One of the phrases I have heard lately is that millionaires have on average 7 different income streams. Would it surprise you that growing and selling Bonsai can be a lucrative side hustle? I loved the idea of growing and selling Bonsai so much that it became part of my 20 Year Business Plan.

How Much Can A Bonsai Sell For?

This answer varies greatly with the local department/garden store selling twigs as Bonsai for $30 through to hundreds of thousands of dollars for Japanese masterpieces. In between is the sweet spot for a side hustle with sales dollar amounts that will make a real difference to most peoples lives.

The below are real examples from my brother who has recently sold a couple of trees as his own side hustle, with the retail for both of these coming in at over $1200.

That’s right, $1200 for 2 Bonsai trees! Larger trees can easily sell into the high four figures.

As you can see, my brother is both a gifted photographer (his actual profession and award-winning) and a creator of beautiful Bonsais. He is available for freelance photography and design work, visit http://www.williambooth.co.nz for more examples and contact details.

Lifestyle Design

Like most side hustles this is an endeavour which requires hard work and learning. It is also going to take some time before real returns are going to be seen. After all, trees literally take time to grow and develop. 
The Bonsai concept blew me away so much that it later became a staple element of my own 20 Year Business design. This is something that is cheap to start and can be continued with well into retirement and old age. I even made the Bonsai tree (the Maple from above) the cover of my book (see below) as it perfectly represents the journey of growth to beauty and value. Bonsai are covered in much more detail in the book.

The Cost To Get Started

The thing I love about this concept is that the upfront cost to get started can incredibly low. Below is a recent experiment of my own to set a tree into a local rock to create a Bonsai. The total cost to do this I estimate at around $100, this includes the cost of the rock (free), the plant ($13) and my time to source the rock itself and then cut/chisel the rock ($87). After this plant has settled and I have shaped/styled I would hope to sell this creation for between $300 – $600. For now, however, there is not much to do other than provide water and nutrients and let time do its thing to let the plant become established. 

Eventually, I aim to keep repeating the process several more times and create a recurring revenue stream having plants at various stages of growth cycles and selling these on a regular basis to provide valuable income for my family.