QRGANIC LIVING
By
Robert Rodale
S2OOSTARTS YOUR MICRO-BUSINESS
Suddenly, thousands of Americans are finding them
selves with more spare time and not by choice.
Unemployment is only one source of idleness. I,ack of
spare cash for travel and expensive entertainment is also
an important factor.
Although spare time is growing, the idea that it can be
freely wasted may soon be hopelessly old-fashioned. In
inflationary times, human capital goes up in value as the
currency declines. In other words, as long as you can do
something productive, you will be able to buy the
necessities of life.
Millions of people have already learned that lesson and
are trying to dfo things with their spare time that will give
them alternative income sources. Craft activity is
booming, as People seek to develop new skills and turn out
useful products in their spare time.
Spare finite activity can be commercialized, too. I'm
convinced |hat many people can make good spare-time
income aqp find enjoyment also by running what I call
micro-businesses. They’re ultra-small, have little risk,
yet can produce good income and satisfaction. You can
enter some micro-business fields with as little as $2OO in
capital.
Garden-starting is a great field to enter now. Demand
for vegetable gardens is at an all-time high, yet people
don’t relish the hard work of spading a patch of lawn to get
the garden going.
With a good tiller, you can dig up a garden, smooth out
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the soil, and even fertilize and plant in a few hours. You
don’t have to be an expert gardener to get a garden
started, although having a basic knowledge of gardening
does help. Most important is knowing how to handle a
tiller and having access to sources of compost, mulch and
organic fertilizers needed to get humus into hardpan soils.
You probably wouldn’t get rich being a “garden star
ter,” but it would be a source of additional income where
one didn’t exist before. And you might wind up carving out
a new career for yourself.
There are other jobs that you can do with little capital.
For example, a used pick-up truck will put you in the
hauling business. You could place notices about your
service in conspicuous places such as the community
bulletin board in your local supermarket, or a nearby
college. Or, you could place a small ad in your local
newspaper. Before you start, however, be sure to check
with state or local authorities to see if any kind of license
is needed.
It shouldn’t take long before the word spreads. People
who’ve had a cumbersome piece of old furniture in their
basement or attic for a long tune may finally find it
convenient to have it removed, once they hear about you.
If you’re already a home handyman, the obvious answer
to your employment situation is to put your talent to use
around your neighborhood. Just think of the jobs that are
waiting to be done. Someone needs a door hung or a
wmdow repaired. Another person’s vacuum cleaner is on
the blink. Somebody else wants shelves built.
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You don’t have to be a technician for most repair Jobs.
The majority are simple, if you have some basic
mechanical knowledge. Public library shelves are
Jammed with repair manuals of one kind or another. So
it’s an easy matter to get the information. All you have to
do is put it to use.
Another “natural" sideline, in view of the rising cost of
sugar, is beekeeping. For less than $lOO you can get a hive
of bees started that will produce about 100 pounds of
honey: Fifty for you to sell and 50 for the bees to keep.
Walter Burkey, a retired mailman who lives in
Malvern, PA, has been keeping bees for almost 40 years.
He has 21 hives of his own and takes care of another 20 for
different people. “I estimate I spend about 12 hours per
year per hive,” he said. “You’ve got to know what you’re
doing, but bees are not a lot of work."
If you decide that beekeeping could be a money-maker
for you, it would be worthwhile to research the subject
thoroughly before you get started. You’ll probably save
yourself several headaches and avoid a lot of extra work.
If you stop and think about it for a while, I’m sure you
can come up with other ideas to make your idle hours
productive. It’s important to get out and look for these
opportunities. What better time is there than right now?
(Editor’s Note; The opinions appearing in “Organic
Living” are those of its author, Robert Rodale, an in
dependent columnist. Rodale’s comments do not
necessarily reflect the thinking of the Lancaster Fanning
editor or anyone else on the Lancaster Farming staff. >
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