How can something tiny make big business? Just ask Tumbleweed Tiny House Company‘s Jay Shafer – he can teach you how to build a small home for $20,000 – and make a big business doing so.

Jay Shafer has been doing it for years, and he has ‘silently’ inspire many people. However, the recent exposures on national TV re-buzz his unique concept of housing (He’s been featured on Oprah, CNN, and a couple of other national news TV channels and magazines.)

It’s all started some 12 years ago, when he built a tiny house that is later known as Tumbleweed. Since then, Jay has built a dozen of his own and designed hundreds of other people.

Jay Shafer has been the inspiration of the small house movement. Some consider him as a social activist who contributes to the world of architecture, housing, aesthetics, art and low-impact community living.

Check out this video, touring on Jay’s 100 sq. ft. tiny home:

To say the least, the house design is pretty cool and it’s interesting to know you can build an effective home on such a limited space. Not really ideal for those who are claustrophobic, but very ideal for those who love to travel the country with their homes, instead of driving RVs or caravans.

How tiny homes can make big business?

It’s all in the Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Save money and save the environment.

According to Jay, a typical $20,000 tiny house is made with only 4,800 lbs. of building materials and less than 100 lbs. goes to the landfill. It only produces less than 4 tons of greenhouse gas.

The USP appeals to the growing number of environmental-conscious homeowners, and the idea is well-accepted in the new niche of environmentally-friendly or green homes.

Whenever you cater a strong, niche demand in which not many can fulfill, you can make a big business out of it – another example why exploring the niche market is a worthwhile endeavour.

Plus, Jay Shafer has built quite a reputation as an inspiration to many, from home designers to eco-conscious communities – one example of how personal branding can help you a great deal in transforming a business idea into a (successful) reality.

If you are interested in Do-It-Yourself and want to live greener, you might want to check out Jay Shafer’s Tumbleweed Tiny House Company website.

You can also listen to NPR’s interview with Jay Shafer.

Ivan Widjaya
Tiny home, big business
Image from TumbleWeedHouses.com