We know of no other endeavor that provides a profitable, pleasurable home based industry to compare with the alpaca life style. The whole family can function as a unit in providing livestock husbandry, attending shows, 4H projects, Children learn the work ethic while caring for/nurturing/grooming and showing animals that are gentle, lovable and cuddly yet take only a minimum of stable cleaning and feeding. Because of their small size and gentle nature (as well as no upper teeth and only soft pads for hoofs) even a young child is safe in their company.

Because of the profits involved in a well run alpaca operation with quality alpaca stock many couples have opted to have one parent remain at home - providing homemaker skills/parenting - while the alpaca sales provide income. We know of several families where both partners/parents have left their regular employment and raise alpacas full time very profitably while allowing them to devote their time to their children and a relaxed home life.

More and more couples are retiring who are still youthful and energetic and don't want to sit back in their rocking chairs, The alpaca industry appears to be ideal for these people. Unfortunately they soon find out that it is profitable, can get frantic when cria start arriving and when preparing for shows and at the end of the day they end up sitting in their rocking chairs, looking over their "humming" alpaca mothers and "pronging" crias and wondering why they didn't retire years earlier!