How Jonathan and Ashley Longnecker converted their love of off-grid living into an 80K+ subscribers YouTube channel as well as a creative online businesses |

Discover how Jonathan Longnecker and Ashley Longnecker built their Youtube channel. They launched an online community and made money from their content, as they built an off-grid desert housestead.

Ashley as well as Jonathan Longnecker of the Tiny Shiny Home aren't strangers to adventure. After years of full-time travel in a updated Airstream together with their four kids and their four children, the Longneckers set out to plant their roots in a stunning piece of property in Arizona and are currently building an off-grid, sustainable homestead.

However, getting here was not easy.

The Longneckers took a long time to establish the name they are today, as well as overcoming the difficulties of in gaining a following and creating items that were a hit with their fans. They also discovered that you might have take a risk -- and thoughtful -for your business to get the push it needs.

The end result was that Jonathan and Ashley built an online business that allows them to be a team as well as connect with nature and continue to learn each day. This is how they got there.

The journey to life off-grid

Prior to launching tiny Shiny Home , Jonathan and Ashley had an interest in business. They studied business opportunities including designing t-shirts and refurbishing furniture and blogs, and they dreamed of showing their kids the world one day.

Then in 2015 The family of six decided to shake things up. They sold their home, relocated to an RV then set out on the open road for full-time travel. They documented their travels on their blog to keep a record of their travels that they could look back at.

Although the family loved exploring different places, they soon realized that they did not like camping in the campgrounds. They were squeezing against neighbors and craved some space and peace.

"We discovered these beautiful nature areas that were quiet and had a lack of other people," Jonathan recalls. "That's the reason we started boondocking, which is where you camp off-grid without any connections. You're out on the edge of nowhere."

"The Airstream had solar. Everything was very low power. It had internet and cell boosters. We put huge tires on it so we could go places that weren't flat roads. It was designed as a whole for boondocking and our family as there's a limited number of Airstreams made for the needs of six people."

When they were done, their distinctive Airstream comprised of bunk beds that fold down as well as a desk that was standing since Jonathan was working from home as a web developer.

With the right vehicle, the family spent in the following years driving all over the world They knew that the days of life in the suburbs were over.

"It was a complete disaster for us," Jonathan explains. "We could not go back to the subdivision. We required wide-open areas and stunning views. We also fell in love with the idea of living more sustainably."

The Longnecker's following numbers grew, and many fans commented on how much they enjoy seeing the family's travels. News publications picked up their Airstream upgrade story, although they were not making any money yet, they started to think if they might be doing something truly special.

In the process of creating the first online course

"We have spent a lot of time creating this course as well as filming it. The filming took place in a variety of locations, like South Dakota and Yellowstone," Jonathan states.

"We created the elements with our hands and even wrote music for the course. The course was a complete blast. course, and spent far too much time on it."

The day of the course's launch arrived and, despite the fact that they'd put so much care and effort into their product, it wasn't the hit that they had wanted it to be.

"We did not have the public to make the course attractive to the masses," Jonathan elaborates. "It was not due to us not doing good stuff. We did not have the audiences, recognition, or awareness that would have helped us move the needle the course's sales."

The Longneckers did not realize that their followers were more interested in a different topic that was the Airstream.

"We put so much effort into developing the boondocking route and trying to market it to the public," Jonathan reflects. "And at the same time I'm convinced that we didn't realize that the majority of our traffic to our site was due to the Airstream renovation."

The time was right to pivot.

The best content, and formula for the product

In order to determine their next steps to take next steps, the Longneckers employed a business coach. They were advised by the coach to think about topics that their audience was already seeking and used their site's traffic to help guide their decisions.

"We noticed that the blog was our most frequently visited page on our website and we set out to find out ways to turn the post into a paid resource without spending six months on it."

They made a cost calculator download that contained everything they bought during the remodeling. People who landed on this page could download the cost calculator and utilize the calculator to estimate the own Airstream remodeling.

This is the winning formula that was a hit with the Longneckers.

Now, when the family develops an enormous piece of content for free and then creates an associated paid item that they release concurrently. It allows the followers who are interested to gain knowledge, as well as a new source of income for Longneckers.

As all of this took place, the family decided it was finally time to lay in roots. They discovered a plot of property located in Arizona which allowed them to build their ideal out-of-grid desert dwelling and plenty of room to build, create, and play.

The farm , the family spent their days building earthbag dwellings and installing solar panels and caring for their animals. They had a fresh piece of land, endless ideas, and a growing to-do list.

A new chapter was starting for the family, as did the beginning of a new phase for their company.

The growth of an audience on YouTube

Presently, Tiny Shiny Home has more than 80K YouTube subscribers, and the videos they upload get millions, sometimes thousands of views.

Having extra eyes makes their digital products more profitable as well as YouTube drives a significant chunk of the traffic to their websites.

"Based on our research, there were quite a few homesteading channels that appeared to be performing really well," Jonathan says. "With Homesteading, we're in one area and we've got many tasks to tackle It makes sense to put our money into YouTube videos."

The first year that they were on their homestead the couple made one short video every week, but they didn't notice any real growth.

"We made a few dollars from YouTube. When we got to the close this year, our team took a look at how much time we were putting into the project, and were forced to decide."

There was a website as well as a their own brand for the past eight years and were making some income, but not enough to be an income that was full-time. Jonathan worked for clients in web development and the family long for more time to focus at their farm and the tiny Shiny Home.

"We had the skills to create content. We knew how to make blogs and videos as well as take photographs," Jonathan remarks. "But there was something that we were missing that prevented our company from growing. We talked about this dream every year, but there was no change."

