Cottage Industry

I was so overcome with emotion about simple gifts, I forgot to BLOG!



Ok - not really. I went to IKEA with a friend who is new to the area and had never been to IKEA and then last night I cooked dinner and fell asleep.



What an exciting life I lead!



Ok - I come from a long line of entrepreneurs (thank goodness for spell check!)



I have photos of the convenience store my Grandmother had set up on the lower floor of their three story home on Marshfield in Chicago. I also have photos of the hair salon my dad's sister had in the same space.



To the best of my childhood memory, it seems that the people I was raised with were ALWAYS busy doing something that did not involve zoning out or playing in front of a TV or computer.



What do you do well? I mean really well? What do you really enjoy? Ken and I have had the opportunity to cater for different events. We talked about and decided that doing it for living would take all the fun out of it. That doesn't mean we aren't working in other areas.



Confucius said, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."



It's true. I would recommend taking some quiet time (locking the bathroom door for 10 minutes is acceptable) and take an inventory of what you are good at, what you like to do, what people seek you out for and see if it has the potential to be a cottage industry.



You might be surprised.

We are in the process of downsizing as we prepare our last offspring to fly the coop into college. I am working on teaching Ken how to sell our cast-offs on ebay and craigslist.

Make sure you check your local ordinances about home-based businesses and please do not fall for one of those "Work from home" scams. Most are.

I once worked for a lady who started a website and got kicked out of her apartment because UPS was backing up the big truck to her door every afternoon. She said, "I guess I should have known this was out-of-hand when my husband, 2 kids and I were sleeping in the living room because all three bedrooms were overrun with product." Ya think?

I know another friend who kept body and soul together while she was going thru school by running a small ad on Craigslist to help computer novices set up and use their systems. She has the patience of Job and worked with seniors and recent retirees. They were sad when she got a day job. She was changing a nominal fee per hour (for something she did for family and friends for free!) and was able to keep a few dollars in her pocket during the notoriously broke college years!

Whatever skill you have that you love to do, it could be a source of income thru our tough econmic times!

Happy Cheapness!!!!