You do this trade work — action, intonation, fretwork basics. Customers pay from a written estimate with a deposit, inside a set service radius.
This is a small licensed-or-skilled trade. You do action, intonation, fretwork basics. You get paid from an estimate with a deposit. Charge for travel and thinking, not only the hour the tool is spinning. A normal week is quotes, photographed jobs in a tight radius, parts runs, and booked hours at about 70% so rest and estimates fit. Train under someone good, then insure and license as required. Taking care of your body is the hidden job.
Used tools for one trade, not a new truck and shop. Shared bays and tool rental keep the floor down (BLS self-employed / SCORE). First paid job after you can do the work is often 1–4 weeks; training itself can take 1–6 months.
Each required material has a matching shop listing — photo, price, and a way to add it to the cart.
Core tools
Hand-tool starter kit
Hand-tool starter kit. A tote of the first hand tools a one-person trade actually uses: drivers, knives, tape, and a small hammer. Not a contractor van build-out.
Van or durable car
Cargo van week rental
A week in a cargo van or durable wagon for markets, sale days, or a mobile structure. Rental credit and pickup notes — not a scale model and not a land title.
PPE
PPE kit
PPE kit. Gloves, glasses, and dust masks in a labeled pouch. Personal protective gear, not a hard-hat jobsite kit.
Invoice app
An invoicing seat plus a numbered-invoice template. Digital; this is not a bookkeeper.
Shop corner
Daylight desk nook kit
A small desk, a task lamp, and a chair pad for a daylight or quiet corner. A nook, not an office lease.
Public examples matched to this path by what they actually publish — not endorsements, and not a claim they run this exact shop. Handles change. Verify before you write to anyone.
No closely matched public example yet. Treat any lead you find as something to verify, not a directory listing.
Jonas Hale left salaried work and now coaches this craft. Book a slot for a tailored plan, a starter kit list, and follow-up support.
Visible-Mend
Make and sell sashiko and embroidery on sent-in garments
Visible-Mend
Make and sell sashiko and embroidery on sent-in garments
You make sashiko and embroidery on sent-in garments by hand. Customers pay per piece on Etsy, at a market, or through a shop.
Minimum initial capital Minimum initial capital $80
Sewing-Machine Doctor
The machines in every grandmother's closet
Sewing-Machine Doctor
The machines in every grandmother's closet
You do this trade work — the machines in every grandmother's closet. Customers pay from a written estimate with a deposit, inside a set service radius.
Minimum initial capital Minimum initial capital $300
Chimney and Stove Care
Where wood heat is real
Chimney and Stove Care
Where wood heat is real
You do this trade work — where wood heat is real. Customers pay from a written estimate with a deposit, inside a set service radius.
Minimum initial capital Minimum initial capital $800
