"Call Me Crazy!" Financial Initiatives?

[canadianhippie]

Has anyone done a stand at a farmer's market??lol

im thinking about doing it for a fun way to make a bit of money and have a good experience

I recently made banana bread from a new recipe and it was amazing! like the best ever, it tasted more like banana cake than bread,  with a cinnamon sugar topping so I thought maybe I could get a stand and make up a few dozen, and try and sell them?

We have a problem getting our's dog leash to stay clean and properly wash it too, so i thought about doing up a leash cover with draw strings or buttons or velcro or something and i thought, hey depending on how they turn out, make some more to sell

Fruit crumbles are normally delicious, i thought about mixed berry crumble tarts to sell??

Im just excieted lol, any advice? any ideas?

im even thinking about a name for a company, and a pink with black polka dots apron with little white frills to wear!

call me crazy

[skreader]

Not crazy, but if you're really thinking of it, do the math carefully.

Your costs

---------------------

Cost of hiring the stall

+

Cost of ingredients & packaging

+

Cost of your labor to produce the goods

+

Cost  of transportation to get the stuff there

+

Cost of your labor in setting up, selling, & taking down the stand

=  ??? $  ????

Your projected Sales

------------------------------

20 banana breads at $6 each?

10 fruit crumbles at  $5 each?

10 dog-leash covers at $4 each?

=  $210

Costing things:

Ontario minimum wage = $10.25

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/info/minimumwage/

So, if you can make  30 cakes + crumbles + 10 dog leashes in say 16 hours - your labor cost would be

~ $ 164

 Let's say it takes you 1 hour to get to the stand & set up, you sell for 4 hours & then you take it down & go home = 6 hours = 61.50

164 + 61.50 =  225.50

Ingredients for the baked goods + material for the dog-leash covers - let's call it $ 30

Altogether, your costs are about  ~ $255, without factoring in the stall hire

Of course, if you don't  price your own labor, you could just cost the stall hire + price of ingredients & maybe transport costs.

Are there any garage sales or flea markets near where you live? You might want to try something like that first, and see how it goes.

My family regularly sells plant seedlings and books that I no longer want at a local flea market. After working the stall from 9am to 1pm, we often end up w/ about HKD 900 (~ CAD 115).   That's mainly for fun and to teach our kids about buying and selling. We don't really think of it as a money-making thing.

[cristeen]

You need to look into the laws governing selling prepared foods in your area.  I know here all foods for sale must be prepared in a commercial kitchen (inspected by the health dept).  There are kitchens you can rent, or timeshare or whatever, but that definitely adds to your overhead.  You also want to look into the laws governing small business licenses and reselling, again this is different for every community.  The last thing I'd suggest you look into is your local farmers markets and their rules - I know the big market here requires a contract to get a stand, you're only allowed to miss something like 2 markets per quarter or you lose your spot, and the spots are expensive.  But some of the smaller markets are much more reasonable (but have less traffic). 

I've considered many, many times selling food at the markets here, but between the cost of packaging, the cost of renting a commercial kitchen and the cost of the stand, I couldn't charge enough to make a profit. 

[canadianhippie]

Thank you skreader for looking so much into all the aspects of the venture! Im so thankful to hear your experience with it too. Most of me is in it for the lessons to be learned.

The stand at our tuesday rural market are $22 for a 10 by 26 lot for 7am-2pm 

I would be making the items as a hobby, i can take time to build my stock, at least of the sewing, it's something productive and enjoyable to do in my spare time instead

when looking at supplementary income until grad from college, i thought it would be a nice extra for spring/summer while my school has died down until sept.  depending on class schedules, i could do a few tues. mornings during study time too. 

i thought a few hundred in a month

thank you cristeen, your right, the market site said there is restrictions ( Ill have to look into that) i thought it was a fun idea too 

just shifting ideas in my head 

[zebra15]

Coming from a dog owner, and I'm being honest,  I don't care how 'dirty' the leash is.  I can do a couple things.

1. throw the leash in the clothes washer with towels

2. hose the leash off with the dog for 'bath time'

3. buy a new leash from the clearance bin for $2-$4

As for the 'food' items.  You need to research food handler licenses, kitchen inspections and such things.

For the sales you need a business license, individual information for tax purposes plus the cost/benefit that was mentioned above.

[Momsteader]

Here you can sell certain 'bakery' type goods and low acid canned goods (jellies and such) at the farmer'smarket without having it made in a commercial kitchen. Talk to the market, they will know the rules.

I used to sale each week at a local market. I got a 10x10 space for $7 week on Saturday and free on Tuesday for purchasing the space for the full season--was also nice because I had an assigned space that was MINE and so customers knew where to find me.  I found that if you're going to do it and do well, you need to go every single week. People will see you and not purchase, but then remember you were there with x item and want it 2 weeks later....then oops...you aren't there.  Lost sale!

