How Jonathan and Ashley Longnecker have turned their love for off-grid living into an 80K+ subscriber YouTube channel as well as a creative online ventures |

Learn the ways Jonathan and Ashley Longnecker grew their YouTube channel, created an online community and monetized their content while building an off-grid homestead in the desert.

Ashley And Jonathan of Tiny Shiny Home aren't strangers to adventure. After many years of living full-time in a revamped Airstream along with their four children The family set up the roots on a gorgeous piece of property in Arizona and are currently building a sustainable off-grid homestead.

To get to this point was not easy.

It took the Longneckers years to create the well-known brand they have today, and they faced challenges growing an audience and making products that resonated with their followers. They also realized that it is possible take a risk -- and thoughtful -- to give your business the momentum it needs.

The end result was that Jonathan and Ashley built an online business that lets them join as a family and connect with nature and learn new things every day. This is how they got there.

A journey towards living off grid.

Before becoming the Tiny Shiny Home , Jonathan and Ashley had an interest in business. They studied business opportunities like designing t-shirts, refinishing furniture, and blogging as well as dreaming of showing their kids how to succeed one day.

In the year 2015 the six members of the family took the plunge to make a change. They sold their house then moved into an RV, and set off on the road for full-time travel. They recorded their travels via their blog so they would keep a record of their travels to go back and look at.

While the family enjoyed visiting different places, they soon discovered that they weren't happy staying in campgrounds. They felt crowded with their neighbors , and wanted more space and tranquility.

"We discovered these beautiful nature areas which were peaceful and didn't have lots of people around," Jonathan recalls. "That's why we began boondocking, which is where one can stay off the grid without hookups. It's like camping completely in the wilderness."

"The Airstream had solar. It was extremely low-power. It had internet and cell boosters. We added big tires to the vehicle to take us to places that didn't have road surfaces. It was designed from the ground up to accommodate our families and boondocking because there aren't a lot of Airstreams designed to accommodate six people."

Once finished, their unique Airstream included a set of two bunk beds with a deluxe fold-down design and a standing desk since Jonathan was working from home as a web-based developer.

With the correct vehicle and a car, the family was able to spend in the following years driving all over the world, and they knew the days of suburban life were over.

"It truly ruined us,"" Jonathan explains. "We could not go back to the subdivision. We wanted wide, open spaces with beautiful views. We also fell in love with the idea of being more sustainable."

The Longnecker's following count grew, and fans expressed how much they loved watching the family's adventures. News magazines picked up on their Airstream upgrade story, and even though they didn't have any cash flow yet, they started to think if they might be on the right track to something unique.

Creating the first online course

"We put in a huge amount 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 illustrated elements by hand and even composed music for it. We jumped in full-force on the course, and spent far long hours on it."

Course launch day arrived however, even though they had invested so much effort and thought into the product, it wasn't the hit that they had hoped it would be.

"We simply didn't have enough audience to sell the course," Jonathan elaborates. "It wasn't because we weren't making good work. We did not have the audiences and recognition to make a difference on course sales."

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

"We put so much effort into creating the boondocking course and trying to sell it," Jonathan reflects. "And throughout I'm convinced that we missed the boat that the majority of our traffic to our site was due to the Airstream refurbishment."

The time was right to pivot.

Find the most effective content as well as formulas for product creation

To figure out their future step for the future, the Longneckers engaged a business consultant. Coaches advised them to think about topics that their audience was already seeking and used their site's traffic as a guide.

"We noticed that the blog was our most frequently visited page on our website, so we tried to figure out how we could turn that post into a paid resource without spending six months working on it."

The team created a cost calculator for download that included everything they purchased during their remodel. People who landed on the page can purchase the cost calculator and utilize it to plan their own Airstream remodeling.

It was the formula that worked to the Longneckers.

Now, when the family develops an enormous piece of content for free and then creates a corresponding paid product to release simultaneously. The idea is to allow interested fans to deepen their knowledge as well as a new revenue stream for Longneckers.

As all of this took place, the family decided it was time to put down roots. They found a piece of land in Arizona where they could construct their dream on-grid desert housestead with plenty of space for building, creating and have fun.

On the homestead  they spent the day building earthbag homes and installing solar panels and caring for their animals. They were blessed with a new piece of land, lots of ideas as well as a growing task list.

The new chapter began for the family, as did the beginning of a new phase for their business.

An increasing number of people are using YouTube

Presently, Tiny Shiny Home is home to more than 80K YouTube subscribers, and their videos receive thousands, if not millions of views.

Having extra eyes makes their digital offerings more successful in the long run, and YouTube provides a large portion of their website traffic.

"Based on our research, there were several homesteading channels which seemed to be doing really well," Jonathan says. "With our homestead we're in one location and have many different ideas to pursue, so it makes sense to put our money into YouTube videos."

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

"We earned money through YouTube. As we approached the close in the calendar year, we took a look at the amount of time we put into it, and we needed to take a stand."

They'd had a website and family brand for eight years, and had been earning revenues, but it wasn't enough to make it a full-time income. Jonathan was still working on behalf of web developers and the family long to have more time working at their farm and the tiny Shiny Home.

"We had the skills to create content. We knew how to make videos, blog posts, and snap pictures," Jonathan remarks. "But it was something we were missing that was keeping our business from expanding. We discussed this idea every year but there was no movement."

Motivated by the desire to improve their home and develop material on behalf of Tiny Shiny Home, they were ready to go big.

"2021 is the year we decided that if we were intending to complete this task it was time to try something crazy."

