Steel Shelving 2.0

My Landlord in ontario, can he DO this?

I found this house in JULY 2009, I loved everything about it, except the kitchen… I met with the landlord who told me at that time he would renovate the home. At that time he said he wanted to put in a new kitchen, expand the bathroom in the basement and put the washer and dryer together since they are located on opposite sides of the basement. he also stated that he wanted to landscape the front and back yard and fix the falling down fence, which was important to us because we have dogs. I asked him at that time if he was SURE he would be able to finish all those renovations by our moving date in SEPT. he said he had hoped so, I already knew it was a big job and the end of august came and the kitchen was only half finished. at that time i told him that we really wouldn’t need the basement renovated, a second full bathroom wouldn’t be necessary for another couple of years as our children are only pre teens now. I thought he had said at that time he would wait. FROM SEPT-DEC the land lord was at the house almost every weekend (he lives 3hrs away) we had agreed to allow him to stay in the house in the spare bedroom till the kitchen was finished, what other choice did we have with a half finished kitchen… we started becomming annoyed because the last few visits he could have got a lot more done. he decided that he was more comfortable in my DAUGHTERS bed, as sleeps there now when he comes, if she isn’t here. and when she is here im terrified he is going to freak her out by going into her room in the middle of the night when he arrives. so i ask her to sleep in her brothers room on the bunk bed. THE LAST time he was here he called only hours before saying im sorry this is such short notice, the re financing guy is comming tomorrow so i will be comming tonight i’ll be there in a few hours… he didn’t even ask. He started hand washing my floors the whole time he was muttering thngs under his breth… i has a puppy i got for christmas and he came across a few pee accidents the kids must not have told me about and didn’t wipe up really good( my kids clean messes with out being asked so they probably seen it wiped it up quick and then the leftover dired) i think there were a couple poo accidents that weren’t wiped really good either. but I WANTED TO WASH MY FLOORS NOT HIM, i was so up set he kept muttering things under his breth about it while he was washing.. i almost cried. he has also made another comment a month back when i told him we were getting a problem recitifed with mail we haven’t been getting and he wrote back saying i hope that you get that problem fixed i need to use MY house as a primary address at least for a little while!! he has already had a few pieces of mail comming here ie… primus, and the enwin bill for this house– I was ok with that being that the enwin bill is for our utils, that are included in our rent.
There is this HUGE ugly piano down in the basement. last week he e mails me saying that he wants to move that eye sore of a piano (eye sore? we live here not you!) he said he wants to move it into a cubby hole/pantry area in the back of the basement. which I USE to keep all my camping equiptment, tools and other things in boxes. I only get to use half of that space because the other half is taken up by HIS TOOLS. oh yes he also has his big home made tool box on wheels he KEEPS in my MAIN FLOOR ROOM!!! he told me to move all my belongings out of the cuby because he may need to remove the shelving in there to get the piano in there! We do rent HALF of the garage, again the other half is filled with his things, which i put my foot down and said we would only pay half the money if we have half the room, I can’t put anything in there unless it is in a tub with a lid because we had furniture in there that got infested with mice, the garage has holes all around it, should probably be 1st on his list of things to fix instead of riping up our perfectly good basement( there is one huge finished bedroom down there) (and a small bathroom with a shower no sink) — he wants to make it a BIG FULL bathroom… we dont even use that space, we rent it out to a kid who’s parents kicked him out! anyways im not putting my camping equip. in the garage to get infested with mice. I have also been saying over and over that i have a lot of plans with the kids this summer camping and such, but i think he thinks he can continue with his renovations even if we are not here. there is also key locks on all the BEDROOM DOORS in this house and he asked for a copy of them, can he have a copy of my BEDROOM DOOR KEY? what can i do? im annoyed, i dont want him here sleeping here all spring and summer again every weekend. I dont want my house torn up for months again— thank god its the basement this time– i couldn’t have guests see my house till nearly christmas because he had the kitchen a mess. PLEASE any advice, anything will help. what are my rights living here? can he just renovate when he wants what he wan
I went to both sites you both suggested asnd couldn’t find anything that has to do with renting??

First off, your landlord should have enlisted help in renovations. I am assuming he’s doing it all himself, which is a huge undertaking for a single person. Much more time consuming and I would think puts pressure on the landord to get everything done for the tenants.

