cottage industry

American  

noun

1. the production, for sale, of goods at home, as the making of handicrafts by rural families.

2. any small-scale, loosely organized industry.

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cottage industry British  

noun

1. an industry in which employees work in their own homes, often using their own equipment

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Etymology

Origin of cottage industry

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

From my perspective, the heart of venture will always be Sand Hill Road, but backing startups has gone from a cottage industry to a global movement that has created millions of jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

A whole cottage industry has also developed online to advise landlords how to flip rental properties.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

"Yes, I do worry a bit, especially because there's now a whole cottage industry of companies that try to make a big buck and make it even simpler to install OpenClaw," he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Strange, considering the medium made true-crime and horror storytelling into a viable cottage industry.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

Somebody called and asked about ordering an ID card, the cottage industry that at fifty bucks a pop will help underwrite their contemplated move to Chicago.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz