5 Essential Tips for Turning Your Homestead Into a Lucrative Side Hustle

Last Updated: February 6, 2023

Boom!
There goes another spy balloon!

Howdy Ladies and Gents and everyone else out there!

Welcome to another Monday on the Andreas Philip Gross Enterprises LLC blog!  And I will admit, that really was a TERRIBLE and insensitive joke to kick things off with today - I admit it.  But hey, we need to interject some humor even into the darkest and tensest things going on around us in life, otherwise we will all really crack up and go insane.  Of course, what you see in the picture is nothing other than a firework!  Yesterday marked the 15th day of Chinese New Year - the final day.  Similar to the old  Christian tradition of "12 days of Christmas," Chinese New Year (called "Spring Festival" in China) is, in its entirety, a 15-day-long celebration.  Day 15, the final day, is called the Lantern Festival.  Traditionally, people would send paper lanterns - lit with a candle to generate hot air - up into the sky to symbolize letting go of their past selves and rising to meet their "new" selves who would then go on to achieve their wishes, hopes, and dreams in the new year that lies ahead.

You rarely see many lanterns go up into the sky anymore on Lantern Festival around the heavily populated urban centers of Eastern China because of fire safety laws; similarly, you see less and less fireworks in many urban centers in Eastern China these days, too.  There are strict laws against both of these things in place now in many local jurisdictions for the sake of fire safety and pollution.  Where I live - Huaqiao Town, City of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province - is one of the last hold out urban areas where you can still do fireworks, although sending up paper lanterns is prohibited (for fire safety reasons - there's less certainty where a paper lantern will come down!).  I've included some more pictures of our celebrations at the bottom of this post.

With the idea in mind of achieving our wishes, hopes, and dreams in 2023, let's jump into the main feature of today's post.  This February's theme on the blog is "Making Money", and today we have a guest post from Cheryl Conklin of Wellness Central (www.wellnesscentral.info) with 5 tips for us to think about when considering the possibilities of turning our homestead into a lucrative money-making endeavor.  Wellness, balance, and sustainability go a long way in making and growing physical, spiritual, AND FINIANICIAL wealth and happiness.  Let your Wish Lantern rise and may all your wishes come true!

With that, I give you.....

5 Essential Tips for Turning Your Homestead Into a Lucrative Side Hustle

By Cheryl Conklin

Image via Pexels

While the general idea behind having a homestead is attaining self-sufficiency, starting and maintaining a home-based operation is time-consuming and expensive.  Ultimately, it would be an ideal outcome if you could turn your hobby farming endeavors into a profitable business.  Thankfully, contemporary lifestyle trends combined with modern communication technology allow you the opportunity to potentially make your dreams come true.

Just like planting a garden, there are some important steps to take before you’ll begin to reap the rewards of monetizing your homestead.  Here, Andreas Philip Gross Enterprises shows you how.
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1. Establish a Business Structure

As the sole proprietor of your hobby homestead, you make all the decisions, but you also assume all the risks.  Especially if you offer goods or services, you may be personally liable for financial or legal issues pertaining to your business.  By forming an S corp, you can earn tax breaks and protect your personal assets.  The National Park Service explains that each state has its own process for establishing a homestead and/or a legal business, so be sure to do your own research before moving forward.  Filing your paperwork as a S corp using a formation service is simple and saves you money on attorney fees.

2. Build a Recognizable Brand

You may have a beautiful property, and your homesteading operation may be a well-oiled machine that turns out incredible products, however, you won’t be able to garner much public interest without an effective promotion plan.  Today’s marketing strategy is all about brand building.  You’ll need an eye-catching, memorable logo that tells potential lifelong customers about your company values.

You may also choose to sell items directly from your property, which makes your home, land, and everything on it, potentially part of your brand.  Use it to your advantage by sharing videos and updates through social media.  You can also order appealing metal letters for signs to add to your fence or gate so that it is clear that this is your homestead.  This way, if people come to visit or do business with you, such as pick up eggs, produce, or other items, they will see consistent branding and have no question regarding where to find you.  These signs can be made from various metals to reflect your brand and to give your business a professional feel.
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3. Organize Documents

When it comes to keeping your homestead business running smoothly, organization is key.  Whether you're tracking orders, handling distribution, or managing inventory, you need to have a system that makes it easy to stay on top of everything.  One effective way to organize your documents is by using PDFs.  These portable document files are ideal for storing and sharing all kinds of information, from invoices and receipts to product catalogs and instructions manuals.  If you want to combine PDF pages to limit how many files you have, you can use a PDF tool to add an additional page.
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4. Teach Courses

As a homesteader in your region, you have unique knowledge and experience that others who aspire to live more independently would love to learn.  While sharing tips and tricks on your YouTube channel can be a great way to grow your audience, you may find yourself weeding through hundreds of emails from viewers with deeper questions.  Why not take these inquiries and use them to build valuable courses for your followers in the following subjects:
 

• Canning and food preservation
• Beekeeping
• Composting or worm farming for beginners
• Urban or container growing
• Greenhouse farming
• Raising livestock

 
You can offer these classes as pre-recorded packaged deals at a reasonable price on your company website for a bit of passive income to support your operations throughout the year, or you could actually teach physical in-person classes - it's up to you.  Of course, these are just some examples.  Depending on your specific operation and expertise, there are numerous different types of classes you could potentially offer and through a number of different mediums and venues.

5. Maximize Your Social Media Presence

While homesteading isn’t for everyone, Allied Market Research reports that the social movement toward sustainability has many people interested in feasible eco-friendly home practices.  As an established homesteader with lots of great ideas, you can reach a broader audience by posting photos on Instagram, vlogging your chores on YouTube, sharing recipes on TikTok, or starting a podcast where you discuss opportunities and challenges in modern homesteading.
 
You should also take advantage of SEO with all of your digital marketing.  If you’re not sure how to use search engine optimization strategies, you may want to work with a marketer or web designer who does.  It will help you to get more organic hits on your content.  And as you grow your audience, you may even begin to earn profits through advertising, affiliate marketing, or sponsorships.
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Start Building Your Homestead Brand

There are many ways to monetize your homestead beyond just selling your surplus at the local farmers' market each week.  Once you have established your business and chosen a business structure, begin developing your brand and teaching courses that will gather attention across social media platforms.  Through some strategic planning, you can turn your hobby farm into a desirable lifestyle brand for others, which in turn can become a lucrative livelihood for you and your family. Plus, you'll likely have tons of fun doing it!

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Guest post by Cheryl Conklin of Wellness Central (www.wellnesscentral.info).

Thanks for the tips, Cheryl!  From how to organize and brand our farm business, to how to bring in multiple streams of income from it, you've given us a lot of good information to think through today.  As an educator and coach, my eyes perked right up when I read the part about offering courses :).

Now, before signing off entirely, as promised, here are some more pictures of my family and I doing fireworks here in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, P.R.C., for the Lantern Festival.

​Better life, better business, better you,

-Andreas

Andreas Philip Gross Enterprises LLC
Ideas, Inspiration, Opportunity
 
Washington State Certified K-8 Educator, K-12 International Education Consultant, Professional Coach, Proofreader/Editor, Affiliate Marketer, Popsicle Stick Crafter, Print-on-Demand Products Designer, and Webmaster

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