Originally Posted by
Joel
I consider commericial beekeeping to be professional beekeeping - or the point at which you make your living. Anything else I would look at as sideliner or hobbyist. I was very happy as a sideliner and we made good money and did some of our best production running 50 hives. Beekeeping as a full time business is much like any other business and is dependant on the type of person you are as much as the nature of what you do. A few suggestions I might make would be:
1) Don't under capitalize - 80% of business fail in the 1st 5 years and here's the reason. You may want to move through the stages of sideliner to full time gaining equipment, experiance a market. When you think you have enough of a cushion then double it.
2) Know thyself - All business today is managing in crisis. The roller coaster economy, CCD, flutating energy costs, health care, retirement, severe weather are just a few challenges you will face every single day. Mangaing today is about being able to be flexible and turn a dime to take advantage of what may come. It takes a great deal of fortitude and faith when you are waiting on a big market day, a big pollination check, a check from a packer ect, and it doesn't come on time. You'll still have to make payroll (your's if nothing else), pay business debt, conduct marketing efforts, make the mortage payment and punt from the 38 yard line. If you don't strive under frequent stress and have the ability to do the impossible on any given day then full time beekeeping ( or any farm business) is likely not for you.
2) Find/create your niche - Wholesale honey at 2.00/lb and the US production vs demand means you will very likely be able to make reasonable money during your build-up to full time. What will your income streams be, how will you develop them, how long will it take and what hive, vehicle, building, capital and other resourses will you need in place to make that happen. We made the mistake early on of allowing ourself to get pidgeon holed into retail honey sales. It has been good for us but I think it is the most expensive and labor intensive way to make a profit. It took a few year to expand into other areas and make them profitable due to being so invested in one area.
3) Educate yourself - Lectures, seminars and classes from people who are already doing this at the level you want to reach. Hobbyist courses will be of little value when you are working to efficiently manage a few hundred hives or more a week. Good video's , ABJ and other periodicals, Good bee research studies all will serve you well. You'll need to apply these successfully in the field before you will be successful at the bank. A day with a good commerical beekeeper is worth a week of classroom instruction. Don't forget to subscribe to Inc and Fast Company type magazines to read that people who run $30 million dollar companies have had to sell their car for half what it's worth to make payroll in a bad week. I am always amazed at how my business problems are the same as the guy who runs a huge outlet chain and getting their "mantra" helps me be a better business man overall.
4) Quit your job when the time come - Bee prepared, plan well, have a reserve and make the jump. Nothing will motivate you and bring out the best business man beekeeper you can be like getting the late notice on your mortgage. Hunger can be a real motivator. Working 18 hrs a day - 7 days a week, trying to work full time and run a commericial operation will cost you more than you will imagine so make you plan, prepare and go for it if that's your dream.
Most of us who do this for a living are just people who would rather work 12 hours a day and own our time than sell our lives to someone else 8 at a time. We love the creative, challenging process it takes to succeed by our wits and are willing to risk it all to do it and that risk is virutally every day. It is this wonderful roller coaster which as it reaches each new peak we love the anticipation of riding it over the top and screaming down the other side in the face of fear and the face of each victory. Today my 22 year old son sits next to me on this ride now and that's pretty cool too.
I knew a hospice worker who I spoke with before I made the jump. She told me the only consistent regret she saw with terminal patients was the one thing they really wanted to do in life but didn't go for - With that thought in mind then it really for me was just about what I really wanted. I walked away from a 60K a year job (very good in my area), full bene's and have not regretted it for a day.
Re: years invested until commercial
Reply With Quote
).
Bookmarks