There’s absolutely no doubt that you can make money with backyard Aquaponics. There are many aquaponics farms all over the world producing vegetables and other plants using this amazing technique and selling their produce for profits. In fact, Aquaponics is probably more profitable than the traditional methods of farming. It uses less water, grows much more vegetables in the same space and, whats more, the veggies grow faster into the bargain. So, as you can see, its a win-win-win situation, so it doesn’t get any better than that.
Knowing how to setup your aquaponics business will require you to carry out some research. The most important thing is that you try it out on a small scale first and see if you can make a small-scale success of it. You will learn the tips and tricks of the trade only by being hands on at it. Everything is cheaper when carried out on a smaller scale and your mistakes will not be as costly. Once you get the hang of it, expansion won’t be a problem and you can scale your system quite easily.
Of course, its a great idea to learn as much about aquaponics as you can before starting out. Take time to research it online, get a few aquaponics books and even an online aquaponics course will be very helpful in educating you. As with most other things in life, knowledge is crucial to your ultimate success.
The first thing you will need to do is check out how other aquaponics farms are set up. Do your research and model yourself after the successful ones. Seek out an expert’s opinion or even better, speak to the owners of the other farms and ask them for advice. Try to find farms located far away from yours so that they do not worry about competition.
Next, you will need to make a list of all the equipment you’ll need and see if your budget allows it. Always allow for some leeway and don’t over extend yourself. There will always be some unexpected costs so you will need to be prepared for those unexpected eventualities.
I recommend that you hire a professional to draw up a detailed business plan for you complete with estimations of cash flow, fixed and variable costs and projected sales statements. This will help greatly if you want to secure a loan in future.
The Importance Of A Good Location
Find a suitable location. This is crucial and should never ever be underestimated. The location of your aquaponics farm can play a big part in determining how successful you are. Many aquaponics farms have gone bust simply because they chose the wrong location. So, just like a storefront, location is vitally important.
Your farm needs to be in an area with sufficient sunlight for the plants to photosynthesize. Temperatures should be stable and not fluctuate wildly. There must be enough space surrounding your farm just in case you wish to expand in future. It can be a big heartache in future if you wish to expand your farm but you are constrained by structures that can’t be moved thus limiting your potential for expansion.
Next up, you will need to source and buy your hardware, equipment and whatever else you need. Take time to search for the most reliable suppliers and get the best deals and always exercise due diligence in this task.
You will also need to register your farm, get all the necessary licenses and approvals, do the whole IRS thing and make sure that you comply with all tax requirements to avoid potential future legal issues. Hiring a lawyer , although it can seem like n unnecessary overhead can be a good idea at this point.
Finally, you will need to market your products. The process of marketing your business is beyond the scope of this article but when the time comes, all you need to do is find someone experienced to help you with your marketing.
So, we have looked at how you make money with aquaponics. Of course, this is just the simplified version; there is much more but you will need to discover and learn as you go along. The main thing to note is to learn as much as you can before starting and keep learning as you go along. Then, you will succeed.