I agree that in the USA "there may not be much room for micro-financeable cottage industries". The closest we have around here is "very small business owners".

I agree that in the USA "there may not be much room for micro-financeable cottage industries". The closest we have around here is "very small business owners". I see landscaping, housekeeping, small restaurants (e.g. yogurt shops), food carts, etc. They all involve a lot of hard work for relatively low pay! It's possible to start a landscaping business with a microloan. But most other small businesses require more capital than that. Even a food cart requires thousands of dollars in equipment.