Inspired by the need to improve their home and create content to Tiny Shiny Home, they were ready to go big.

"2021 is the year when we determined that if we wanted to going to make this work then we had to create some thing crazy."

The family was building the construction of a solar shed which is why they decided to uploading a YouTube clip every day over the course of 30 days in order to document their progress.

"The initial 30 days that of doing it, we saw an abundance of people taking part," Jonathan explains. "People thought, 'Wow! cool You're doing this every day. I want to see what you've accomplished.'"

Completely completing construction projects and recording, editing and uploading videos took quite a task, however, consistent uploads resulted in more subscribers, likes, and even comments. Their fan base grew.

"We were a an integral part of their routine every day. It was possible to wake them up, drink their coffee, and watch Tiny Shiny Home."

As they watched their channel grow over the initial thirty days, they began making every day videos for thirty days. Then another 45 days. During that time there was a moment when something clicked.

"We were able to get the YouTube algorithm to work for us due to the fact that we had been posting so much, and that moved us towards the correct direction."

However, there was a final action that brought things to the next level. The Longneckers observed that homesteading YouTube channels had the most views on longer, full-build videos. The viewers enjoyed watching the project from beginning to end, so they gave the idea a shot.

They took hundreds of videos they'd filmed while building the solar shed , and then made the 2-hour version of the full project . The process took about a month to complete and it made a profit.

"That movie blew up. It's got 2.9 million viewers. It has significantly increased the number of subscribers we have and resulted in real revenues," Jonathan says.

It was a game-changing win for the family, and from then on they've worked to refine their content creation cadence for longevity.

Now, 80% of their content is projects updates as well as content on how they live on their homestead. Because these videos are published daily, they're less edited and appear more like an update from a friend.

The majority of the videos are SEO optimized full-build video with educational content. They take longer however they generate the highest money and play a major role in getting new viewers introduced to the channel.

"Now with a number of those bigger videos, every time we upload a new one, the views on allour videos increase because YouTube recommends everything more," Jonathan observes.

"It's similar to the saying "The rising tide raises all boats.' And the larger the number of boats that we own, the higher the tide seems to rise."

Facilitating fan-based support via Community memberships

At first, the Longneckers resisted the idea, even though their followers were requesting an avenue to show their support.

"Neither one of us is a professional salesperson. We are not fans of self-promotion. We probably resisted it for quite a while because we didn't like asking people for stuff," Jonathan says.

"We were already spending too long creating content. We were scared that if we launched the community, we couldn't do it right, there would be no sign-ups, or we'd over-commit and fail to meet our commitments."

However, their customers kept asking for help, and with the assistance of their business coach they created a basic group of support that would not create an unsustainable workload.

People could pay between $3 to $50 each month for a handful of basic rewards, but this was mostly an opportunity for members to show their support.

"While the community offers couple of benefits, it's simply a means for us to help us support our family members," Jonathan shares. "The bulk of our time goes to YouTube and is a public platform. But people understand how much work it is and want to help support it."

Jonathan and Ashley didn't need to make an impressive pitch to convince members to join their community. As they'd established an enduring foundation over the many years of consistently posting quality content, people looked for their content.

Tips to other creators

With nearly a decade of expertise as entrepreneurs who are creative and creative entrepreneurs, the Longneckers are experts on a thing to know about running an online company. Their advice for fellow creators? Be patient with the process, it takes long, and diversify your income streams and platforms, and always keep your viewers in mind.

It takes time to achieve success

It's fine that it can take you long to accomplish the goals you set as a creator.

"It was an entire eight years until we got to that stage... but we kept learning things and apply them to the next stage until we got the position we desired to reach."

Do you remember the course that the Longnecker first taught on boondocking? Even though it wasn't the most popular course at the time it was launched it was able to make use of the course to get the biggest brand collaboration a few years later.

Bottom line: learn as much as possible and create the most effective job you can and be sure to enjoy your journey on the route. You never know where you'll end up.

Diversify your income streams and do not rely upon a single source of income

It's essential to vary your income streams when you are a creator. Also, you should expand the channels you utilize to connect with your target audience in particular if you depend on these platforms to earn a profit.

Social media platforms can change the rules at a moment's notice. They are the sole authority over what you can publish and the people who can see it.

"Don't place all your eggs in the same basket," Jonathan recommends. "That's why we don't only create videos, but also the products that go along with them, such as the community, and other sources of revenue we have."

"Your site should function as the center of your business, and every other aspect of your business ought to be the spokes. It is possible that you can create a complete business off of one spoke, however, you don't know when it's going to happen."

Make sure you are respectful of your audience.

In the end, a combination of trust and integrity was a huge help in helping Jonathan and Ashley establish the name that they are now.

Over the years, they were able to share their expertise and created interesting content for their readers regardless of whether they directly make money. Their giving spirit and positive tone of voice for their brand made them a part of the community with their fans.

"Goodwill is something that I keep coming back for," Jonathan notes. "I see so many brands douse it. There's much to express public opinion, and we want people to get a positive feeling when they think of us."

Jonathan and Ashley both stress that you don't have to reinvent the wheel in order to create trust with your followers. Your authentic self will make the most engaging content for your followers, lead with openness and honesty and enjoy yourself throughout the process. Your followers will be impressed.

In touch with the Longnecker family

The Longneckers are working on various projects in their backyard and posting the progress they've made on their YouTube channel , website , and social media accounts.

They have a collection of digital items and online courses , as well as an online community that allows members to help their activities.

Through constant learning, listening to their audience and expanding their services, Jonathan and Ashley have built a business that allows them to spend time doing what they love most-building their dream desert house as a whole family.

We're eager to see what they come up with next.