BusinessHABGuide/Start BeeKeeping Business: Our guide on starting a beekeeping business covers all the essential information.
To help you decide if this business is a good match for you.
Learn about the day-to-day activities of a beekeeping business owner.
The typical target market, growth potential, startup costs, legal considerations, and more!
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Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
1. Business Background
For many, beekeeping starts as a hobby.
It doesn’t take them long, however, to realize what a fascinating and fulfilling career it can be.
Beekeeping isn’t just about collecting honey;
It’s about getting to know your bees, their behaviors,
And their response to the natural environment around them.
How rewarding would it be to parlay your passion into a career?
See also: How to Starting Bee Farming
Business in Nigeria
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
2. Know the right person for the business
While beekeeping is an edifying career, it’s also a lot of work.
If you’re passionate about being at one with nature, and thrive on continuously learning and growing,
Bee keeping can be a wonderful business to enter.
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
3. Know the business activities
Since you can only collect honey from your hives during certain times of the year,
Your daily activities will vary from season to season.
Beekeeping is a form of animal husbandry,
So you will spend time providing feed when nectar and pollen supplies are low,
Preventing infections and parasitic mites, and minimizing the effects of Africanized bees.
When available, you’ll collect honey and honeycomb,
Turning them into products such as lotion and chapstick.
Since this is a very unique profession,
You’ll also want to spend a good deal of time marketing,
And looking for new opportunities to make a name for yourself and your products.
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
4. What is the target market?
You’ll have two different types of customers –
Those that purchase honey, and those that purchase beeswax products.
When first starting out, individual sales will be your bread and butter.
As you make a name for yourself within the community,
You’ll want to target larger customers.
Restaurants and health food stores have the ability to purchase your products in bulk,
Making the sales process easier.
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
5. Know how to make money
Your beekeeping business will earn a profit through the sale of honey and other bee-related products.
Depending on their location and demand, some beekeepers.
Also rent out their bees for commercial crop pollination.
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Business in Nigeria
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
6. Get the growth potential
Your business’ growth is heavily dependent on the size of land you have to work with.
The more space you have, the more bees you’re able to tend to. More bees equals greater yield.
7. Get the skills and experiences
Except for when you’re out selling your products, much of your time will be spent alone,
So it’s important that you enjoy the solitude.
Each colony has different behaviors and reacts differently to their surroundings,
So beekeepers must be detail-oriented, with a love of constantly learning new things.
Patience is critical in this profession. It also doesn’t hurt to have a calm personality –
Animals feed off our energy and bees are no different.
Your reaction to a bee sting or when something else goes awry can directly affect the bee’s behavior.
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
8. Know the costs involved
The greatest part of your investment will be the land you house your bees on.
You’ll need to purchase or rent land large enough for your bees to forage.
If you’re worried about having too much land, keep in mind that larger spaces can be grown into,
While smaller pieces of land can stunt growth.
Once you’ve found land for your bees, there are a few additional items you’ll need:
- Bees with queen
- Veil
- Hive tool
- Bee smoker
- Beekeeper’s suit
- Gloves
- Beekeeper’s Boots
- Fully assembled hives
- Bee brush
- Escape board
- Honey extractor
- Electrically heated knife
- Cheesecloth
- Wintering equipment, for those living in colder climates
Your initial investment should also include launching a website,
Developing marketing materials, and acquiring an insurance policy,
Recommended by your attorney or agent.
Must read: 9 Tips to Start Capital Access Training
Business in Nigeria
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
9. What are the steps to start a beekeeping business?
Once you’re ready to start your beekeeping business,
Follow these steps to ensure that your business is legally.
Compliant and avoid wasting time and money as your business grows:
- Plan your business. A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. A few important topics to consider are your initial costs, your target market, and how long it will take you to break even.
- Form a legal entity. Establishing a legal business entity prevents you from being personally liable if your beekeeping business is sued.
- Register for taxes. You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
- Open a business bank account. A dedicated checking account for your beekeeping business keeps your finances organized and makes your business appear more professional to your customers.
- Set up business accounting. Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
- Obtain necessary permits and licenses. Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
- Get business insurance. Insurance is highly recommended for all business owners. If you hire employees, workers compensation insurance may be a legal requirement in your state.
- Define your brand. Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
- Establish a web presence. A business website allows customers to learn more about your company and the products or services you offer. You can also use social media to attract new clients or customers.
