Your new business plan

[Joes_bees]

If you were to plan to make your living mostly from honeybees starting with nothing but time, money, and the knowledge you have now. How would you do it?

Please be realistic for the average person.

Include things such as how quickly you'd expand and to what final # of hives, services and products you'd sell, branding, etc.

[Michael B]

Do you subscribe to bee culture magazine? If so, my mentor Dan Conlon, just published a number of monthly articles. Very well written from a buisness point of view.

[Andrew Dewey]

If I were to attempt to do such a thing and could put things like where I'm living and family relations on hold, I'd start by working for a commercial beekeeper. There is no way that I know of to learn the ins and outs of the business other than by doing it. What I do as a hobbyist is play - the mortgage still gets paid regardless of the honey crop.

[TheBuzz]

Can u get government finance and or grants for beekeeping?

[Ian]

start the business up just like any other business, from the ground up. Secure a bit of financing, develop a business plan and shoot for your targets. Expansion is a progressive thing, just like any other aspect of business, you cant over extend your financial resources.

most have a second income until they are established enough to full time beekeep

[bbrowncods]

I would go in the direction that I am interested in. What are you interested in? There is pollenation, woodenware manufacturing, selling bees, selling bee products, etc.

You have to have the passion for it first. Then start small and build your customer base. Just like any other business.

I don't think you can open up your doors and be a Mann Lake, or an Almond Pollenator w/ xxx hives without the background and experience.

[adamf]

If you were to plan to make your living mostly from honeybees starting with nothing but time, money, and the knowledge you have now. How would you do it?

As someone posted previously, commercial experience is indispensable in
forming decisions about becoming commercial. If you can work for or with a
commercial beekeeper/honey farmer for a season or part of a season, you'll
answer many of your questions through your experience.


Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com

[lazy shooter]

A business plan is honest accounting. The first thing is how much money are you wanting to net from beekeeping? Then, how many hives or colonies will it take to produce that amount of honey. When will your first crop of honey be available? If you start with package bees or nucs there may not be a first year harvest. If so, how much money do you need to live on for 15 or so months? What is the initial set-up cost? Will you need paid help part time or full time. What is the auto and feed costs?

In brief, you need to fill in the blanks for all of the above and more and set aside some contingency money. I bet you find it real discouraging. Still, you need to be honest with all of your answers, as most businesses fail because of lack of capital. It will take a lot of money to step into this business at the level you want. For sure, you will need to know a lot about this beekeeping before taking the first step. Good luck.

[Beregondo]

I'd start in the winter by working a job that would allow me to save several thousand dollars for purchase of woodenware and other capital expenses, such as queens or queen raising time and equipment.

I wouldn't harvest much, if any, honey in the spring, but would gather a good deal of pollen.

I'd concentrated my effort on splits and queen rearing until the next spring.

I'd go into winter with most of my stock in 2 story double nucs, and take my profit by selling some in the spring.

Again, I'd work hard all winter, to replenish capital, and concentrate on increase the second year, and each following year until I had enough colonies to do well selling queens and nucs.
It would take several years, but as you didn't mention how much money you are starting out with. I asimed little capital.

The years needed for increase can surely be shortend by application of capital to purchase bee stock

[D Semple]

2nd year beek with 42 hives going into winter.

I've turned doing removals and catching swarms into a nice weekend sideline. Cleared about 15 k in two seasons after buying all my equipment and I've gotten all my bees for free. Recon another 10 years I'll be up to 400 to 500 hives.

Don