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by CrunchyClark 

I used to sale each week at a local market. I got a 10x10 space for $7 week on Saturday and free on Tuesday for purchasing the space for the full season--was also nice because I had an assigned space that was MINE and so customers knew where to find me.  I found that if you're going to do it and do well, you need to go every single week. People will see you and not purchase, but then remember you were there with x item and want it 2 weeks later....then oops...you aren't there.  Lost sale!

Wow... here in Chicago, it's $1500 for two days per week for the season for prepared food vendors at our leading market. But Chicago/Illinois isn't known for being supportive of cottage businesses.

[Momsteader]

OUCH!  $1500 is steep! Our market didn't make distinctions between types of vendors--other than it gave preference to Montana made/grown items if they ran out of spaces. You paid a flat fee for the season (essentially mod-April to end-Oct) that worked out to $7/week if you were there each week. They had a really big market too for the size of the area. I miss it!  I still participate in a farmer's market, but it's super tiny--only 6 vendors on a great week, usually only 2 of us and only June-Sept. But, it's still fun :) Next year I may go to 'town' to sell eggs as here in MT there is also an exemption for selling eggs at market and not having to be otherwise licensed as long as they are in new cartons and marked "Farm Fresh" with the date and your address. And also an exemption for bedding plants if you're a small producer (under $3000/yr in plants).

[kitchensqueen]

Granted, the $1500 is for the premier market in the city, but with the restrictions and cost of being a small prepared foods vendor here in the city, it doesn't make financial sense to try to get into the smaller markets. There are some where the fees are a lot less (never heard of less than several hundred dollars though) but you'd never make enough cash at them to cover the cost of your overhead. 

[canadianhippie]

The market Im interested in is a large, but rural market, mainly focusing on livestock but there are normally many vendors there, local farms, mennonite baking, nicky nacks and garage sale type things

I emailed the eat local site for the area, they give a bit of info about being a vendor so hopefully they can help with the restriction info

there's also a in town market every friday during the spring/summer months, my parents are part of the committees so I could swing that too if i get all the ducks in a row

we'll see, maybe i could just focus on homemade toys instead of the food, that might be easier to get access to sell 

[JudiAU]

Most markets require food to be prepared in a commercial kitchen which might make your product very expensive if you can find rental space at all. Don't forget business licenses, taxes, and sometimes insurance.

[canadianhippie]

 The eat local women messaged the market for me and will respond back soon with the restrictions info

I didnt want this to only be about me! lol

Any Mama's had their own ventures or idea's for alternative income?

[Paigekitten]

I've tossed the idea in my head around of growing red worms and selling them at the couple of urban farming stores around.  When I was trying to buy red worms they only got them in once every few weeks and sold out within hours, but I haven't actually looked into it any more then coming up with the idea.

[mamayogibear]

Originally Posted by Paigekitten 

I've tossed the idea in my head around of growing red worms and selling them at the couple of urban farming stores around.  When I was trying to buy red worms they only got them in once every few weeks and sold out within hours, but I haven't actually looked into it any more then coming up with the idea.

I like that idea. At the farmers market I used to go to in WA there was a guy that sold worms and set ups for composting with worms.

I have always thought it would be cool to grow fancy mushrooms like morrels, shitaki, oysters, etc.. since they are so expensive at the store.

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by mamayogibear 

I have always thought it would be cool to grow fancy mushrooms like morrels, shitaki, oysters, etc.. since they are so expensive at the store.

This is a particularly good idea, especially for urban growers - you could potentially produce a lot in a small area. I'd consider it myself if there wasn't already a mushroom purveyor at our market. :-( 

[Paigekitten]

I really want to grow mushrooms too!

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Paigekitten 

I really want to grow mushrooms too!

I would suggest starting with a mushroom growing kit and finding out how long they take to grow and what kind of care they need, how big a yield to expect before trying it.  I know to do it large scale requires some serious set-up.  Between Dirty Jobs when he worked on a mushroom farm, to what I've seen in articles on the local mushroom guys, it's more work than you think to get large yields. 

[kitchensqueen]

Oh, and also - morels are the king of mushrooms but they're nearly impossible to cultivate. I've never even seen kits for them. But maybe I could become a forager... 

[cristeen]

Funnily enough, I just checked my email and this landed in my box:  http://groworganic.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=6846bebc99346ad20cbd5b641&id=1171d1b0a3&e=83eb513914

[Paigekitten]

Originally Posted by cristeen 

I would suggest starting with a mushroom growing kit and finding out how long they take to grow and what kind of care they need, how big a yield to expect before trying it.  I know to do it large scale requires some serious set-up.  Between Dirty Jobs when he worked on a mushroom farm, to what I've seen in articles on the local mushroom guys, it's more work than you think to get large yields. 

Yeah, I have a north facing side yard that would be good for mushrooms.  This spring I want to try some for my family and experiment first.