HellfireFarm
Business Member
I'm looking ahead toward next year and beyond and trying to decide what path to take. Hoping I can get some good input here to help inform my decision.
My "farm" is almost all on me - I get some family help but about 90% of the work is up to me to do. I decided to cut back quite a bit on my seeds for next year because I wasn't able to keep up with what I had this year, and I'm nowhere near being able to hire help. My total gross sales came to about 40% of my expenses for the year. I have been looking at getting my product into some specialty stores but reviewing my total production through the year I don't see how I will have enough to do that. As it stands I currently have only 30 jars of ghost powder and 20 reaper to last until next harvest begins. And that's about what I can expect for next year. Each year after that I'll have to base on the previous year's results, and it seems like I'm going to be stuck at current output indefinitely based on that.
The candies are popular but also very labor intensive, plus have the added expense of the commercial kitchen requirement.
It just seems that the step up to where this becomes profitable is too big of a step to take. I don't see this being anything more than a straight hobby farm, in the strictest sense (where I do it as a hobby instead of as a business and accept that it's not going to pay for itself), unless I undertake a massive expansion in my operation - which doesn't seem to be feasible at all.
So I'm looking for some advice from the business veterans out there on what to look at, how to find a different perspective perhaps. Many of you have been around a lot longer so I'm hoping you'll help me see something I'm missing!
My "farm" is almost all on me - I get some family help but about 90% of the work is up to me to do. I decided to cut back quite a bit on my seeds for next year because I wasn't able to keep up with what I had this year, and I'm nowhere near being able to hire help. My total gross sales came to about 40% of my expenses for the year. I have been looking at getting my product into some specialty stores but reviewing my total production through the year I don't see how I will have enough to do that. As it stands I currently have only 30 jars of ghost powder and 20 reaper to last until next harvest begins. And that's about what I can expect for next year. Each year after that I'll have to base on the previous year's results, and it seems like I'm going to be stuck at current output indefinitely based on that.
The candies are popular but also very labor intensive, plus have the added expense of the commercial kitchen requirement.
It just seems that the step up to where this becomes profitable is too big of a step to take. I don't see this being anything more than a straight hobby farm, in the strictest sense (where I do it as a hobby instead of as a business and accept that it's not going to pay for itself), unless I undertake a massive expansion in my operation - which doesn't seem to be feasible at all.
So I'm looking for some advice from the business veterans out there on what to look at, how to find a different perspective perhaps. Many of you have been around a lot longer so I'm hoping you'll help me see something I'm missing!