What do you need that you would pay money for?
I am here once again trying to figure out some things I could do from home to bring in income, hopefully things I could build on and scale up if desired. I am starting this thought out with no income for seed money.
People are willing pay for things if they perceive a need for it, be it a product or service. Maybe I have a secret talent to accomplish something that I haven't identified just yet that can fill that hole. 🤷♀️
I was recently able to help a friend think & talk through her options moving forward once her stress leave is done. She has 3 good options on the table right now, all with their own pros & cons. It was fun helping her through this exercise. I really enjoyed the troubleshooting involved.
I am requesting that if you answer my question, that you think outside the box. Sometimes the answer is obvious, but sometimes it is not to the one asking even though it is staring them in the face.
I guess I have three questions.
1. What would you pay for someone to do or make for you?
2. In addition to this first question, might there be a need I could possibly fill for you even though I am far away? Is it a one time thing, or a repeat customer type of thing?
3. Do you have any specific suggestions for me, based on my posts, etc. here as you've got to know me somewhat?
I know none of you know me in person, nor know all my skills or interests. Just the same, while I am looking for ideas, I thought I'd throw this (these) questions out to our community. In the process, maybe I can inspire some of you to expand your horizons into new & exciting territory. 😄
...I am willing to answer some questions if you have any.
Comments
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This is not easy. I have been trying to think of things for myself as well. Are there many single med, especially older folks in your area? Many are not much on cooking. They are more just heat and eat. Perhaps a frozen meal service. Maybe go cook once a month or something and they can just reheat things. We have a lot of bachelors around my area who either can't cook or have limited cooking options. So I'm thinking depending on food costs and availability it might be an option.
I know your in a rural area so house cleaning is probably not much of an option. And I know you would have already thought about selling produce and such. We have folks here who make a decent addition to their income growing peony flowers, not sure where they are selling them. You see a few times they are selling in a few areas but it can't be as much as they are growing.
Here we can do some things under the cottage Industry, so selling Jellies, jams, even had someone selling kombucha. Not sure what the laws are like there on these subjects.
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@LaurieLovesLearning from what I know of you, I think that you have a lot of knowledge and advice to offer. In my opinion one of the best things that a person can spend money on is self improvement/education. You have a lot to offer in that area and it is something you could use over distances. A few ideas that come to mind would be teaching something you enjoy, life coaching, or consulting in one of your areas that you are knowledgeable in.
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Thanks @vickeym. Those are great ideas.
As far as the cleaning, my hands would only be able to do so much. We are encouraging our daughter who is still at home to start light housekeeping in the area. The key for her is to talk to her contacts to find customers (she now has quite a few contacts through working at the local restaurant) and do one town/area one day and another town another day. That should help cover travel costs. Light housekeeping is currently at $30/hr. "Heavier" work costs more.
The local restaurant has taken up doing seniors meals. I had thought of bachelor, seniors & new mom frozen meals many years ago. It would have been 7 different meals, delivered once a week. Homemade. I also thought of farmers meals during harvest especially. Similar, just more able to eat one handed or on the go. I thought that idea through very thoroughly.
The issue I would run into is having to build or rent an inspected kitchen. That is very costly.
If you can do it without a lot of set up hassle, I'd say go for it. I think it is a great business idea!
The rules/laws are not clear when it comes to making things like jams, jellies & breads, etc. to sell, but technically, an inspected kitchen is required unless you stick to paid farmers markets only, and even then, certain things are a no-go.
I thought of growing & selling excess produce, but there are so many already doing so. We also require a large garden for just us alone, and as much as I do like certain aspects gardening, its not a passion to do outdoor gardening. So, growing excess for sale wouldn't be my thing. I am one who prefers to trade excess produce anyway for things I don't have & need or give it as I can to those who are very much in need of food and are at the mercy of others. We do what we can for one man we know. We also barter with a family we know. That's mutual.