He should not have promised or garaunteed anything to you about the renovations unless he was sure. What you should have done was find an apartment with a month to month lease and live there until the landlord was done fixing your house.

The landlord’s request for copies of bedroom keys is a little odd. He should have those in his posession already, not sure why he would need copies. I am thinking he’s some sort of unorganized pervert.

Did you sign a lease agreement yet? If so, check your lease about renovations. He could’ve put something in there about working on the house while you’re living there.

If you haven’t signed a lease yet, and have made no verbal contract, you should find an apartment temporarily until the landlord is finished with the repairs.

My Garage is a Mess But What are My Options in Garage Organizers?

Our garage is a mess! The last house we lived in, there was no garage. So we were excited when we moved two years ago into a larger house with a garage. How wonderful for winter weather! We would not have to go out and defrost and clear the snow from the car. How wrong we were! Last year we were dumped on with snow, the worst winter in decades, and our car was outside in the driveway. What about our garage? It was a being used for storage, both organized and unorganized.

We really did try to organize our garage. We built shelves along the walls for boxes and plastic totes. Along another wall we had some metal shelves for home business items. There was also a work bench to keep tools organized with a cupboard above it that came from the kitchen remodel. But everything was still a mess, there just wasn’t enough room. The motorcycle was in the garage, so that was good, but it took up floor space requiring the rest of the garage to be even better organized if we hoped to fit a car in as well. Also, we were sloppy recyclers. We were really good at recycling milk jugs, cereal boxes and cardboard, but for some reason people just opened the door and threw it into the garage to be gathered and taken to the recycling center once a month. I know that we had recycling bins at one time, but who knows what happened to them?

So enough was enough, we did not need another winter with our car outside. My husband is a “do it yourself” kind of guy, which is really great, but we needed some help to get our garage organized, something that didn’t cost a lot of money. We did not need the fancy large cabinets that are really nice but out of our budget. Also, it is the garage, rough built shelves worked great, we just needed creative ways of finding more space.

With a little research, we discovered some GREAT garage organizers to help us get more out of our limited space. Obviously, this was a universal problem that someone had put a considerable amount of thought to and had done something about it! There are many different items available to hang most anything on your wall or ceiling.

If you have wall space that is not used up by shelving, you can get some great wall garage organizers. They come in different forms, but are basically like a peg board or wall slat system that is used in department stores. Once you have the wall system in place, you can purchase different types of brackets, hooks and shelves to fit most any need. There are hooks for hanging gardening tools to help organize your rakes, hoes, shovels, etc. There are special shelves and baskets available to fit other sporting goods or other miscellaneous items. You can get large hooks specially designed to hang bicycles or garden hoses, or really small bins for organizing different hardware items such as screws, nuts and bolts.

Now, I don’t really have much extra wall space for special hanging needs, though I could used some of these specialty hooks to help better organize some larger tools and bikes. And such hooks are available without having to purchase an entire wall system. Perfect for what I need.

The main accessible space that I have is the ceiling and I discovered some really neat systems to hang items. Some garage organizer systems are full metal shelves that hang. The shelf can come in varying sizes and depths. Sizes can vary from as small as a 2’ x 6’ to as large as a 4’ x 8’, with drop down depths varying from 12” to 45”. These shelves are perfect for seasonal items such as camping supplies. Some shelves, such as I have described, you have to access by ladder, other systems are available that work on a pulley system for easy access.

Another great garage organizer system that I found was tracks that hung from the ceiling. The tracks have an “L” shape. You position two sets of tracks the distance apart that you need so that you can hang plastic totes between them. For us this is perfect. All of our Christmas supplies are already kept in green plastic totes. We just hang the tracks 30” apart, label our totes and hang them by their lips on the tracks! Economical and we can keep using storage container that we already have. Also great for hanging plastic file containers. After all, where are you supposed to put those files that you are encouraged to keep for seven years? Many of these systems also come with special hangers for bikes and ladders.

Well, it did not take too much to get our garage organized. After all, we had been trying but were short just a little space. By using garage organizers to better organize some wall space for those awkward items like large tools and ladders, and then ceiling space for specialty items that only need to be accessed seasonally really helped. Though I have to say, that my favorite garage organizer gadget is my bike pulley!

