How Jonathan Longnecker and Ashley turned their love of off-grid living into an over 80K viewers on YouTube and a unique online businesses |

Learn the ways Jonathan and Ashley Longnecker expanded their Youtube channel. They established an online community and monetized their content as they built an off-grid desert homestead.

Ashley And Jonathan from The Longneckers of Tiny Shiny Home are no strangers to adventures. After many years of living full-time in a updated Airstream with their four children and their four children, the Longneckers set out to plant roots on a beautiful area of property in Arizona which is where they're creating a sustainable off-grid homestead.

To get to this point was not easy.

The Longneckers took a long time before they could establish the brand they have today, and they had to overcome the challenges of in gaining a following and creating items that were a hit with their fans. They also realized that it is possible be creative and deliberatefor your business to get the momentum it needs.

In the end, Jonathan and Ashley created an online company which allows them to work together as a family and connect with nature and learn new things every single day. How did they do it.

Journey to living life off-grid

Prior to launching the Tiny Shiny Home , Jonathan and Ashley had an interest in business. They explored business ideas such as designing t-shirts, refinishing furniture, and blogging in hopes of showing their kids the world one day.

In the year 2015, the family of six made the decision to change things up. They decided to sell their home, moved into an RV, and hit the open road to travel full time. They documented their travels on their blog, so that they could keep a record of their travels to look back on.

As the family spent time exploring new places, they quickly realized that they did not like camping in the campgrounds. They felt crowded with their neighbors and craved greater space and quiet.

"We were captivated by these gorgeous nature spots with a quiet atmosphere and didn't have a lot of visitors," Jonathan recalls. "That's the reason we started boondocking. It's where you camp off-grid without any connection. The campsite is completely in the wilderness."

"The Airstream had solar. The entire system was low in power. It was equipped with internet as well as cell boosters. We put huge tires on the vehicle to take us to places that didn't have flat roads. It was designed from the ground up for boondocking and our family as there's a limited number of Airstreams made for the needs of six people."

After completion, the unique Airstream comprised of elaborate fold-down bunk beds and a standing desk since Jonathan was working remotely as a web developer.

Thanks to the perfect vehicle, the family spent their next couple of years travelling across the globe, and they knew their days of traditional suburban life were over.

"It really ruined us," Jonathan explains. "We couldn't go back to the subdivision. We wanted wide, open spaces and beautiful views. It's possible that we were in love with that idea of living more sustainably."

In the meantime, Longnecker's followers number grew and followers commented on how much they enjoy watching the family's adventures. News magazines picked up on their Airstream renovation story, although they were not making any money but, they began to think if they might be doing something truly special.

In the process of 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 the course. We went all-in on that course and spent way more than we should have."

Day of course launch was here, but even though they spent a lot of time and thought into the course, it didn't turn out to be the success they had were hoping for it to be.

"We just didn't have the audience to sell the course," Jonathan elaborates. "It wasn't because we weren't making good work. We didn't have the audience, recognition, or awareness to make a difference on the course's sales."

The Longneckers also didn't realize that their fans 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 to the public," Jonathan reflects. "And all the while I'm convinced that we totally missed the boat that the vast majority of visits to our site were to the Airstream renovation."

It was the right time to change direction.

The best content, and formula for the product

In order to determine their next actions, the Longneckers engaged a business consultant. They were advised by the coach to think about topics that their audience was already seeking, using their website traffic as a guide.

"We realized that blog was our most frequently visited page on our website and we set out to figure out how we could transform that post into a paid resource without spending six months working on it."

They made a cost calculator for download that included everything they purchased during their remodeling. People who landed on this page could download the cost calculator and utilize it to plan the own Airstream remodeling.

It was the formula that worked to the Longneckers.

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

While all this was happening and the family was deciding it was finally time to lay in roots. They were able to find a parcel of property in Arizona where they could construct their dream out-of-grid desert dwelling with plenty of space to create, build, and play.

