Side-Hustles, Permaculture-Style

So I have one side-hustle right now, teaching Latin a little, via Zoom. And, as I mentioned in a recent thread, I also want to start selling handmade skirts this summer. Currently trying to design a logo and perfect my sewing machine skills, I am having even more fun thinking of all this "starting-a-business" business from the Permie perspective.

Some initial thoughts:

Start small and build from there.

My beloved dad is of the old school "write a complete 4-page business plan before doing anything else!" variety, and that has always scared the living daylights out of me. Notions like this have stalled or stopped many ideas I have had before. Maybe I don't need even a logo yet--just a business card and a nice display of garments at the Farmer's Market.

Look for a way to integrate the cottage industry with the community.  

The purpose of this little side-hustle will not be to make money. I have other desires for this endeavor, including to give back to my community to help it flourish more.  I feel like Permaculture helps me not be apologetic about that.
fact. Ahhh!

Consciously design all practices, systems, and products.

If there is one brilliant thing I have learned from Permaculture, it is that "random" things are not so random, and they can often work brilliantly together. I want to put together my materials and processes in ways that work together for the good of the whole, including the Farmers' Market and the town.

I like this topic, and I hope to see some inspiring thoughts coming up about it from others. From what I've seen, so many people who need to make money in gig work (freelance, hustles, very small businesses, etc), well, we're not necessarily "business" people. In fact, may I be so bold as to say that a lot of us just plain suck at the business end of things. It's often hard to know how much to charge for things, and to keep track and schedule, market ourselves without feeling salesy, and maybe ship items, and it can even be hard to simply accept money, mentally.

So what does permaculture style business mean? Like the OP said, putting together a big plan is not up everyone's alley. Then again, permaculture is about observing, learning, and planning in advance, so maybe dad's advice is a permaculture way of doing things. Then again, as the OP said in the 3rd point, randomness and as I'd call it "going with the flow" can result in surprising outcomes or opportunities or connections. Permaculture definitely has a "go with the flow" aspect, because obviously we have to go along with Nature and not fight it.

As for the purpose not being to make money.... well, I'd love to say that would be true for me but there are things like taxes, car insurance, utilities if not off-grid, phone, and food & items that can't be made on one's own property or traded with neighbors. So I have to admit, I need to make money. Just like in permaculture, we do want fruits of our labor in the form of vegetables or nuts or milk or a shelter or whatever our project is.

Hmmm. Lots to think about, I think!

Kim Wills wrote:... It's often hard to know how much to charge for things, and to keep track and schedule, market ourselves without feeling salesy, and maybe ship items, and it can even be hard to simply accept money, mentally. ...

Mycorrhizae "barter" with the trees they support - they give minerals, the trees give sugar, and they also send messages (OK - I suspect it's *much* more complicated, but that's the simple version as an example).  My point is that one way to "permiculture" side-hustles is to create a local economy of bartering.

Yes, there are situations where money really is the only option, such as paying local land taxes which go towards publicly used services such as road repair and libraries etc, so I agree that sometimes, doing the mental gymnastics to make ourselves set a fair price on our product, time or combination, is difficult but important.

Idea for Rachel - what about offering an "on the spot small mend" service at the market? Things like stitching up a seam or reattaching a button? I'd really like to see more people mending instead of tossing clothing. Somewhere there's a permies thread about "mend in public" day - yours could be weekly!

My "side hustle" is my small nursery.  I have very limited things available, just a few kinds of trees that I grow from seed or cuttings, comfrey, and a few other plants, but I'm always open to bartering with people for most anything.  I especially enjoy it when people want to trade for homemade jam, pickled whatever, plants of their own, anything like that.  I would love to see more people using barter economy.  I don't do this to make extra money, it's just something I enjoy and I can't really see the need for my lady and myself to have 50 or 60 peach trees or honey locusts :)  I've given away far more plants than I've sold.

It's dated, but a good book for learning to make money from sewing. I used it back when land learned a lot from it. Sew to Success.

Yes, I did read that money is not your goal, but you must pay for your market space somehow.

I've had a vintage booth at an antique mall and it was fun, but not as profitible as I'd hoped.  Then that antique mall closed so I'm going to try something different by selling from my living room with a type B home occupation permit (what its called in my state).  The house we moved into is on a busyish street, though not zoned mixed use, hence the need for the special permit.  I chose this house for us because of multiple factors including landlord flexability about me doing this.  When I had the booth in the store I didn't need much of anything permit/license wise so getting those things will be a pain in the ass I won't lie, but I can't do it under the table because I don't own this house.  I have tons of inventory, so its time for paperwork.

I second the idea of Rachel having a mending option at her farmers market booth, really cool idea and very permy!

Speaking of inventory, that's important, having enough product to sell, more than you think you'll need, before you begin.  Re. business plans, I don't think those are as necessary as elders would have us believe, especially for small businesses at the beginning.  Sure its important to know how much you're spending vs. how much you're making, but I see value in starting small and giving yourself a chance to grow in unexpected ways.

Making skirts out of upcycled fabrics is popular here in my area, its a good way to get fabric for cheap and reuse it for something exciting and new.