MJ Marks
http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/my-garage-is-a-mess-but-what-are-my-options-in-garage-organizers-702050.html

how to remove a huge wasp nest without destroying it?

I discovered a HUGE wasp nest in my garage. It’s got to be at least the size of 2 basketballs. They’ve been gone for a year now and it’s 4 degrees here so I feel safe removing it and would like to keep it in one piece to preserve it. The problem is it’s in the corner down by the floor, between the walls and the bottom shelf of a shelving unit (they got in through a small space between the ground and the foundation of the garage) so it’s attached to 2 walls and the underside of the shelf. Any ideas on how I can get this thing out without destroying it?

Take one of those razor blade scrapers and work it carefully from all sides gradually. You will be able to remove it in tact Those critter make a pretty sturdy home. Mostly it will bend not break, but be slow and careful. Knifes or sharpened scrapers are not sharp enough, I’d have a new razor blade for the razor blade scraper too. I’m asuming you can lay on the floor to do the removal

How do you make a basement your home?

I’m moving into a basement and it will be my bedroom and living area. It used to be the 2 car garage of the house - that should give you some sense of size. How will I divide up the two spaces? I also have a beautiful stacked stone fireplace on one side of the room and I can’t decide if I should put the bedroom in the area with the fireplace or give the living room the fireplace. On the other side of the room is double french doors that lead to the outside. Also, I have antique furniture and a white iron bed. I’m trying to figure out a way to divide up this space and I’ve considered decorative screens and open shelving but still have no answers. This basement is contemporary and has new taupe colored carpet. How do I combine the two styles? Thanks for any input.

I suggest having your fireplace as a part of your living area. It is a natural focal point and it will be nice to have company over and have a warm fire to sit around. I truly love he idea of the decorative screens. you can get beautiful ones at antique stores. open shelves are also a nice idea at IKEA they have square open shelves in a range of different shades of wood. either way I suggest having an area rug in your living space and one in your bedroom area this will anchor these areas and make your living space look more established. as for combining the contemporary style of your living space with your antique furniture that should not be very hard. buy a few large contemporary pieces such as maybe a coffee table, couch, dresser and put your antiques around it. This will give your space a very eclectic feel without being overbearing.

hope this helps

What type of storage/shelving should I get for my garage?

We are currently have a 24X32 two car garage put up. Obviously both cars will be going in it, so I’m not exactly sure what the measurements will be on how much room we will have for storing things like bikes, mowers, etc. I work on my car a lot, so I want to be able to have a place for my tools. Should I just hang up regular shelving, or would it be better for me to install a work bench type thing with cabinets and such on the wall?

Just ride motorcycles and park them in your house.

What should I name my junk/storage room?

We don’t have a basement. We have a two car garage, and an attic that I would prefer not to clutter with crap. So, I have decided to convert a small room about 6′ X 9′ into a storage/pantry room. I have two big shelving units and would like to keep our suitcases there, maybe use one or two shelves for canned goods, bath linens, and containers holding sewing/needlework supplies, magazines, and gifts. I am trying to come up with a cute catch all for the Junk Room/The Vault/Treasure Room, etc. Please help me come up with a name.

BTW, our house has two nice sized bedrooms, two baths, the laundry room is in our Master bedroom, in an alcove off the room. Our house is a one-floor rambler, sort of like a cabin on the lake! A wonderful home for retirement. I am trying to down-size and have everything neat. I am clean-gene deficient so I need to maximize this little room and make it easy for me to get to my treasures or canned goods. lol
FYI: I like to name rooms or places. Our house is called "On Golden Pond" like the movie.
I guess I am eccentric!

If you intend this room to be a dark secluded place where no one else will know your face, I would call it "Hernando’s Hideaway." OLE !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYeCFkyJR5c

Home in Florida sale question?

My wife and I moved to Florida with our home-based book business about 6 months ago. The garage has been transformed into a book warehouse with shelving storing about 8-10 thousand books. Sales are very good and easily pay the mortgage. The house was 2 years old but still new when we moved in. Due to illness we need to sell both the books and the house. What is the best way to go about this?
It is an internet-only based business with most sales being on Amazon and Ebay, the rest on about 15 other venues. We can provide the exact value of the inventory. It is a turn-key business which can be handled easily while working full-time.
It is not in violation of zoning laws, we made sure before we moved here.

u do NOT need to sell either. Business owners get sick all the time.

