom does cook, doesn't she?)

Everyone is good at something its just noone apples themselves anymore because they are always told you will never be rich you will never be someone famous. So everyone loses motivation!

Originally posted by Snoopy1978
reply to post by hawkiye

 

Hah! I lied, I really didnt set up a lemonade stand.

Now what?

No response 4 u!

Originally posted by ricojo88
might work in a small town but big citys will always be selling what you have for cheaper. like walmart, they have shut down alot of family owned businesses by using kids/cheap labor to make their product

feeling a little negative today?

You are very correct you cannot compete on price alone.Walmart charges $9.95 for 3 poses and a dozen wallet prints. Those people are not "my" targeted customers.
create "value".
I have to connect with them on some deeper level and give them something personal (from inside me) they cannot get from a half interested corporate flunky pushing the discount card program; cookie cutter lighting and a cheap printed background.

So custom baked goods? Music and story telling? Chldcare? Petcare?

find a need and fill it. "But,but";There are no valid excuses. if you want it bad enough.Who knows there's a path for everybody who's open to give something of themselves.

Word of mouth is a powerfull thing when used..if first you don't succeed try - try again.

HangtheTraitors is the kind of Debbie Downer, negative thinking loser that sank this once great country.

My wife and I do both...

In addition to both of us being underemployed (we both have Masters degrees, but jobs that require only a Bachelors or lower), we do run a shop and boarding stable out of our home. In the shop (and it's a real shop, not like a garage or anything) we sell saddles and horse tack, gear, etc., and we board others' horses along with our own. We have a young woman who stays there and runs the shop and stables while we are at work.

The jobs provide a steady income and insurance benefits, and the ability to float the shop during leaner seasons. When in riding season though, the shop brings in extra money that we can save.

Also, living in the country, I've become a bit more familiar with bartering for things. We even barter for some advertising! Of course, you have to have something someone wants, but we have a variety of things and services we can barter with.

I absolutely agree with the OP. I'll just recommend that you keep your production within scope. I ended up with a small business that has let me (forced me to) quit my regular job.

As for the Debbie Downers and the Evil Empire (WalMart) mentions: people who care about their local communities, what they put in the bodies, the environment they create in their homes - and the toxins are possible in things as simple as furniture, etc., will seek out said craftmanship, sustain their communities, and be healthier. When I'm faced with "I can get that cheaper at Wal-Mart" at the farmer's markets I participate in I respond with, "Perhaps that's why you weigh 300 pounds," if it's appropriate. If not, I challenge the person's knowledge about the particular item. (I make packaged food items.) ....But I am confrontational. I haven't been able to say these things more than once a season since 2009. Le sigh.

I also barter for everything under the sun. It's just a better way.