Needing to come up with an idea of small business my husband can do from home. He has a 900 square foot shop with concrete floor and plenty of tools. We still have a 4-year old at home that he would like to be able to take care of (no daycare) and I have a very good day job. He has tried the building small wooden furniture (i.e. end tables) but with his time/cost he can't compete with Wal-Mart. He liked the idea of putting together pedal cars, paiting them (he has painted several real cars) and selling them (flea market, swap meets, etc) but can't find a good place to buy the kits/parts very affordably. Any thoughts on items like this he could do would be very appreciated.
Thanks,

I am assuming that he likes building furniture since he already did that. If this is correct... why even try to compete with Wal-Mart? Why not build nice furniture and become known as a quality furniture maker?

I had a customer who bought some furniture from some Shakers or Quakers or some group back East... and trust me, Wal-Mart customers did not get anything even close to the quality that this guy got.

Do things better than Wal-Mart and charge 5 times as much. There are already too many people competing for the lowest price. Try to go after the high-end customer. There are plenty of people who are willing to pay good money for quality.

Good luck!

Jeff
Night Sky Murals
The Best Universe on Planet Earth!
http://www.NightSkyMurals.com

I have a similar problem as your husband. I have a small fashion line, but it takes lots of time to generate income. I also end up competing against the big companies like Walmart, who get their goods for low cost, thus my prices have to be higher.

I recently started a home based business, which I believe anyone can succeed at. It requires minimal investment and not a lot of time, which will leave time for your husband to do what he loves, building furniture. If you'd like, click on the link below.

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