HIRE someone to come [who has a degree in biz] and run the
biz from either your home or out of a biz rented space.

or……….tell me more.

IN some cases, even home based businesses have a re-sale value
and biz brokers will take them on.

Home in Florida sale question?

My wife and I moved to Florida with our home-based book business about 6 months ago. The garage has been transformed into a book warehouse with shelving storing about 8-10 thousand books. Sales are very good and easily pay the mortgage. The house was 2 years old but still new when we moved in. Due to illness we need to sell both the books and the house. What is the best way to go about this?
It is an internet-only based business with most sales being on Amazon and Ebay, the rest on about 15 other venues. We can provide the exact value of the inventory. It is a turn-key business which can be handled easily while working full-time.
It is not in violation of zoning laws, we made sure before we moved here.

u do NOT need to sell either. Business owners get sick all the time.

HIRE someone to come [who has a degree in biz] and run the
biz from either your home or out of a biz rented space.

or……….tell me more.

IN some cases, even home based businesses have a re-sale value
and biz brokers will take them on.

Would a Mini-business Serve Your Needs

IN Cali, Colombia, a young mother was suddenly widowed and left without support for herself and two young sons. Her only asset was her home. After careful planning, she divided off four of her rooms into two independent apartments and thus supported her small family from a mini-business.

As prices increase on all commodities, many persons find their earnings inadequate for even basic needs. If father takes two jobs, however, the family loses his guidance and he invites illness due to overwork. If mother is employed outside the home, the children suffer the loss of her supervision and loving companionship. But where a family needs additional funds, the means to provide such income could be a self-operated mini-business.

By mini-business is meant any small enterprise, whether in service, manufacturing or sales, frequently using the home, garage or patio as the base of operations. The objective may be to employ profitably the spare time of older children, provide income for mother on a part-time basis, or to develop a business that would eventually support the family entirely.

Why Many Prefer Self-Employment

While a job in industry may offer greater financial security and attractive fringe benefits, it can also be routine, monotonous and lacking in opportunities to use initiative. In many countries, however, even such industrial jobs are scarce, and the inexperienced or untrained cannot readily find employment.

Among the advantages gained by the self-employed are a flexible work schedule, a more active interest in the business and so greater productivity, plus the satisfaction of worthwhile accomplishment. They can also choose their work companions, perhaps giving on-the-job training to sons and daughters, equipping them with a useful trade.

What Type of Mini-Business?

Service opportunities offer a return for one’s time and energies and usually require only a modest outlay for tools and equipment. Every community needs the services of a carpenter or plumber, a tailor or seamstress, a beautician, barber, mechanic, electrician or appliance repairman. The necessary skills can often be acquired in a trade school, or by apprenticeship to someone already in the business.

Maintenance of property or equipment on a contract basis could be a source of income for you. If you have mechanical training, why not approach the management of office or factory buildings with a contract to service air-conditioning units, electrical generators, boilers or elevators? For those without technical skills, landscaping or maintaining the grounds of private estates, clubs, or business properties, providing janitor service to industrial or office buildings, are a few of the areas for employment on a contract basis.

Agricultural work is also done by contract, such as the harvesting of grains or food crops. In the Buenaventura area of Colombia a father contracts with owners of large plantations to harvest their banana crops. This frees the owner from hiring each individual worker, and the father negotiates for a better wage for his family.

But you may feel that the manufacture of a useful or decorative item would be more appealing as a mini-business.

Sales

Since your product must be sold, a realistic appraisal of the market potential should be made before investing in machinery or raw materials. Is your product such that the public will come to you to buy? If not, would you sell to retail stores? Would it be advantageous to advertise? Is there a year-round market for your product, or would it sell only seasonally? How would your sales be affected by inclement weather, public transportation strikes or breakdowns, or illness of yourself or other family members?

Valuable information on sales could be gathered from small manufacturers experienced in your field or in a related one. Talk to them, ask for their suggestions, make notes for later reference as to how they promote sales and where they market their products.

