They say to have the most enjoyment in deriving income is to either do what you love or do what you do best.  In this difficult economy, however, that’s easier said than done.  Sometimes to make ends meet people are starting home businesses by finding a need and filling it.  Some people are using what innate skills they have and building a small business out of that.  I’m always fascinated by the businesses that other people have and work that other people do.

*Yesterday on my own blog I wrote about the virtues of using old tried and true marketing methods like flyers, brochures and doorhangers.  In my community these marketing pieces are being used to great effect by tiny businesses like lawn care businesses, house cleaning business, independent real estate agents, handyman services and even independent direct sellers like Avon reps.  It’s kind of interesting however, the push me-pull you dance of these types of businesses…they are looking for homeowners in need of their services.  When the economy is tough, these are the types of businesses that don’t take a lot of capital to start.   However in a difficult economy it’s services like these that homeowners cut back on: lawn care-they’ll cut the lawn themselves; house cleaning-they’ll do their own cleaning; and purchasing cosmetics or other types of direct selling products, well discount chains’ products can fill the bill until the economy improves.  Yet for a healthy economy, it takes consumers who purchase the goods and services that small businesses provide.

*I was thinking about the “business” of golf yesterday as I was reading about the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament in Monterey California.  While waiting in the doctor’s office a couple days ago [am fighting a bad cold like millions of others] I read about a woman who started a home business making golf supplies.  She runs her business online and is doing well.  Talk about finding and filling a need.  Golf seems to be one “industry” that doesn’t die in a down economy.  As a child I can remember lean times, but even in those times my dad still played his Saturday morning round with his friends.

*I’ve often thought that actors could think of themselves as solo-preneurs.  Their business is acting and their product is their talent.  Today I thought how risky that type of business can be.  I believe that we [whatever our business] should never think our future success can be determined solely on our past performance.  As with the stock market, just because a certain stock makes a profit one day in no way means it won’t fall through the floor the following day.  A good parallel to that was in today’s newspaper’s entertainment section.  A new motion picture, “The Wolfman” just came out and the reviewer in the paper gave it a “D” grade.  Interestingly it stars such actors as Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving among others – all have enjoyed great success on other projects.  This movie, however, seems to hold that idea of not counting on success just because you had it in the past.  Yes these actors did earn their income, however their resumes now include a “bomb.”  Interesting industry!

*Another interesting industry that contains many independent or tiny business entities is that of salmon fishing.  This is a California story that mirrors the economic difficulties of the world.  The news today said, “…Sacramento River fall-run, which had been the backbone of a salmon fishing industry that in the 1970s generated $100 million and supported a fishing fleet of 4,500 boats, now appears certain to be off-limits to fishing for a third straight year….”  Four thousand five hundred boats represents a lot of families looking for alternative income sources.

While I was at my doctor’s office I asked her “how’s business?”  My family doctor is part of a very small practice – there are two physicians and a physicians’ assistant plus their clerical staff and two nurses.  She replied that actually business was pretty good because in her line of work winter brings in lots of “sick folks.”  Of course we didn’t talk about the nightmare of slogging through health insurance headaches and such; the point was she had “customers” which is something every small business wants and needs.

It’s a wide world of business and industry out there and I find it all fascinating.