The internet has created many trends and, as technology continues to improve, the world keeps changing. Now that we are better connected than ever, the ability to access products and services while promoting ourselves on growing platforms has led to a huge growth in independent businesses.
Social media companies, such as Instagram and TikTok, are continuing to implement support for financial transactions and businesses to grow within their platform, with Facebook even rolling out its own currency. Small businesses are able to advertise freely and precisely, growing support from their online audience. Even new dedicated retail applications, such as Depop, have adopted an Instagram aesthetic for their eBay-like platform because the community aspect and personal branding of social media are incredibly effective for business.
So, what does this have to do with gardens?
As individuals and small groups endeavour to start their own business, they often do so from within their own home. Whether looking to become a streamer on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, to create crafts and sell them on Etsy, or to create their own salon for those Next Door, the home is where it begins.
However, putting together an office or yoga studio within your house isn’t always possible. A surplus room isn’t usually a priority for new homeowners except for potential guests and children. Even with the room, few people are inclined to begin welcoming clients into their private residences to teach them music instruments or record their new album.
Instead, individuals with entrepreneurial ideas are looking for a low-cost space outside of their home. And that’s where the garden comes in.
Now, establishing a studio or working space in your garden is easier and cheaper than ever. People are buying log cabins and installing them in their garden to begin their business venture. There are already a variety of uses for them being advertised online, with some sharing their methodology behind how they turned their cabin into a gym or how they began offering therapy session in the privacy of their own garden.
Thanks to these unintrusive and simple spaces, more people are beginning to take their business seriously and branding is improving with it. Budding photographers are able to welcome guests into their private studio, language teachers are holding classes behind their houses, and barbers are setting up their own chairs in their garden, each avoiding the overhead costs associated with renting spaces.
This trend is beginning to change the economy. The old stereotype of a business being built in a garage is better understood by the day. Individuals are utilising new digital platforms and software to offer the products and services that they want to see.
So, if you’re looking for a reason to finally start your own business, then your garden may be the right one. As economies and cities become decentralised in favour of both online and local communities, you’ll find yourself supporting and attending businesses based not in city centre offices with huge graffitied murals and snooker tables, but in a residential garden cabin.