Public-relations-oriented manufacturers have long capitalized on a natural curiosity about how their product is made, and plant tours are arranged with customer appeal in mind. Scaling this idea down to mini-size, a rug manufacturer employing six workers opens his plant to full view of all passing-by, and frequently a crowd gathers to watch his operations, observing with interest the emergence of lovely patterns as bright yarns are woven into the backing.

What Enterprising Colombians Have Done

Before making a decision on what specific business to enter, you may find the experiences of many Colombian families in operating a mini-business of interest.

A widow in Bogotá earns her livelihood as caretaker of homes whose owners are out of town. Reliable and trustworthy, she obtains work through referrals. Before engaging in this type of work, you may wish to insure yourself against the risk involved in guarding another’s property.

Few Colombian mothers work outside the home, but many add to the family income by preparing hot meals. Boarders may eat at the family table, or the hot lunch may be sent to the work site. Others prepare food for sale to small grocery stores, such as a cornmeal bun called arepas, served in most Colombian homes for breakfast or snacks. The sale of cake, candy, roasted peanuts, baked ham or fried plantains outside of stadiums or at playgrounds on holidays or Sundays brings in enough to support many families.

Persons in your community might enjoy sausages, pizza or other specialty dishes prepared with good-quality meat, free from harmful preservatives. Tamales, pasteles or empanadas, prepared with meat and vegetables, wrapped in dough of cornmeal or flour, either fried or boiled, are fast-selling delicacies in Colombia.

Supermarkets with a complete line of food items under one roof are almost unknown outside Colombia’s largest cities. Thus an opportunity exists for mini-merchants operating a booth in the central market or renting space in a small food store. A successful vendor in Barranquilla specializes in yucca, a starchy root much in demand for the preparation of soups. His stall is sought out by customers who know that he maintains the largest and best stock of yucca in the market.

Could you roast and grind coffee? A family in the city of Armenia has a small electric unit set up in the garage, and the aroma of roasting coffee brings customers from blocks around. One can buy a pound of coffee already ground and packaged, or watch while the newly roasted beans are ground to order.

A family in Medellín earns all its income from the home manufacture of gelatinas, a dessert similar to marshmallows. Sales are made retail from the home as well as wholesale to small food stores.

In communities where very few persons own automobiles, vendors render a real service by delivering fruits and vegetables to the customer. An elderly man, with a view to earning a little pocket change, started out to offer lemons from door to door. To his surprise, several persons asked him to come again the following week, and thus a route of steady buyers was established. Later, at the request of his customers, he expanded the business by adding papayas, bananas, pineapples and other types of fruit to his deliveries.

A mother needed extra cash for a trip the family wanted to take. She turned the front room of her home into a salesroom and started selling eggs to her residential neighborhood. From the profits of her modest efforts, a vacation was enjoyed by all the family.

In a tropical climate, a refrigerator is a real necessity, but in Colombia it is very expensive. How to enjoy owning one and still keep up the monthly payments? Possibly by sharing the products of your refrigerator with your neighbors—for a price! Stir up a mixture for popsicles, varying it with flavored syrups, crushed pineapple, mango, banana or shredded coconut, pour it into the ice trays or paper cups and drop in a short wooden stick. Now pop it into the freezer. Before long you will have a line of customers, especially children coming home from school, who have seen your handwritten sign in the window: helados. Since most families do not own a refrigerator, you can increase profits from your mini-business by the sale of bottled refreshments, home-prepared punch or fruit juice, or from the sale of ice cubes.

A young lad can find ways to employ his spare time profitably, contributing substantially to the family’s support. One young boy, after a nominal investment in supplies, called from door to door offering to shine shoes, then returned the following week where his services were accepted. With initiative and diligence, he built up a route of regular, appreciative customers. Shoe repair added to this service would increase one’s income.

A mother and daughter in Bucaramanga started making baby clothes in the home for sale in the immediate community. Through sales to local clothing merchants, this business was later expanded to become the family’s sole means of support.

A man sat on the sidewalk at a busy intersection of a large coastal city, with a supply of palm leaves around him. Quickly he cut the fronds into strips one inch wide, then fashioned a circle from a length of wire. Deftly, he covered the wire with many strips of palm leaf, weaving a flat brim inward about three inches, then shaped a crown, completing an attractive hat in less than ten minutes. As he started on the second hat, fascinated observers were already waving the money and shouting: The next one is mine!