I breed and sell heritage chickens, but making real money even with that can be difficult and is a lot of work. And now with the bird flu fiasco stuff, the best times for selling (mostly spring, but fall too) are risky on top of that. You might have everything "safe" but that doesn't stop a vet/inspector from doing what they want to mess with you. I read a story lately about a lady in Ontario who stood up to authorities (Food Inspection Agency, thanks to a zealous vet) to not test the bird. The once sick chicken is still alive, it wasn't bird flu. She spent 10 days in jail because of it. If you've got that flu present, you'd know it within 24 hr. She knew she didn't have it. Anyway, all that to say that I keep them for the love of them and to improve on the breeds that I have. I make enough money to get by with them. It is not a get rich quick thing, as you know!
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@Michelle D I have thought of that and it could be done on my own time on my own terms. I like that very much. Its appealing.
Life coaching or consulting...I like that better than just blogging or writing a book. They could actually work well together. But how does one start into that, I wonder, get known & garner respect in your area of knowledge? How do you get it to grow well? I'm not a fan of social media, but even so, I think it would be necessary to use it. Doing life coaching &/or consulting would be something that I would seriously consider.
I have knowledge & passion in quite a few unrelated areas...of course, farm animals & small farming, human birth & now some herbalism, homeschooling, adhd and clean diet goes with that, troubleshooting businesses (no official training in that), observing people, moderating & related organization, some bible related subjects, landscape design troubleshooting & probably other passions as well that just aren't coming to mind.
If I could fit all of these things above into one thing, that would be awesome, but I don't know how that could be done. Alternatively, do you list all areas of knowledge & go from there or should you narrow it down? My problem is just how to I know what area to pursue? Do I find a niche? What is it? How do I begin?
Any suggestions in this area would be quite welcomed.
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I've been going over what vendors have to offer at various markets I have been to but most of them require some sort of start up money. We have some local home businesses here in my community; a soap maker, candle maker, knife maker, wood carver, etc. All requiring assorted tools, molds and ingredients that can be costly.
One thing I have noticed is that people will pay a lot of money for anything pet related. Doggy treats are a big seller, especially anything marked "natural" or "organic". Pet clothes are a big thing, especially for those smaller type dogs that are popular right now. So a bit of an outlay but fabric ends are relatively inexpensive and bags of wool ends can be found at thrift stores for knitting or crocheting dog outfits. If you have those sorts of skills; I can't sew anything, especially a straight line. 🤣 Baked treats could be done for a small initial cost for ingredients.
A friend of mine has a window cleaning service but she lives in a slightly larger centre (so more clients) and even that had start up costs. Ladders, buckets, squeegies, cleaners, advertising and insurance.
I think @Michelle D's ideas of online teaching (workshops, courses, etc.) is a good one if you feel comfortable about putting yourself out there like that. You would be so good doing poultry courses. Maybe one of the already established online companies would pay you for that kind of service, doing videos about poultry husbandry.
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@torey I do want to set our daughter up with an Etsy shop. She can sew. The purpose would be to offer various sewn & other crafted items, not really pursuing a niche. I might even sell some through her shop. You never know who might want what on there, so a niche is not necessarily necessary on Etsy. I set our oldest daughter up there. It was a bit of work putting it together, but she still maintains it as a hobby sideline.
Everything will have a start up cost. I am looking for minimal to start. As some funds come in, I would be willing to build up and expand from there. I just don't want to make any extra hardship for my family.
What I have trouble with online is showing my face. That one is a tough one. My name...well a pen name works, but I can't hide my face...
The thing with an established online business is that they are a business. You generally get paid very little. Of course, they take in the highest percentage...for good reasons in some cases. Also, there is a matter of rights. Who owns the material? Is there conditions attached to using what you created on another platform or in another way? There most likely will be deadlines. Those scare me, to be honest. It can work if you find the right place that is willing to work with you.
