Sorry for necroing an old thread but it was linked in another and I have something to say.

I think you guys missed something(I hope quoting this is kosher).
Quote Originally Posted by DMGII
In fact, a character who is a business owner could make a profit check during a month while he simultaneously works for the business, earning gold each week with a Profession
or Craft check (such gold is considered part of the business’s overhead).
Running a business is the cherry on the top of profession checks.

Those checks are the way 90% of the population will earn their money - they'll take half their profession check in gold each week as SRD indicates. Your farmer(14 Wisdom, Skill Focus in his profession, 5 ranks in skill) will earn (2+3+5+d20)/2=10 gold on average each week. He won't be running a business. It's as simple as that and it actually works, the economy of profession checks makes for a quite reasonable(if incredibly simplified - why is it that every profession earns the same money?) economy.

The rare few who are skilled enough to run a really good business, have enough money to start and good conditions will make additional money on top of their weekly profession check. Your farmer unfortunately doesn't have favourable enough conditions to start a business.

And that's fine, he's an average piss-poor commoner. He's not supposed to be raking in tons of dough each month.