A drugstore was opened in the living room of a home in a residential area. A supply of pharmaceutical-products, shampoos, lotions and ointments was neatly arranged on display shelves out of reach but within view of an open window. Since all sales were made through the window, mother was freed from constant attendance and could continue her housework between customers.

From a small sidewalk booth called Noah’s Ark all manner of used tools, plumbing equipment and other hardware are sold. A small business could be formed to sell or rent used books, magazines, furniture, clothing, appliances, sports equipment, musical instruments, or a combination of these items.

Metalwork in the form of doors, door-frames, window frames, metal shelving, or furniture provides employment for many businessmen in Colombia. Iron grillwork is becoming ever more popular for protecting windows and entrances, for enclosing porches, for fences or handrailings. Decorative and practical, the iron can be worked into floral designs, leaping antelopes, a dazzling sunrise, or even bars with musical notes.

The manufacture of flowerpots and planters provides an income for a resourceful family. While the teen-age sons and daughters mix sand and cement, mold and paint the product in the patio, father sells to small merchants in the local market, or from a handcart in residential areas. Another family expands this idea by marketing potted palms, orchids, philodendron or coleus plants, using the second-story balcony to display them.

Shoe manufacture is still largely a handcraft in Colombia, and three or four men often work together under contract to retailers or by selling from a display case in their shop. The customer can select footwear already made, or may order shoes to his exact size and style preference. A family in Bogotá makes a soft hand-stitched house slipper, similar to an Indian moccasin; and this business is their sole source of support.

Leather and imitation-leather book covers, wallets, coin purses, belts, handbags, briefcases or school-book bags are items constantly in demand. Sport jackets, made of suede or other leather, as well as imitation-leather raincoats, are clothing articles that never go out of style. Upholstering auto seats or living-room furniture in leatherlike plastics provides an income for many.

In the higher altitudes, a woolen ruana or poncho is a year-round necessity. Worn as a cape, a ruana serves for cold or rain, and is preferred by Colombians to a coat or jacket. A family in Bogotá weaves the fabric on a home loom, varying the colorful patterns for different effects. But ruanas can be made from any type of woolen fabrics, solid-color flannels or wool knits trimmed with white fringe, or lovely plaids with matching fringe.

Many other opportunities await the businessman or woman in furniture refinishing, rebinding worn books, crocheting or knitting shawls or sweaters, embroidering sheets or table linens, the manufacture of wigs or hairpieces, costume jewelry, macrame handbags, rope or wool scatter rugs, table lamps, mattresses, pillows, wicker furniture or stuffed toys.

Flor Ayag
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/would-a-minibusiness-serve-your-needs-713115.html

Would a Mini-business Serve Your Needs

IN Cali, Colombia, a young mother was suddenly widowed and left without support for herself and two young sons. Her only asset was her home. After careful planning, she divided off four of her rooms into two independent apartments and thus supported her small family from a mini-business.

As prices increase on all commodities, many persons find their earnings inadequate for even basic needs. If father takes two jobs, however, the family loses his guidance and he invites illness due to overwork. If mother is employed outside the home, the children suffer the loss of her supervision and loving companionship. But where a family needs additional funds, the means to provide such income could be a self-operated mini-business.

By mini-business is meant any small enterprise, whether in service, manufacturing or sales, frequently using the home, garage or patio as the base of operations. The objective may be to employ profitably the spare time of older children, provide income for mother on a part-time basis, or to develop a business that would eventually support the family entirely.

Why Many Prefer Self-Employment

While a job in industry may offer greater financial security and attractive fringe benefits, it can also be routine, monotonous and lacking in opportunities to use initiative. In many countries, however, even such industrial jobs are scarce, and the inexperienced or untrained cannot readily find employment.

Among the advantages gained by the self-employed are a flexible work schedule, a more active interest in the business and so greater productivity, plus the satisfaction of worthwhile accomplishment. They can also choose their work companions, perhaps giving on-the-job training to sons and daughters, equipping them with a useful trade.

What Type of Mini-Business?

