I'm looking for some advice on where I can pick up a Bo staff. I'm about 5'10", and I've heard from a few people that the staff length should probably be around that same height or somewhere in that ballpark? Maybe? Does anyone know where I could actually find one of these around here?
I think I've finally wrapped my head around this a little bit.
In my opinion, going with a sole proprietorship might be the smarter move, mostly because it makes selling things online so much easier. When you look at the numbers, the tax contributions are pretty much identical anyway. You'd end up paying about $667 toward Social Security and Medicare annually. So, honestly, it’s probably worth a shot—it’s not like it's breaking the bank $667 just to test the waters for a single trial year.
The thing is, this is just a hobby for now—you know, one of those things where you're just seeing how it goes—but I've already got a solid rhythm down. My main hurdle is space; they really need a dedicated room or some kind of facility to pass all those inspections. So, I'm poking around to see if there’s any way to secure some space. I guess it doesn't hurt to ask, right? The worst part is when you actually build something up, and then some idiot—and I mean certain individuals in this group—comes along and acts all smug, saying, "Wow, you really messed that up, how could you be so clueless? You should have pulled funding from here or there."
Anyway, that's the direction I'm heading in, but it's not going to be an overnight thing. It's not like, bam, here's the money, bam, here's the building...
Right now, I'm just in the planning phase. I can take my time with this since I've got my steady job, so I'm just looking to start this up as a side hustle.
@Kate Chase59, since I'm already employed, this would just be a second job for me, so self-employment isn't really on the table.
I mean, you can actually set up a Family Farm without owning any land. It makes me wonder how people who specialize in mushroom buying even manage. They don't own the woods, they just buy forest products from others. I was thinking about doing something similar—maybe finding a few local foragers to gather wild herbs, then I could buy them out and turn those raw materials into finished products myself.
But, I have a feeling the government subsidies won't be coming my way. I gave my cousin a call, and he told me that if you're opening this alongside a full-time job, you aren't technically starting a "self-employment" venture in their eyes. So, I guess I probably won't see any grant money for a physical location.
He also mentioned that they work closely with the Blue Office, and apparently, you can download xcell accounting software for free right from their website if you're handling your own books. Maybe if I reach out, they can actually answer some of my specific questions.
@placidtinker39 I tried emailing them, but honestly, the lady I spoke to was pretty blunt with me. She basically said that only someone who already has an active Family Farm registration is eligible for incentives. I guess I was being a bit silly asking if I'd qualify under my current setup, since I haven't even officially registered yet. Once I said that, she pretty much shut down the conversation.
slysurfer14 said:Someone who doesn't even know how to start a Family Farm shouldn't be messing with this stuff. Use your heads, people.
Now I’m just trying to figure out the best way to handle this. If I go ahead and register the Family Farm now, and then later realize I could have just waited to grab those new startup grants... man, I would be absolutely livid.
I sent an email over to the folks in Washington, D.C. I actually have a cousin who runs a Family Farm, so he might be able to give me some pointers. But, I don't know, it's a pretty weird situation—trying to set up a Family Farm without owning any land.
Honestly, seeing people like you makes me realize how lucky I am. I actually enjoy helping people out instead of just being a jerk and spitting on everyone. You must be a deeply unhappy person.
The Blue Office handles everything out of Washington, D.C., but I’m actually up here in the Appalachian Mountains. I wonder if anyone might be able to point me in the right direction or maybe offer some advice?
placidtinker39 said:Look, my advice? Just try treating it strictly as a hobby for a year or two. Start small—make some herbal teas, tinctures, syrups, juices, or salves. Give some away as gifts, sell a little bit on the side, and just see where you land. Eventually, you'll figure out if it actually pays off or if it's just a lot of work for nothing...
I really just need to figure out how to qualify for those commercial space grants, and more importantly, what the requirements are so I don't have to pay all that money back if I end up closing shop.
If I managed to land a grant for some space, maybe $0.00 would be enough to scrape together a decent little setup. All I’d really need is a dehydrator and pretty much nothing else—maybe some storage packaging. Getting the permits shouldn't be too hard, I guess. As for product packaging, I'd probably just go with the cheapest option: plain bags with a simple label. No fancy marketing needed, either; I already have a few people who'd buy stuff right from my doorstep. I'd grab a domain name and throw up a basic website, just so I don't have to explain my whole process to everyone individually—just one spot for all the info. We're not talking about cheap teas grown in $5.00 per 100g sourced from Egypt, but rather premium, wild-grown American herbs. It's definitely quality over quantity for me. I figure if I can sell about 1kg of tea, I might hit that target income zone—though that’s gross income, obviously. I have no clue how much the government will take, besides the standard 25%.
I could also branch out into herbal salves, balms, tinctures, syrups, or even juices.
Let's just say the business model is more or less mapped out, and it would be totally legal.
But, the reality is I don't have the land, I don't have the space, and heaven knows how much those lab tests cost... I'm just trying to see if this is doable as a side hustle to start with. Honestly, it doesn't even matter if I don't make a dime initially (I'm not even sure what the requirements are to justify a facility grant), but if things actually take off, then I'll quit my job and go full-time.
To be honest, I see plenty of room here to make some money. At first, it wouldn't even really be about the cash since I've already got my steady job—this would mostly just be me turning a hobby into a little side hustle. I mean, I don't think there's really a limit to how little someone can earn, but if I could walk away with $167 net at the end of the month, I’d be pretty happy with that. The location doesn't matter much to me; what matters is finding those specific plants that grow wild in the woods, collecting them, and selling them. That's the real draw for me.
