How to start a slow business 8 - Make money

In slow business, it's important to know who you work with and what you do, but of course how you get paid is also important.

I've been using the word "slow business" for some reason, but what is it in the first place? Is it a business that deals with products and services related to slow life, such as hand-crafted items, while valuing the time and lives of oneself and employees, and sustainably follows a policy? I think there is no sense of incongruity with such a definition.

The reason why this is related to the title of "making money properly" is that without money, you can't value the time and lives of yourself and your employees, and you can't do it sustainably.

There are many people in every industry, not only in the world of knitting, who say, "It's a hobby and I don't have to make any money" and do business with almost no profit. I actually think this is a pretty selfish way of doing things. I think there is a deep-seated psychology of wanting people to buy more at a lower price while saying they don't have to make a profit. Or maybe they don't have confidence in the product, so they don't think they can give you much money. Does that mean that they are selling products that are not very good?

And people who say they don't have to make money create people who work at low wages. People who have to make a living in the industry will have no choice but to match to some extent if other shops sell products at too cheap prices. As a result, the staff will not be able to pay their salaries. If you do that, you won't be able to make a living, so the number of people who take that job seriously will decrease. The handicraft industry is one of the industries that cannot be eaten. Employees can't take care of themselves, and there's no sustainability. Do you understand that saying "I don't have to make money" is a selfish attitude?

In order to attract more young people and wonderful people to my industry, to further develop the industry, and for the sake of other shops and artists who are working hard right now, I set the price lower than necessary. I think it is very important not to overdo it. We want everyone to receive a fair price that matches the quality of the product and the amount of work they put into it, so that they can live with peace of mind and time.

For those who want to start a slow business, this is a point that I would like you to think about.