Service opportunities offer a return for one’s time and energies and usually require only a modest outlay for tools and equipment. Every community needs the services of a carpenter or plumber, a tailor or seamstress, a beautician, barber, mechanic, electrician or appliance repairman. The necessary skills can often be acquired in a trade school, or by apprenticeship to someone already in the business.

Maintenance of property or equipment on a contract basis could be a source of income for you. If you have mechanical training, why not approach the management of office or factory buildings with a contract to service air-conditioning units, electrical generators, boilers or elevators? For those without technical skills, landscaping or maintaining the grounds of private estates, clubs, or business properties, providing janitor service to industrial or office buildings, are a few of the areas for employment on a contract basis.

Agricultural work is also done by contract, such as the harvesting of grains or food crops. In the Buenaventura area of Colombia a father contracts with owners of large plantations to harvest their banana crops. This frees the owner from hiring each individual worker, and the father negotiates for a better wage for his family.

But you may feel that the manufacture of a useful or decorative item would be more appealing as a mini-business.

Sales

Since your product must be sold, a realistic appraisal of the market potential should be made before investing in machinery or raw materials. Is your product such that the public will come to you to buy? If not, would you sell to retail stores? Would it be advantageous to advertise? Is there a year-round market for your product, or would it sell only seasonally? How would your sales be affected by inclement weather, public transportation strikes or breakdowns, or illness of yourself or other family members?

Valuable information on sales could be gathered from small manufacturers experienced in your field or in a related one. Talk to them, ask for their suggestions, make notes for later reference as to how they promote sales and where they market their products.

Public-relations-oriented manufacturers have long capitalized on a natural curiosity about how their product is made, and plant tours are arranged with customer appeal in mind. Scaling this idea down to mini-size, a rug manufacturer employing six workers opens his plant to full view of all passing-by, and frequently a crowd gathers to watch his operations, observing with interest the emergence of lovely patterns as bright yarns are woven into the backing.

What Enterprising Colombians Have Done

Before making a decision on what specific business to enter, you may find the experiences of many Colombian families in operating a mini-business of interest.

A widow in Bogotá earns her livelihood as caretaker of homes whose owners are out of town. Reliable and trustworthy, she obtains work through referrals. Before engaging in this type of work, you may wish to insure yourself against the risk involved in guarding another’s property.

Few Colombian mothers work outside the home, but many add to the family income by preparing hot meals. Boarders may eat at the family table, or the hot lunch may be sent to the work site. Others prepare food for sale to small grocery stores, such as a cornmeal bun called arepas, served in most Colombian homes for breakfast or snacks. The sale of cake, candy, roasted peanuts, baked ham or fried plantains outside of stadiums or at playgrounds on holidays or Sundays brings in enough to support many families.

Persons in your community might enjoy sausages, pizza or other specialty dishes prepared with good-quality meat, free from harmful preservatives. Tamales, pasteles or empanadas, prepared with meat and vegetables, wrapped in dough of cornmeal or flour, either fried or boiled, are fast-selling delicacies in Colombia.

Supermarkets with a complete line of food items under one roof are almost unknown outside Colombia’s largest cities. Thus an opportunity exists for mini-merchants operating a booth in the central market or renting space in a small food store. A successful vendor in Barranquilla specializes in yucca, a starchy root much in demand for the preparation of soups. His stall is sought out by customers who know that he maintains the largest and best stock of yucca in the market.

Could you roast and grind coffee? A family in the city of Armenia has a small electric unit set up in the garage, and the aroma of roasting coffee brings customers from blocks around. One can buy a pound of coffee already ground and packaged, or watch while the newly roasted beans are ground to order.

A family in Medellín earns all its income from the home manufacture of gelatinas, a dessert similar to marshmallows. Sales are made retail from the home as well as wholesale to small food stores.

In communities where very few persons own automobiles, vendors render a real service by delivering fruits and vegetables to the customer. An elderly man, with a view to earning a little pocket change, started out to offer lemons from door to door. To his surprise, several persons asked him to come again the following week, and thus a route of steady buyers was established. Later, at the request of his customers, he expanded the business by adding papayas, bananas, pineapples and other types of fruit to his deliveries.

A mother needed extra cash for a trip the family wanted to take. She turned the front room of her home into a salesroom and started selling eggs to her residential neighborhood. From the profits of her modest efforts, a vacation was enjoyed by all the family.

