What single product to make?

[woodfarmer]

I have set up two businesses in my time, both limited companies. Both successful.
I have an idea for a business suited to the UK which I believe would work. For it you will need a house to live in and a field, The idea is to sell pot grown "native" trees. The big thing about this business is that the stock keeps getting more valuable as time goes by. This does not often happen. It would take 3-4 years before it could be considered viable and your only income. With a poly tunnel or two you could also bring on seedlings which have a much shorter turn around time.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Wooden Spoons!!

I don't honestly believe that making a comfortable living is possible from hand crafted items, let alone filthy rich. There are loads of people carving spoons for fun, who sell them to get rid of the surplus created. You would have to be making some very special spoons. Same goes for turned bowls - last weekend at a rural crafts event I turned a bowl on the pole lathe just to demostrate its use. Takes me about 2 hours - someone skilled might have done it in half that or a bit quicker. The bloke next to me was trying to sell off some of his surplus of 400 power lathe turned bowls !

I think you would need to be making something rather unique, special and not suited to mechanisation. Items with a high price tag, but low volume so that you aren't in competition with mass manufactured goods. Just need to think of the perfect item :?

 

[bugbear]

If any of us knew a product that could be made easily, in large numbers, and yet sold readily to a large group of customers at a high cost, we'd be doing it!

BugBear

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Wooden Spoons!!

I don't honestly believe that making a comfortable living is possible from hand crafted items, let alone filthy rich. There are loads of people carving spoons for fun, who sell them to get rid of the surplus created. You would have to be making some very special spoons. Same goes for turned bowls - last weekend at a rural crafts event I turned a bowl on the pole lathe just to demostrate its use. Takes me about 2 hours - someone skilled might have done it in half that or a bit quicker. The bloke next to me was trying to sell off some of his surplus of 400 power lathe turned bowls !

I think you would need to be making something rather unique, special and not suited to mechanisation. Items with a high price tag, but low volume so that you aren't in competition with mass manufactured goods. Just need to think of the perfect item :?

You may have missed the subtlety in the reference Tony. Wooden spoons are for stirring!!!

 

[Chrispy]

For stirring, and for cooking!
Here's a few designs that I've been making on and off (well more off than on) for must be 15 years.

 

[andersonec]

Jewellery box,,,,, down from £24,000 to £19,500

http://www.davidlinley.com/store/furnit ... ellery-box

All depends who you are going to target....and there are various levels of wealth out there.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

And Linley couldn't make money charging those prices - his firm had to be bailed out.

 

[andersonec]

I have set up two businesses in my time, both limited companies. Both successful.
I have an idea for a business suited to the UK which I believe would work. For it you will need a house to live in and a field, The idea is to sell pot grown "native" trees. The big thing about this business is that the stock keeps getting more valuable as time goes by. This does not often happen. It would take 3-4 years before it could be considered viable and your only income. With a poly tunnel or two you could also bring on seedlings which have a much shorter turn around time.

I had my own nursery for a number of years, wholesalers over here tend not to grow their own trees because trees and other plants are produced by the millions mainly by the Dutch and Italians and imported into the UK for cheaper than you can grow them.
Pot grown trees are a no-no, they take too long and the cost would be prohibitive, pots, compost, fertiliser, water, chemicals, labels etc. etc. The root structure would be wrong if grown in pots, trees must be grown in soil, good soil, pruned and under cut every year then when big enough, lifted, potted, allowed to root out for six months before selling or they can be sold bare root in the winter when dormant but that season is very short and any left must be potted by the end of March, you will also find that native trees can be obtained for peanuts.
There is no need for polytunnels if you are growing trees, seeds will be sown outdoors in a seed-bed in the Autumn and allowed to stratify over winter, they will then grow on for a season and then straight into the ground and staked, hardwood cuttings can also be taken in the autumn, they also stay outside in the winter.

If you want to grow trees then you will have to specialise in something like Acers, or fancy Dogwoods but again that depends on what type of soil you have, Acid or Alkaline???

I can get ten foot tall Ornamental Cherries for abut £20 and fifteen foot natives for the same price, you need to sell a lot of those to make a living and it would be an expensive item if grown in a pot.

More to it than meets the eye.

Andy

 

[andersonec]

And Linley couldn't make money charging those prices - his firm had to be bailed out.

So I see but those prices are too rich even for his cronies and you need to sell a lot of those to keep him in the lifestyle he requires.

 

[bugbear]

And Linley couldn't make money charging those prices - his firm had to be bailed out.

Those were his asking prices - what were his selling prices, and did he sell any...

BugBear

 

[owenmcc]

Those are some high prices, would be interesting to see the work up close? Any other suggestions for work with many zeros on the end that I can ogle?

 

[RobinBHM]

Perhaps you should turn your hand to loom band dresses 8-[