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
10. Get a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship.
As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Read also: HOW TO START A FISH FARMING
BUSINESS IN NIGERIA
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
11. Get the insider tips
The following are some insider tips from experienced beekeepers who have chosen to make a career out of their passion:
- When looking for land for your bees, try to avoid residential areas. Investing in a rural area will reduce complaints of bee stings from neighbors, and ensure a more controlled environment for feeding your bees.
- Prepare yourself for honey processing by establishing a processing facility prior to placing your first hives.
- When purchasing hives, try to get one that’s had bees in it for at least a year. This reduces stress on the bees, which could negatively impact your crop.
- Protect your bees from chemicals as much as possible.
- Don’t get greedy! Remember, these bees are feeding you. Leave enough honey and honeycomb for them to properly feed on. A healthy bee is a healthy producer.
- Make sure they have access to a variety of food sources.
- Find out if there’s a bee club in your community and attend meetings whenever possible.
- Check with your state and local government, as some states require you to register as a beekeeper.
- Before starting your own business, consider apprenticing for a year or two, to really get a feel for what the job entails.
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
12. Learn how to promote & market your business
One of the best ways to promote your business is through education.
Many consumers are unaware of the benefits of consuming local honey,
Choosing to purchase it from the grocery store instead.
Have a website built and publish regular blogs,
Educating consumers on common myths and misconceptions.
Don’t forget to use any small business’ most inexpensive promotional tool – social media.
To further make a name for yourself, get out into the community.
Attend local farmers markets and flea markets, and take part in local events.
Visit natural stores and restaurants in your area –
Many of them will invest in your products for resale and for their own recipes.
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
13. Learn how to keep customers coming back
If you consistently offer quality products, you’ll develop a loyal following.
For a small business in a niche market, word of mouth is often your highest-producing marketing tool,
And positive customer experiences speak volumes.
Other post: 11 Top Dairy Farming Production
Process in Nigeria
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
14. Learn how and when to build a team
Beekeeping is typically a job done in solitude, so you really won’t need a staff to run the business.
If you do decide to hire someone to help with special events and on market days,
Be sure you employ someone who is fully educated on your products, as well as the beekeeping process.
Guide/Start BeeKeeping Business
15. Know how much can you charge customers
Prices vary depending upon the product, size, and process used to produce the item.
Honey is typically sold in pounds, with a 1.5 lb jar of raw honey selling for $11 and 3 lbs for $21. Local bee pollen retails for approximately $10 for 10oz.
16. Know the Factors Affecting Profits
Factors that affect your honey business profits should be controlled. These include controlling pests and diseases of honeybees, purchasing assets early on in beekeeping and making the best use of available labor. Beekeepers that maximize on these three factors enjoy good honey yields and great prices for their honey. Their honey businesses are profitable and can grow to large operations.
17. Learn to Keep Records
Records in beekeeping are an often overlooked part of the honey business. Beekeepers should keep two types of records: records of beehive activities and observations, and records of incomes and expenditure related to the honey business.
- You do not have to keep elaborate records or have financial accounting skills. Simple records that capture important information are adequate for general use.
- Properly kept records in your honey honey business help you make quick and accurate assessments of the profitability of the business.
Unfortunately, many beekeepers are not willing to share financial information or records of their honey businesses, despite being profitable.
18. Get the Honey Extractors
Commercial honey extractors are largely electric and utilize centrifugal force to extract honey from beehive frames. They capitalize on extracting honey from a large number of frames at a time to make sure you finish honey extraction as quickly as possible. Let us take a look at a few commercial honey extractors that are currently available to beekeepers.
19. Know how to Store Honey
You may store honey and package it later. You can market your honey locally or across larger regions. Listing in business directories both online and offline is great to market your honey business. Beekeepers also use other advertising methods for their honey business products.
Beekeepers also store honey in comb for some time and then extract it later. Honey in comb stays in its natural form for long. Stored honey in a container that is not opened frequently keeps it nutritious and in its high quality for long. Honey does not ferment due to its very high concentration of sugars. You may also put honey in cold storage without affecting its quality.
20. Get a better idea
Use this guide on how to start a honey business for a better idea on what is needed to set up a successful beekeeping operation. It is easy to start your own beekeeping enterprise and run it. You can practice small scale beekeeping or go large scale, it’s up to you. Beekeepers with large apiaries often start small to first gain experience in beekeeping and honey marketing. With experience and increased financial resources, they then expand the honey business to the size they set out to achieve. This is one of the best ways to start and run a large honey business. You can also check an interesting article on starting a business and what is an LLC.
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