I have taught in person baby sign classes in the past. I am very self conscious. It was difficult for me & I was always nervous, even though I had confidencein my materialand knew it worked beautifully with infants. That nervousness is something I'd have to get past. Online may/may not be different. I am not sure.
I know I'd like a mentor. I'm not so sure about all the mentor experts out there that market themselves in the same way. Who is best, worth the money they ask? Would I want to pattern their way of marketing themselves...I think I'd like to do that part smarter & less tacky, not like everyone else, not so used car salesman-y...you know what I mean about that? There has got to be a better way and more respectful of customers way to promote yourself. I like short & sweet. Straight forward. No wasting time trying to convince.
All great ideas so far. It is helping me start to sort things out a little. That in itself is a start. Seeing things from another's perspective I think is so very beneficial. Thank you!
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Can you tell that I'm itchy? Haha I wonder how much of this unsettled feeling is meant to fuel & catapult me into something new & exciting. Now wouldn't that be something?
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I was told by a teacher a few years ago that people like hand knitted/ crochet items. Especially cotton dish clothes as they are very good for washing dishes.
Perhaps selling member made items could be another avenue that TGN could explore? Perhaps even with a barter option? I think TGN could make a nominal fee and this could even start to be used to expand the platform? What do you think @LaurieLovesLearning?
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@Cornelius When I've gone to any craft sales, there are many folks who make & sell knit/crochet items. They are not well visited tables. Those who sew, depending on the variety displayed & uniqueness, draws more people.
I think I've chatted with this idea before with @Merin Porter. I know there is a lot on the Admin's plates in general. I haven't heard why this hasn't been pursued yet, but I continue to bring up ideas anyway. Note the tagging. Haha
A barter option for handmade goods is a new idea that could be fun. I already have a seed barter area set up.
In that case though, I think it would be good to set a value with it that you'd normally sell your product for and then work things out with your trade partner. Shipping is super high now. Sometimes there are good & reliable alternative shippers, but most of those only service very large centres. If you are dealing internationally, it could really get pricey. You would also have to keep in mind prohibited goods. You certainly would not want to get caught red handed doing that!
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@LaurieLovesLearning Have you ever though about Hypertufa? You can make all kinds of things with it. Some very interesting planters and yard art.
https://www.bluefoxfarm.com/latex-molds-for-hypertufa.html
Maybe some of these since they are a lighter weight would be a unique item to sell. Portland cement here is not terribly expensive and sphagnum peat moss is not horribly priced. It is a little high, though it can be done.
Plus you can do most of it from home and either sell at local markets, sell to stores, or online and arrange for pickups or drop offs.
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@LaurieLovesLearning what an interesting subject! You have a big house, do you? And some of your children are already away. May be you could rent a room or two. There is a platform HOMESTAY. I linke this platform, because the idea behind is that you are integrated in the family, you have contacts, you learn more about the country. And you would have so much to share and tell and show all the farm. I am sure that people with children would love an introduction into a life with real animals, vegetables… and you could offer room and meals. People love staying somewhere with locals and in nature. This idea came to me, as we announced ourselves on booking.com For a long time I did not want that, as you have no choice- somebody books and you have to take. We are doing it for booking.com for only half a year and we are so glad about the experience. It brings us people from all over the world. Nice contacts. And they do pay quite a lot! We want to change our roof and put on photovoltaic. Thus this helps us to raise the money. There is also a platform Airbnb. Many use it.
As I am taking guests, I also have to wash and iron quite a lot. This could also be a service. Collecting, ironing, bringing back. Or collecting, washing, ironing, bringing back. Some people round here have companies that provide bed linen to the hosts every time they have guests. But that needs investment.
