Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Thursday, December 1. 2011

Want to sell home-made jam?

Freedom and free markets? This pleasant gal tells her story about selling jam, jelly, and pies: Caveat Venditor: Cottage Food Laws Great in Theory, Often Less So in Practice.


The rules are stacked against even the smallest of entrepreneurs. If and when I decided to set up my own thing, I already know what I'll need to borrow money for: Lawyers.

Posted by The News Junkie in Politics at 17:18 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

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This is a microcosm of the barriers thwarting small business in general. It's an example of the ignorant setting rules for things they know nothing about. That phenomenon is systemic in Government.

One wonders who writes the legislative minutiae and who has input? For example, are Welch's and Smuckers so worried about home competition that they don't want such persons to be on the internet?

Government may inadverntently be doing her a favor by throwing up the roadblocks and killing her business.

Otherwise, someday someone might get a case of the scours and decide her product caused it and decide to sue her. The legal fees would kill her little business for sure.
#1 feeblemind on 2011-12-01 19:15 (Reply)
Make yourself judgement proof before starting, get beaucoup insurance since the insurance company will send a good lawyer if they're on the hook for big bucks.

Then go for it!
#2 Peccable (Link) on 2011-12-02 05:33 (Reply)
I understand her concerns and the situation she is in, but $400, $200/yr with one up front, does not seem like a huge burden to bear to put her into the class of business' where she can have all the tools she needs to run her business and be successful. If she isn't making enough money where she can afford the $200/yr, then she shouldn't be in business.

I'm not exactly sure who is really at fault here. I know we want to blame the state, but it seems that the women running the jelly/jam business wants all the privileges of a licensed business without having to pay for them.
#3 Tom Francis on 2011-12-02 07:52 (Reply)
I've made a couple of runs at business startups, the last during the California electricity problems around 2001.

I was informed that I needed FIVE separate teams of lawyers to get it off the ground.

Yea, sure.

Reminds of the old folk wisdom.

With one lawyer in town, he starves for lack of business. With two lawyers in town, they both get rich.
#4 Whitehall on 2011-12-02 11:23 (Reply)
The collectivists are herding us into a pen, the better to control us.
The Founding Fathers would have reacted violently long ago.
#5 PacRim Jim (Link) on 2011-12-02 15:07 (Reply)
Not sure where you are located but call the state dept of agriculture and markets, at least here in NY there is a way around the Health Dept license. A waiver so to speak. Of course your business must make less than $20,000 a year (that's easily hidden in the jam/jelly business) as far as insurance, you would want to have that anyway or transfer all your owned property to someone elses name (can't get blood from a stone) if the insurance is for food poisoning coverage, (I'm assuming it is) pay it and take a class at the local college and get certified by the health dept. It does not cost much and should lower your insurance as well as get you through a ton of loop holes as your business grows. Do not listen to those that tell you to set up a corporation and all that if you don't plan on having employees yet. Don't be overwhelmed, go one step at a time and keep impeccable records. Hope this helps! Good luck to you!
#6 Blogdaddy on 2012-01-08 23:44 (Reply)

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