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cottage industry UK US noun [C]
► WORKPLACE a small business in which people work in their own homes: »
They make and market beeswax cosmetics products as a cottage industry.
»Traditional cottage industries such as handicrafts continue to play a role in the economies of all Asian countries.
► used to talk about a business activity in which there are many individuals or small companies working in ways that are unusual for larger companies: »
Turning what was basically a cottage industry into a thriving business took energy and determination.
»At first computer games were produced by a cottage industry of home programmers.
Financial and business terms. 2012.