Also baby or children sitting somewhere. Or offering your home for afternoon stays for children after school, when parents are working. Summer camp for a small group of children. School holiday camp… Weekend stays.
workshops for children. Parents run out of ideas how to occupy children during weekends. You could offer something.
well, my ideas for a start 😊
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@jowitt.europe We actually have a very tiny house with lots of us living here. The kids share small rooms. Only one is gone from home, and we are in the country, away from tourist areas & cities. Renting a room is not an option in our case.
Homestay sounds very interesting for travellers. I have it bookmarked. 🙂 I am also familiar with VRBO & Airbnb. Before I got married, I was dreaming of running a B&B. What is your listing on booking.com?
I know that baby sitting is not a good option for me. I've done that in the past. Nobody wants to pay much at all and our home is quite small. The after school care can work in the cities. Here, not so much.
A summer camp would mean a lot of investment. More land would also be best for that sort of thing.
Children's workshops could work, depending on what they were. Surprising as it might be, in my immediate area, there are few children now. Most have grown & moved away. But, just the same, if it could pay for my costs to travel to the space I could use, it could work.
Overall, very interesting ideas!
I had thought of forest bathing combined with herbal wildcrafting/foraging walks at one point.
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@LaurieLovesLearning I do a small amount of consulting and life coaching. I don't really do it as a business. I might if I had more time. I really enjoy it. I just work with a few friends that approached me and requested my assistance because they already knew my strengths. In the back of my head I have the idea of doing it full time after the kids are older. If I decide to do that I will probably take a few classes on how to brand and market it. I also am not a fan of social media but it would probably be a necessity. If I choose to go that route down the road I will probably start with checking out Alli Worthington's classes.
https://alliworthington.com/
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Thanks @Michelle D. PM me I have a few questions for you.
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I'm attempting to start an Etsy shop, but only for digital printables, as shipping is high - and international shipping is a business killer if the Facebook Etsy forums are true. I've gotten started, but then I get scared and delay the next step. I did get a local business permit (30.00 a year) and figured out the state sales tax (in Missouri, digital items are not taxed.) I have my Federal tax ID.
I also got a second business license for a freelance services business. I'm starting to make a little money writing content for Penmo. I got paid 47.00 for the past 2 weeks of work, so it's not a lot, but it helps. It's random topics, and my name will not appear on the blogs when they post, so that's a bummer. However, I'm getting consistently high marks from them.
I was recruited for Penmo after working on Amazon MTurk. That's pretty easy to get into if you have an Amazon account. My first payment was, I think, 78 cents, but I generally make 20 to 50 dollars a week doing random HITS on that platform. Mostly, it's really low pay for tasks that computers cannot do. Answering stupid questions from university studies. Sometimes I catch something that pays 15 or 20 dollars for an hour's work.
And I do Survey Junkie surveys for roughly 60 dollars a month.
I'm starting to publish on Medium.com and am halfway to the 100 followers that I need to start getting paid there - also not a lot, but it adds up. That, at least, has my name attached.
I also do a few hours of bookkeeping for an old employer and friend back in Idaho. If you can use QuickBooks or another bookkeeping system, remote bookkeeping is possible.
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@Linda Bittle Even the charges that Etsy and payment systems are charging have risen by a lot. We were just looking at those. That said, in Canada anyway, Etsy still seems to come out as the winner as most affordable for what you get. It is still a pretty good selling platform. I set our oldest up with a shop years ago. Now, I'm looking into setting up another for the next one.
International shipping was always fairly high. Within Canada itself, often shipping is doubling the price of items. That, and I just read that 90%+ of people are wanting free shipping now and around 26% will cancel online orders (not sure if Etsy sellers are experiencing that) if shipping is taking too long.
I've been there, being scared & delaying the next step. But, once you push through that, you'll be glad you did! The shops were small hobby level, so we didn't have to do a lot of "outside" things, like business license, getting a tax number and so on.
I'm currently doing Leger surveys. They get scary (no kidding) political at times and I have refused (and also not completed) some manipulative surveys where you know the results will not be used for anything good (usually govt surveys). There are many of those on there & it seems most of the reward gift cards are for woke businesses. I prefer the non-political surveys & wish intended that they still paid out by cheque like they used to.
