Making Dough Part 3: Events

Ok, so the first 2 parts of this series have been fairly easy ventures that require only minimal extra effort above your normal off-grid life. So in this third part, I thought I would propose a money-making idea that takes a bit more effort, but that can potentially make you a lot of money in a single day or weekend.

As an off-gridder you very likely have skills that you can share. Perhaps you are good at canning or foraging for wild edibles. Maybe you are an expert with renewable energy. Maybe you are very skilled hunter. These are all skills that lend themselves to events such as workshops, seminars, or guided events like hunts and foraging. You can advertise these events on social media, your own website, on local bulletin boards, and other places. You can even place ads in your local newspaper.

This past weekend I presented my first Homesteading workshop to 7 guests. This workshop was on the Basics Of Off grid Solar. Each student paid me $150 for the 2 day workshop.So do the basic math, I made $1,050 before expenses. After expenses, I made nearly $800 in profit. Total time investment? Less than 20 hours.

Workshops are a great way to make money. Another popular type event, especially in tourist areas, is guided hunts and fishing trips. You can host paid gatherings like a farmers market or homesteading convention. The possibilities are endless.

Planning and What To Teach

Admittedly, this is not a hands off venture or one that simply compliments what you already do on your homestead.To do this right, it takes a great deal of planning and effort. Depending on what you are teaching and what you already have on hand, this venture can be free to produce, or can cost a great deal of money.

TO come up with ideas, walk around your homestead and consider what parts of homesteading you are strongest at. These skills will almost always make a good workshop if properly planned. THere are tons of online resources to help you come up with ideas and to help in the planning process.

Things To Know

One of the best things about this income idea is that there is usually little to no legal regulation. Anyone can organize a workshop or a hunting/fishing trip. I no of nowhere in the US that would require a permit for such things. That said, depending on what you are teaching, insurance may be a good idea. In fact, anytime you will have paying customers on your land it is a good idea to have liability insurance at the least. Like I said in part 1 of this series, one liability claim can ruin you financially.

Whatever event you decide to hold, make sure it is something you will have fun with. If you are passionate about what you are teaching, your students will feel that passion and you will make more money.

If you can, try to give your attendees or students something physical to take home. It can be anything really, but make sure it is relevant to your event. My students in the Off Grif Solar Basics workshop left with a a book and a set of “cheat sheets' ' they can use when building their systems. If you are doing a class on canning, send your students home with jars of freshly canned goods. Things like that go a long way and will ensure not only that these students return, but that they tell their friends about you!

Conclusion:

Hosting events can be a very challenging way to make money on your homestead. But it can be a ton of fun and can be super rewarding knowing you helped someone else learn a new skill. The 7 students I hosted this weekend had a blast and they all were grateful to have learned to build their own off grid solar units.