Cottage economy

A skill that feeds your family can also pay for itself. Fair warning: the phases in this track don't mean beginner-to-advanced like they do in Foundational Skills. Here they mean a change of scale, from one person selling at a market table, to a group producing together, to a community whose work is its reputation. Same numbering, different ladder.

Phase 1: Individual income

Just you. Validate what you make, price it honestly, learn the legal basics, find your channels, and put the first dollars back into the craft.

Phase 2: Group income

You and a few others. Shared labor, shared equipment, a cooperative structure, a shared name, and customers who come back on a schedule.

Phase 3: Community identity

A community known for what it makes. A signature craft, a brand that means something, apprenticeship as both income and succession plan.