I'm glad you have your name out there. Writing is tough. Nobody likes paying much and often someone else wants to take the credit or get the majority of pay from the writers' work.
Thanks for your input.
This has been a great discussion so far, in my opinion. I hope it is helping others too. I am finding it very helpful myself
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If you have admin skills, there are different companies that specialize in Virtual Assistants.
If you have any hobbies, maybe you can teach classes.
Another avenue is doing a blog, you can sell your classes or advertise on your blog site.
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I'm interested in the same thing. Without moving, making radical lifestyle changes, or taking on another full-time job, what are ways I can earn more money?
I haven't come up with the right solution for myself yet, nor do I have a good answer for you. But I think you are on a potentially good path, and the next step is to do your own research, which you've already started by posting this thread.
There are some successful YouTube sites that focus on gardening and homesteading. It's possible to earn money that way, but the small amount of research I've done suggests that it is a lot of work with no guarantee of success. And you would have to be willing to interface with Google/YouTube.
Shipping prices of everything (even seeds!) have gone up dramatically. So anything you sell that needs to be shipped has to be an item for which people are willing to pay significant shipping. This is very challenging for small, low-cost items, where the cost of shipping can trump the actual selling cost of the item.
Another place to look is https://fiverr.com. (Note the extra "r".) It's a platform for selling remote services cheaply. For example, people read author's unpublished drafts and provide feedback as beta readers for a small fee, or offer editing services for a slightly larger fee, and other similar things. The pay is low but so is the commitment.
I wonder if there is some way that someone with your experience could offer "homestead consulting services" for people interested in getting started homesteading, and want to know what's involved? Or teach classes remotely using Zoom or Teams on homesteading practices?
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I love this topic! Give me a few to think about it.
With today's society I think we all need to be a bit more self-sufficient and to be able to make money at home to fill in gaps and just help out.
I retired early this year, not so much as I wanted to, but it was necessary. I have had to learn how to make money with very little expenses going out to get started.
So my first thought, is look around and see what you have on hand that you can start to create with or a service you can supply. It may be a virtual service.
Fiverr is great. I use them a lot. I am also getting the last finishing touches on an Esty store, and my website is being overhauled. I used to make a good amount on my site. I decided not to sell overseas, unless it's just Canada or friends. Shipping can be expensive. Now some of my products can be digital so that helps.
Oh, and my cat is writing a book! He has a large following.
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Question number one. What would I pay for?
You have a broad background of talents. Cooking, animal care and crafting are a few. I think cooking would be something I would like to know more about. You also have more home remedies than most people I have talked to know about. That would be interesting to me. Any homesteading ideas are popular right now.
You have good organizational skills. That could be used in your area or applied online.
What do you have available to you? Are there items packed away, that a family member has or that is abundant on your land that could be used? Are there free items in your area that you can pick up and redo? I was going to do wreathes this christmas season but I just didn't want to. I already had supplies collected so I made pinecone decorations with evergreen on top and they sold fast. It took me no time to do.
And most important. What you do need to be something you like or love. Besides money what would you like to accomplish with this side business? I wanted to help people and to have a business that I could still travel with.
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@VermontCathy I found out recently as well that YouTube doesn't let Canadians monetize their channel on their platform.
I have experienced what you have found with shipping. I have sadly not bought certain things due to this factor. I've also read that small businesses are having an extra difficult time with the charges of payment systems now as well, having one or both of these things eat (more like chow down) into their meager profit margin. This is where I see a service being the wiser choice right now, unless your product is easily sold & distributed locally and if you can accept payment other than through just cards.
I had looked into Fiverr a long time ago. I don't remember if it was open to Canadians or not. I was also not sure if I wanted to pursue anything through them at that point. It can be a very difficult thing to make a name on it, if I remember correctly. Once you are known though, it is better, of course.
