money and time

[linesman75]

I seem to have meet critical mass. I can no longer afford to buy hives and equipment people call and want more over my time than I have. I really would like to make some money at my hobby ….I only have like 20 colonies….what is my next move?

[jalal]

hope you have enough money for an extractor and a knife :D

[King bee apiary]

sell a few small nucs/splits/packages and recover a small bit of your money where you can buy some more equipment and then go from there.
just my thoughts.

[Robert Hawkins]

linesman, do you carry a $10 qt of honey in your truck? Labelled and ready for sale? If I ask for a nuc will you have to go to the hardware store first? Are you a member of your local bee club? There's always a member desperate for a queen. Sell.

Hawk

[George Fergusson]

What Robert said. Sell. 20 hives really isn't a "hobby" any more. If you want beekeeping to be a hobby, get rid of half your bees and go back to your regular job.

I would expect to find myself in the same position you're in before long if I did not have plans to market the daylights out of my hives and try to make a living (of sorts) keeping bees. I'm going to sell everything I can think of, capitalizing on everything I can to get the most money for my hive products.

There are basically 2 approaches to marketing your hive products:

1) Make more and sell wholesale (for less $$)

2) Make less and sell retail (for more $$)

Retailing takes more time and effort but returns more. Wholesaling takes less effort but returns less.

George-

[eris]

Definately make splits to sell and join the local beekeeping group... If we wouldn't have been able to find a few last minute packages we would have been begging for a nuc so we could start beekeeping this year. Teach a class at a neighborhood organization and sell nucs through that.

[John Russell]

Twenty hives is an awkward number, where the time and the expense are not very efficient. I found that when i jumped from 20 to 50 time and gass and expenses went from desperate to merely poor.
I think that, as suggested, you sell splits to raise cash to build/buy hive bodys and equipment to expand past the awkward 20's. And always have jars, and pails of honey for selling in your vehicle. A magnetic sign on your truck does not hurt, nor do buisness cards. Find a few local stores to carry your honey year round....work church bazzars, craft sales and farmers markets to bring in the cash flow. My kids would do door to door sales on commission, and finding vendors at fairs willing to diplay your product for a cut of the profit works great if your short on time.

Getting over the hump isn't easy.....it takes a hell of a lot of work and time before your reputation, and word of mouth provides you with a loyal, consistant customer base. But when you get to that point, sales growth becomes easier, and yout hobby actually puts a few sheckles in the wallet as well as paying for itself.
Persevere! You got this far, you can make it work.

John Russell

[tecumseh]

When I saw this thread title I was reminded of an old bootlegger in Florida who once commented that the only thing in moonshine was time and money.... either you make money or you get time.
My advice. Expand at a slower pace, grow at a rate that will make you and your pocketbook most confortable. If beekeeping is a hobby for you now??? it is suppose to be something to enjoy, not another weight around your neck. Now I don't know how long you have been keeping bees Linesman75, but there is a very large learning curve in regards to the girls that money will just not buy. Grow slow, learn as you go.

[Jim Fischer]

Everyone's "wall" is in a different place.

The key to getting past this "wall" is to
figure out why you have 20 hives at all, and
why you want 20 hives.

If you can answer those two questions, then
you should keep the hives, and learn how
to "leave them be" more. Its June, so swarming
will soon be over in IL.

With swarming over and supers on, its time to
kick back and go fishing!

[Rob]

If I was beekeeping as a hobby on a limited budget I'd keep 10 hives max.But then you get addicted and want 20 hives,and then it's 40 and then it's 80,then it's 160,,,320,,,640,,,1280,,then your entire state,,,then your entire country,,,then the entire world,,,,then the universe,,,, then you die. :D

[linesman75]

Well boys, I bought a table saw…so I guess im going to keep growing…Is there 12 step program…. 

[tecumseh]

linesman75 sezs:
Well boys, I bought a table saw

tecumseh replies:
You are my kind of guy linesman75, but this choice is at least a good practical way to save a few bucks along the way. Oh yea, I have two table saws, two radial arm saws and a very large planer, along with a sawmill. So perhaps now you are acquiring a bit of insight into this disease we all share.

[nursebee]

This is the 12 step program. We don't really have bees anymore, just sit here and encourage folks in their endeavors until they reach the first step.

What are you doing for free that you can charge money for?

[Jim Fischer]

> Is there 12 step program… 

Why, yes there is!

It is a group that meets in church basements
on weeknights to help beekeepers to at least
not bore their wives, lovers, and neighbors
by droning on and on about beekeeping all the time.

Its called "On And On And On Anon". smile.gif

[Barry Tolson]

Robert Hawkins is right about keeping a jar of honey in the truck. Seems that when I don't carry some with me, somebody is upset. When I have it with me, it sells. I give honey to neighbors close to the bee's, and to immediate family. Everyone else pays, though. Can't give away the farm and make money!
Barry