In a tropical climate, a refrigerator is a real necessity, but in Colombia it is very expensive. How to enjoy owning one and still keep up the monthly payments? Possibly by sharing the products of your refrigerator with your neighbors—for a price! Stir up a mixture for popsicles, varying it with flavored syrups, crushed pineapple, mango, banana or shredded coconut, pour it into the ice trays or paper cups and drop in a short wooden stick. Now pop it into the freezer. Before long you will have a line of customers, especially children coming home from school, who have seen your handwritten sign in the window: helados. Since most families do not own a refrigerator, you can increase profits from your mini-business by the sale of bottled refreshments, home-prepared punch or fruit juice, or from the sale of ice cubes.

A young lad can find ways to employ his spare time profitably, contributing substantially to the family’s support. One young boy, after a nominal investment in supplies, called from door to door offering to shine shoes, then returned the following week where his services were accepted. With initiative and diligence, he built up a route of regular, appreciative customers. Shoe repair added to this service would increase one’s income.

A mother and daughter in Bucaramanga started making baby clothes in the home for sale in the immediate community. Through sales to local clothing merchants, this business was later expanded to become the family’s sole means of support.

A man sat on the sidewalk at a busy intersection of a large coastal city, with a supply of palm leaves around him. Quickly he cut the fronds into strips one inch wide, then fashioned a circle from a length of wire. Deftly, he covered the wire with many strips of palm leaf, weaving a flat brim inward about three inches, then shaped a crown, completing an attractive hat in less than ten minutes. As he started on the second hat, fascinated observers were already waving the money and shouting: The next one is mine!

A drugstore was opened in the living room of a home in a residential area. A supply of pharmaceutical-products, shampoos, lotions and ointments was neatly arranged on display shelves out of reach but within view of an open window. Since all sales were made through the window, mother was freed from constant attendance and could continue her housework between customers.

From a small sidewalk booth called Noah’s Ark all manner of used tools, plumbing equipment and other hardware are sold. A small business could be formed to sell or rent used books, magazines, furniture, clothing, appliances, sports equipment, musical instruments, or a combination of these items.

Metalwork in the form of doors, door-frames, window frames, metal shelving, or furniture provides employment for many businessmen in Colombia. Iron grillwork is becoming ever more popular for protecting windows and entrances, for enclosing porches, for fences or handrailings. Decorative and practical, the iron can be worked into floral designs, leaping antelopes, a dazzling sunrise, or even bars with musical notes.

The manufacture of flowerpots and planters provides an income for a resourceful family. While the teen-age sons and daughters mix sand and cement, mold and paint the product in the patio, father sells to small merchants in the local market, or from a handcart in residential areas. Another family expands this idea by marketing potted palms, orchids, philodendron or coleus plants, using the second-story balcony to display them.

Shoe manufacture is still largely a handcraft in Colombia, and three or four men often work together under contract to retailers or by selling from a display case in their shop. The customer can select footwear already made, or may order shoes to his exact size and style preference. A family in Bogotá makes a soft hand-stitched house slipper, similar to an Indian moccasin; and this business is their sole source of support.

Leather and imitation-leather book covers, wallets, coin purses, belts, handbags, briefcases or school-book bags are items constantly in demand. Sport jackets, made of suede or other leather, as well as imitation-leather raincoats, are clothing articles that never go out of style. Upholstering auto seats or living-room furniture in leatherlike plastics provides an income for many.

In the higher altitudes, a woolen ruana or poncho is a year-round necessity. Worn as a cape, a ruana serves for cold or rain, and is preferred by Colombians to a coat or jacket. A family in Bogotá weaves the fabric on a home loom, varying the colorful patterns for different effects. But ruanas can be made from any type of woolen fabrics, solid-color flannels or wool knits trimmed with white fringe, or lovely plaids with matching fringe.

Many other opportunities await the businessman or woman in furniture refinishing, rebinding worn books, crocheting or knitting shawls or sweaters, embroidering sheets or table linens, the manufacture of wigs or hairpieces, costume jewelry, macrame handbags, rope or wool scatter rugs, table lamps, mattresses, pillows, wicker furniture or stuffed toys.

Flor Ayag
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