I am considering your last suggestion, just a bit more expanded. 😉 I think there is space (aka a need & a market) for what I'm considering.
I've never heard of Teams. I'll look into that. There is another platform that is appealing to me as well that I'd consider.
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@Monek Marie I think you could easily do what @Michelle D & @VermontCathy have suggested to me. You have experience, knowledge, a story (well, many stories within your greater story). A storey is essential to get people to connect with you personally and become interested in what you have to offer. I'll pm you. 🙂
It would be fun to have one of our animals "write" a book. That is reminding me of an idea I had a long time ago. I would just need to repackage my idea & I could actually see it working...if I could learn how to monetize it online. That would be the most difficult part. A following is great, but one that will pay you is better.
Thanks for your ideas.
I'm just astounded at the depth of wisdom & encouragement coming from each of you, truly beyond my expectations! I think this is the richest discussion I have had on this topic with anyone before. Brainstorming with others is great, but I think I've got the richest resource in each of you...together!
I have raised this question in the past & generally hear about the usual work from home schemes that are popular. The blog articles I find always fall short in that same way. Those mlms (and such) are never one's own (even though they are marketed that way). You are still lining the pockets of another, and sometimes generously lining them while you, the faithfully working one, is being greatly shackled in some way...not really ever being able to use your own creativity!
I think I will be revisiting & re-reading posts on here so I can thoroughly digest all that has been suggested so far. I've been taking notes, but I still need to copy, paste & rearrange more(!), and I still need to re-read. I can't afford to miss anything, nor do I want to.
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I have found that I can teach classes at almost any library close by. They love having people come in for a class. We pick out books they might also want to check out. It's a win win for both of us. I usually charge for the class and give the libraries a donation.
I have also set up seed banks at most of these libraries.
My next library class is a winter sowing class with a seed swap or trade after.
And as @VermontCathy said a service does have benefits. No shipping or waiting for payment. I used to do a lot of eBay but their charges are high, and you have to wait for payment 3 weeks now. and I only shipped to the US. Overseas shipping is so expensive.
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I just remembered, that you asked about our listing on booking.com Here it is.
it is successful, I have to say, but, maybe, because the area is a very touristic one with both - summer and winter tourism. And we we’re thinking of extra income when we bought this house. Thus it has a separate holiday apartment on the ground floor and we live on the first floor.
Have you thought of earning anything via some blog on Facebook. I have been writing about herbs for many years and Have a few thousand followers. I was wondering whether I could make it bring me some extra money.
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In his book The Black Swan, Nassim Talib makes a very important point when recounting a discussion with his father. He explains that while there is much more money in business ideas that scale such as those in digital, those ideas also have far more competition because others can scale as well. Whereas if your business is something local that cannot be performed remotely and cannot scale, you have a captive audience and much less competition. You won't make as much money, but you are far more likely to be successful. There are a lot of local plumbers and electricians out there making very good money. Have you tried to hire one lately? :-)
I didn't know that YouTube won't monetize Canadians, but my research indicates that is very difficult to successfully monetize a YouTube channel anyway. There are a lot of rules about having to acquire a certain number of subscribers within a limited period of time, so a long, slow build does not qualify the channel. And even if you qualify, monetization can be withdrawn at a moment's notice for any reason for no reason.
YouTube's business model appears to be to make it as difficult as possible for small channels to earn anything, leaving their revenue in the hands of YouTube, while showcasing a few very large, successful channels to encourage more small channels to be created (for the profit of YouTube).
However, I believe YouTube can be a valuable marketing channel for other products or services, without monetizing the channel directly. For example, David the Good's blog https://thesurvivalgardener.com and his YouTube channel are there to promote his books, not to earn money directly.
This applies to blogs as well. It's very difficult to earn much from a blog, but not difficult to use it to promote your own goods or services. So the key element is to figure out what you are going to sell.
