Run a Small-Scale Sawmill – Part 3 – Cons of Becoming a Lumbering Pro Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: James Fairfield and the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Editors An old sawmill—nestled back in a mountain cove and covered with kudzu and cobwebs from months of disuse—is just about as depressing a sight as a weathered […]

Run a Small-Scale Sawmill – Part 2 -Pricing for Profit Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: James Fairfield and the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Editors SAWMILL PROFIT POTENTIAL Once you’ve narrowed your scope and settled on sawing and selling as your activities in the timber trade, you’ll still likely have to work away at it for […]

Run a Small-Scale Sawmill – Part 1 – Equipment Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: James Fairfield and the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Editors SAWMILL EQUIPMENT SELECTION In order to choose the right saw, you’ll first have to determine what kind of operation you plan to run and how much money you can afford to invest […]

Sell Firewood for a Side Income Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: Glen R. Smith How to Market Your Business Bear in mind, at all times, that the season of the year and the day-by-day weather your area experiences will have a very decided effect on your firewood sales. Late fall, winter, and early spring—obviously—is […]

Ideas to Create a Work-From-Home Business Letters From the Readers of MOTHER EARTH NEWS Self-employment is a dream shared by many people, but finding the right work-at-home job can be daunting. We asked our readers to tell us their successful home-based business ideas. Despite their different ways of making money, these home-business veterans offer similar […]

Learn from Your Mistakes Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: Joel Salatin Mastering any skill involves a learning curve. According to business guru Peter Drucker, the bottom part of that curve gets deepest in the fifth year or so of a new enterprise before the rise to success begins. In that valley, too many people either seek […]

Control Your Business Growth Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: Joel Salatin Through direct marketing, we developed a customer base of families in the community who wanted pastured meat and poultry. We wore the hats of producer, processor and marketer so we could set our own prices rather than cast our wares on the commodity table. We […]

Live Below Your Means Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: Joel Salatin Nothing stimulates creativity and motivation like being poor and hungry do. Teresa and I had limited financial resources — and I’m grateful for that. We both came from frugal families who always lived a little below their means. If every generation spends a little […]

How To Get Started Frog Farming Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: Pat Patera Raising bullfrogs — then — can be fun, profitable, and easy . . . if you’ve got a couple of acres to work with, have just a little bit of common sense, and are willing to let an “old-timer” in the business help […]