Cottage business refers to those entrepreneurs who create a product or offer a service from their homes or garages, often at commercial scale. Remember those lace doilies you saw on Etsy? Or the lady around the corner who baked all those cupcakes for your son’s birthday party? All these are cottage businesses.

For example…

Let’s consider 71-year-old Doris. She is a retired grandmother who has more time than the average person. Recently, however, she’s been swamped! Her daughter put up a photo of a beautiful pink cardigan for her grandchild on her Facebook feed and Doris has received over a hundred requests to produce the same. Doris has therefore started a cottage knitting business! She never expected to be an entrepreneur, but she can join the local entrepreneur club now!