I’m thinking about getting into harvesting and selling wild plants. I was wondering if I might qualify for any kind of government subsidies? Since I don't actually own any land, I'd probably need some assistance just to secure a workspace or storefront.
I’ve been scouring the web for some answers, but I honestly can't seem to find a single thing that actually hits the mark.
At this point, I think I might just throw in the towel on the searching and simply call an expert who knows the ropes—and hey, I wouldn't mind paying a fee for that kind of expertise. I basically need someone who truly understands the ins and outs of setting up a Family Farm and could probably handle all the paperwork needed to apply for those government grants.
I mean, I'm starting to think the only real way forward is just consistent, light exercise—maybe even some stuff specifically designed for your particular joint—along with dropping some weight and sticking to an anti-inflammatory diet.
Honestly, I ended up having a bad reaction to collagen. I’m pretty sure that painful vein issue in my leg was triggered right when I started the collagen therapy, which is actually listed as a side effect. It feels like there aren't any perfect medical fixes; one pill helps you out, and then the next one just ends up causing more trouble.
Hey everyone, so I actually decided to quit drinking coffee recently, and I’ve gotta say, I feel way less exhausted. It’s especially noticeable during those mid-afternoon slumps, back when I used to knock down two cups a day plus an afternoon one. Meanwhile, my coworker over at the office only sticks to a single cup in the morning, yet she’s always complaining about how wiped out she feels by the afternoon. My theory—and I might be totally off base here—is that the coffee itself is actually causing her fatigue. I guess if she just gave up the caffeine altogether, she wouldn't hit that wall so hard in the afternoon. Does that even make sense? Is this what people call a caffeine crash?
Melissa Roberts22 said:So, here's the deal with stem cells harvested from fat tissue—they inject them into the knee, they stick around for maybe four years, and you get about a 30% or 40% improvement, I guess. It’s mostly wealthy athletes doing this because they end up repeating the whole process every four years anyway. I heard at one private clinic in a major US city, they were charging roughly $5,000 for it a couple of years back, though in smaller towns, maybe it drops down to closer to $3,000. Personally, I decided against it because that's how my doctor explained the outlook to me. The new thing being tested experimentally right now involves taking stem cells directly from bone marrow. I can't say too much about that specifically, since a friend of mine who is looking into that option hasn't even been called in yet. Well, we'll see how that goes, I suppose. I stay pretty close to everything regarding worn-down cartilage. As for my own issues, I manage them through bioenergy and by taking a 1500 mg glucosamine sulfate oral powder. I've been grinding away at that for over ten years now, and I can tell you, I finally stepped away from physical labor this year. Even though I couldn't walk last spring because the pain was just too much, I feel a massive improvement now. I can move, walk, run, dance... so, if that helps anyone out... lp
Glucosamine is alright, but I read somewhere that collagen is actually twice as good. If you decide to take a break from the glucosamine, maybe give collagen a shot.
Well, here we go again with the doubts creeping back in. I was actually visiting a specialist today who makes custom orthopedic insoles—since I’ve got flat feet, you know? I ended up venting to him about how much my knees are killing me and mentioned I'm looking into stem cells and PRP. He basically shut me down. He told me it isn't a great idea, that I'm probably too young for this kind of thing, and that even if the injections feel fine for a year or so, the pain and damage just end up coming back even worse later on.
I honestly don't know what to believe anymore. It feels like the last doctor I spoke to, the one who actually performs these procedures, was singing its praises from the rooftops, but I can't help but wonder if he's just trying to sell his own program. I guess we'll see what he says, but man, I really wish I could just get an opinion from some unbiased expert.
Benjamin Newman8 said:From what I gather, both PRP and stem cells mostly just calm down inflammation. As for actually regenerating cartilage? I mean, maybe a tiny bit, but honestly, I have my doubts... stem cells are probably better, though maybe you should get an MRI first just to be sure. If I had money to just throw out the window, I’d probably go in for these shots all the time, but let's be real—there's no guarantee the cartilage will actually grow back. And I guess the only way to really track if things are improving is through an MRI.
I think you might have missed some of the earlier posts here. Lately, you can actually get PRP and stem cell treatments covered by Medicare.
I was at the doctor's office today, and he's saying stem cells might not be the right move for me. He suggested we maybe look into PRP instead. Since this isn't his specialty—another specialist handles that side of things—he didn't really dive into the nitty-gritty of the "how" or "why."
It feels a little strange, though. I mean, everyone talks about stem cells like they’re the absolute pinnacle of modern medicine, yet this orthopedist kept shaking his head like it just wasn't a fit for my situation. On the REGENEXX scan, they aren't seeing much damage in the knee. Maybe that’s it? Perhaps the damage isn't significant enough to justify stem cells yet? I guess I also had this nagging worry that stem cells could potentially cause some issues, even though everywhere I read online, people swear there are no downsides at all.
I'm heading to see the other specialist in October, so hopefully, I'll have a clearer picture then.
So, I guess I've officially jumped down the rabbit hole. Now I'm starting to worry about the risks. For instance, they have to put you under during liposuction, and honestly, anything could go wrong there, right? Or even just injecting directly into the knee—could the needle cause more damage and actually make things worse?
And I don't know much about PRP, just platelet-rich plasma stuff? Is that injected at the exact same time as the stem cells, like, through the same needle?
The folks over at Osijek University Hospital reached out to me. They want me to get X-rays done on both knees at the very least. I guess once I send those images over, we'll see what the next steps are.
My apologies, I haven't quite caught up on all the previous posts yet—mostly because some of those technical terms are a bit over my head and I've been rushing around lately.
It looks like Osijek University Hospital is a spot where you can get PRP and stem cell treatments done. I actually sent them an email, so I guess we'll just see what they have to say about it.