She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
Proverbs 31:18

Etsy Workshops New York
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Etsy_Labs.jpg#filelinks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Etsy_Labs.jpg

Have you shopped on Etsy.com?
If our Proverbs 31 Woman was around today she’d have her own shop on Etsy.
She’s got an entrepreneurial spirit and the determination to make a success of her own ventures. She’s willing to do the work and invest her energies in an endeavor she believes will be profitable.

Last time we were in Africa I noticed that much of what is sold in small shops and on the street is sold by women.
At one of the largest fishing villages the entire Fish Market was run by women. The men caught the fish, but it was the women who were in charge of sales.
Many small neighborhood stores are run by women.
When several stores carry many of the same items a woman has to find a competitive edge through an artfully arranged display, friendlier service, or a better location.

We drove through one town where almost every shop along a main street was a Seamstress Shop. To succeed in that environment a woman needs a creative flare that sets her work apart from the competition. Quality fabrics, meticulous workmanship, and close attention to deadlines might all be factors that could draw customers into the shop.

What do you do well?
Do you make a fabulous pie or cake? Are you a painter or sculptor?
How about tech skills? Party planning or personal/home organization are skills that can be highly marketable. Are you qualified as a tutor for kids who need additional help outside the classroom?

One thing we have to keep in mind as we make our way through this passage in Proverbs 31: we aren’t looking at ‘A Day in the Life’ of this woman. We’re looking at the whole scope of a lifetime. What’s possible with older children might not be practical with small children.

But sometimes it’s when you’re up to your neck in the everyday care and feeding of a family that inspiration is triggered by necessity.
If you’ve left the corporate world to be at home you might come up with the next big thing right in your own kitchen or laundry room.
Or maybe you’ll write the next best selling series of kids books, invent a great baby product, or an incredibly popular toy.

Do you have a talent that’s just sitting on the back shelf? Or maybe something you’d like to learn that might enable you to create a ‘cottage industry’?

What’s your dream job? Could you do it from home?
Are you working, but not loving it?
Pour out your heart before The Lord and ask for inspiration.
There may be something else that would give you both the income and satisfaction you long for.