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@LaurieLovesLearning "It would be fun to have one of our animals "write" a book. That is reminding me of an idea I had a long time ago. I would just need to repackage my idea & I could actually see it working...if I could learn how to monetize it online. That would be the most difficult part. A following is great, but one that will pay you is better."
That seems pretty straightforward, actually. Write the book, upload it to Amazon, and sell it as a self-published e-book. Use YouTube, Facebook, a personal blog, and other approaches to market the book.
There is a lot of information on self-publishing out there. Take a look at the Reddit self-published writers group. You have to be prepared to do a lot of work writing and marketing your book, and you will need a few hundred dollars seed money to pay for beta readers, an editor, and a professional cover. Also, book series sell much better than single books, at least for fiction. Many authors find they need to write three books before they start getting any meaningful earnings, so this is a long-term process, not a quick make-money-now scheme.
Avoid anything that smacks of multi-level marketing or franchising. You need a business that you own and control yourself.
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@LaurieLovesLearning "I had looked into Fiverr a long time ago. I don't remember if it was open to Canadians or not."
I believe it's open to sellers worldwide.
"It can be a very difficult thing to make a name on it, if I remember correctly. Once you are known though, it is better, of course."
See my previous posts in this thread. The key to so many business ideas is marketing. No matter what you do, you need to market it as many ways as you can. Simply offering services on Fiverr and doing nothing to market them is probably going to fail.
This applies even to farmers and market gardeners. It seems to me that a lot of people try to start a farm or market garden with a "build it and they will come" attitude. It doesn't work that way. The biggest challenge to making money selling food is to find the right market, grow the products to meet that market, and sell, sell, sell.
Business, any business, is really difficult for introverts.
"I've never heard of Teams. I'll look into that. There is another platform that is appealing to me as well that I'd consider."
Microsoft Teams is an alternative to Zoom for online meetings or presentations, and is probably a better option if you are limited to the free plans. Zoom is very restrictive on what you can do without a paid plan.
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If you have a following, you certainly could, but I'm not familiar enough with Facebook to know what to suggest on the platform. I wonder if starting a complimentary blog/website could help in that regard. I would think that some other members here would have more insight.
Your place is beautiful! In a tourist area, it is very wise to do as you are doing. My parents are also in a tourist area. It is interesting to see the creativity that some have.
Would you be able to also offer a small tea house or something in a portion of your house or another building where you could showcase what you know about herbs? Maybe gathering and making herbals (including packaged ivy as a washing alternative) available to your customers & the larger local & internet community would work well for you! I think marketing it would be very easy. Etsy could work. There are other available platforms intended for Europeans to set up online shops that we don't have here. @VermontCathy
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@VermontCathy That's my thoughts as well on YouTube, etc. At the very least, it can build your audience.
The trades are big. It would take too much away from time at home for me, but is something I highly encourage young people to pursue. A bit of time in college, no insane debt like university, you get paid while learning as an apprentice, and make a lot once you get going. It's a very wise direction to take. Up here, you will run into discrimination based on vax status, but there could be some colleges elsewhere that might not do so. I'm just not aware of any in Canada at this time.
I agree on the mlms & franchises. Totally. They might have good products, sometimes, but the way these work is troublesome in my mind...and they are never your own. You are limited.
Marketing is necessary whatever you do. It takes time, and at times, can take money. However, if you are savvy, you can find free, or more rarely, paying avenues. In one thing I did, I was able to write a newspaper article about the benefits of the new hobby business that I was doing. With a picture included, I was able to make $200 from doing so. I was determined to never pay for advertising for it. I never had to break that goal I had set for myself. It was a challenge, but I was able to do it!
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What about fun, creative, learning activities for kids. You seem to have lots of ideas and have tested these out with your own kids. I don't know about Canada, but home schooling is getting really popular in the US. You can create digital products, or even a membership website, virtual classes, etc.
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