The family was building the construction of a solar shed, so they committed to uploading a YouTube clip each day for 30 days in order to document the progress they made.

"The first thirty days when we started, we saw an abundance of people taking part," Jonathan explains. "People said, 'Wow, awesome, you're doing this each day. I'd like to know how far you get.'"

The process of completing construction tasks while filming, editing, and uploading videos is a lot of work, however, consistent uploads resulted in an increase in subscribers, likes and even comments. The number of their fans increased.

"We were a part of their schedule every day. It was possible to wake them up, have their morning coffee, then sit down and play Tiny Shiny Home."

After seeing their channel grow in the first 30 days, they created daily videos for another thirty days, then another forty-five. During that time, something clicked.

"We were able to get the YouTube algorithm going in our favor due to the fact that we had been posting so much, and that helped us move in the right direction."

There was one additional step that took things up a notch. The Longneckers observed that homesteading YouTube channels had the most viewers for longer, more complete videos. Fans enjoyed watching a project from beginning to end, therefore they decided to give the idea a shot.

They took hundreds of videos they'd filmed while building the solar structure and created a 2-hour that portrayed the entire project . Making the movie took an entire month and it made a profit.

"That film exploded. It's got 2.9 million views. That super grew the number of subscribers we have and created real revenue," Jonathan says.

The game-changing victory was for the entire family. And since then, they've been refining their process of creating content for the long term sustainability.

The majority of their video content are projects updates as well as content on living on the farm. Because these videos are published daily, they're less edited and feel more like updates from friends.

20percent of their videos are longer SEO-optimized full-build video with content that is educational. These videos take more time however they generate the highest revenue and are instrumental in introducing new viewers to the channel.

"Now with a number larger videos each time we post another video viewers on allour videos rise due to the fact that YouTube is recommending everything more," Jonathan observes.

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

Supporting fans through Community memberships

The Longneckers initially were adamant about the plan, even when their fans were asking for a way to support them.

"Neither one of us is a professional salesperson. We are not fans of self-promotion. We probably resisted it for quite a while due to the fact that we were uncomfortable soliciting people's help," Jonathan says.

"We had already spent so long creating videos. We were worried that if we launched an online community, we would not succeed, and nobody would join either, or we'd make too many commitments and not be able to meet our commitments."

But their audience kept asking, so with the help of their business coach they designed a simple help-desk that didn't cause an unsustainable workload.

It was possible to pay anywhere between $3 to $50 each month for a handful of basics in return, however, the social network was more of meant to allow followers to show their support.

"While this community comes with a few perks, it's really just a way for people to help us support our family members," Jonathan shares. "The majority of our effort goes to YouTube, which is public. However, people are aware of the work it is and want to support it."

Jonathan and Ashley did not have to create an impressive pitch to convince new members to join their group. Since they'd built an enduring foundation over the many years of consistently posting top-quality content, members looked for their content.

Tips to fellow creators

More than a decade of expertise as entrepreneurs who are creative and creative entrepreneurs, the Longneckers know a thing to know about running an online-based business. The advice they offer fellow creators? Be patient with the process, it takes some time. Also, you should diversify your income streams as well as platforms, and make sure you are a good ambassador for your fans.

It takes time to achieve success

It's fine to take a while to reach your objectives as a writer.

"It took us an entire eight years until we got to that moment... however, we kept learning and apply them to the next phase until we got the position we desired to reach."

Do you remember the course that the Longnecker first taught on boondocking? Although it was not an instant hit at the time it was launched the course, they were able make use of the course to get the biggest brand collaboration a few many years further.

Bottom line: take your time learning as much as you can, create the best possible work, and be sure to enjoy your journey on the route. It's impossible to predict the direction you'll take.

Diversify your sources of income and avoid relying on a single platform

It's important to diversify your sources of income as a creator. You should also diversify the platforms you use for reaching your customers in particular if you depend on those platforms for revenue.

Social media platforms can change the rules at a moment's notice. They are the sole authority on what content you are allowed to post and who sees the content.

"Don't put all your eggs in the same basket," Jonathan recommends. "That's why we don't just produce videos, but also create other products to go with them, such as the community, and other sources of income that we control."

"Your site should function as the center of your business, and everything else in your business must serve as the spokes. The spokes can create a complete business from one spoke, but you never know what's going to happen."

Make sure you are respectful of your audience.

In the end, a combination of goodwill and authenticity was a huge help in helping Jonathan and Ashley establish the name they enjoy today.

Over the years, they were able to share their expertise and produced interesting content to their followers, even if they didn't directly make money. Their generous spirit and positive tone of voice for their brand created lasting connections with their followers.

"Goodwill is a topic I keep coming back to" Jonathan notes. "I see so many brands douse their money. There's much to say about opinions of the public, and we would like to see people have a positive feeling when they think of our brand."

Jonathan and Ashley point out that you don't have reinvent the wheel to gain goodwill with your audience. Be your authentic self, produce the highest quality content for your readers, guide them by being honest and open as well as having fun while doing it. Your followers will be impressed.

Keeping up with the Family of Longneckers

Today, the Longneckers have been working on projects in their backyard and posting their progress via their YouTube channel , website , and social media accounts.

They offer a variety of digital products and online courses  in addition to a community that allows members to help their activities.

Through constant learning, listening to their audience as well as diversifying their offering, Jonathan and Ashley have developed a business which allows them to be able to do the things they enjoy most: building their incredible desert homestead together as a couple.

We can't wait to see what they do in the next few months.