The small business I decided to research and would like to run is one that I have helped with. My neighbor has her own small business that is seasonal of pickling green beans.
Every fall my neighbor will stock up on quart size canning jars, lids and rings. These supplies go on clearance every late fall. She is able to acquire more supplies for less money purchasing them this time of year even though she does not need them until the next summer. I would do the same. It could get tricky for balance sheets as accounts payable or the bill for some of the supplies that are not fresh such as jars would be in late fall of year one and the production and selling would be mid to end of year two.
In the summer she …show more content…
She composts all year long and uses her compost as her fertilizer. Again, another way to keep her costs low. I would do these same steps as it keeps costs lower.
Because her demand is greater than her own supply with her garden, she will contact the the local farmer and purchases many barrels of green beans in the later summer. It is exciting that her supply of green beans are not enough to accommodate everyone that would like her delicious canned beans!
We live in the country and therefore, she has a water well and does not need to purchase her water as she would if she lived in town. She does invest large amounts of time during the planting and harvesting season. Her time investment is also increased as she makes the pickled canned green beans. If I owned this business, I would need to do the same.
After she harvests the beans, a neighborhood high school girl helps out for a small wage to snap ends off the beans and to help thoroughly clean them. Being they are grown naturally, they are not chemicals to wash off. The jars and lids are sterilized. She packs green beans into the jars along with dill, a few other spices and her special …show more content…
Production has increased however, it is still very small and production only occurs in the fall. I have helped out and would love to start a small little business such as this. Now after a few years of her producing pickled beans, her customer base has greatly expanded. Her supplies, equipment needed, time, hired help, and her revenue have all increased over the last three years.
Her supplies include the spices for her brine, rows of the dill, rows and barrels of green beans, jars, lids, rings and her label she prints off of her own computer. Her computer does require ink for labels. She also uses her computer for tracking orders and marketing by sending email and face-books notifications only.
Other operating equipment includes hot pads, pressure cookers and of course her stove. These are all pieces of equipment she had in her home or have had for a few years already and had a great time canning. Her start up costs have ben next to nothing and there has been no reason to get a loan or borrow any money. She purchased her initial set of jars and barrels of beans with garage sale money from her own