The farm , the family spent the day building earthbag homes and installing solar panels as well as taking care of their pets. They had a fresh piece of land, endless thoughts and an ever-growing to-do list.

The new chapter began for the family and with it came an entirely new chapter in the business they run.

Growing an audience on YouTube

In the present, Tiny Shiny Home has over 80K subscribers on YouTube, and the videos they upload get millions, sometimes thousands of views.

Being able to see more eyes can make their digital offerings more successful as well as YouTube is the primary driver of their website traffic.

"Based on our research we found many homesteading-related channels that appeared to be doing really well," Jonathan says. "With our homestead we're at one place and we have an endless supply of projects to work on and it's logical for us to invest in YouTube videos."

During their first year at their farm the couple made one short video every week, but they didn't notice any real growth.

"We earned money by using YouTube. As we approached the end of the year, we looked at how much effort we put into the project, and had to make a decision."

The family had their own website and their own brand for the past eight years, and had been earning income, but not enough to earn an income that was full-time. Jonathan was still working with web development clients however, the family was longing to have more time working at their farm and the small Shiny home.

"We were able to create content. We had the ability to write blog posts and videos and snap pictures," Jonathan remarks. "But there was something we were missing which was preventing us from growing. It seemed as if we talked about this dream every year, but there was hardly any change."

Motivated by the desire to develop their homestead and produce material for Tiny Shiny Home, they wanted to take their homestead to the next level.

"2021 is the year we decided that if we were planning to do this project it was time to try something exciting."

The family was working on the construction of a solar shed and decided to commit to making a YouTube video every day for thirty days to showcase the progress they made.

"The first thirty days we did it and we noticed a lot of engagement," Jonathan explains. "People thought, 'Wow! cool that you're doing this every day. I'd love to see what you've accomplished.'"

Completely completing construction projects and recording, editing and releasing videos is quite a task, however, consistent uploads resulted in an increase in subscribers, likes and comments. Their community of fans grew.

"We were a part of their schedule every day. The kids could get up, drink their morning coffee, then sit down and play Tiny Shiny Home."

Following the growth of their channel in the first 30 days, they made daily videos for another thirty days. They then made another 45 days. During that time it clicked.

"We were able to get the YouTube algorithm going for us because we were posting lots of videos, which moved us towards the right direction."

However, there was a final move that took the game up a notch. The Longneckers discovered that other homesteading YouTube channels had the most viewers for longer, more complete videos. The viewers enjoyed watching the project from beginning to end, which is why they gave the idea a shot.

The team gathered hundreds of video clips they'd made while building the solar shed , and then made the 2-hour that portrayed the entire project . The process took an entire month however, it was worth the effort.

"That movie blew up. It has 2.9 million views. That super grew the number of subscribers we have and generated real income," Jonathan says.

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

Today, the majority of their video content are projects updates as well as content on life on the homestead. Since the videos are posted every day, they're not edited and more like the updates of a close friend.

20% of their videos are longer SEO-optimized full-build videos packed with educational content. These videos take more time however they generate the highest revenues and help in getting new viewers introduced to the site.

"Now with a number larger videos each time we post another one and the number of views for allour videos increase because YouTube recommends everything more," Jonathan observes.

"It's like that saying "The rising tide raises every boat. The larger the number of boats that we own, the further the tide appears to go."

Enabling fan support through the community's membership

Initially, the Longneckers refused to accept the proposal, when their fans were asking for a way to support them.

"Neither of us is a salesperson. We are not fans of self-promotion. We probably didn't like it for quite a while since we weren't a fan of soliciting people's help," Jonathan says.

"We were already spending too long creating videos. We were scared about launching the community, we couldn't do it right, there would be no sign-ups either, or we'd make too many commitments and not be able to meet our commitments."

Their audience was always asking questions, so with the help of their business coach they created a basic group of support that would not create an unsustainable workload.

The average monthly cost was between $3 to $50 each month for a handful of basic rewards, but the social network was more of a way for followers to show support.

"While the community has a few perks, it's really an opportunity for members to support our family," Jonathan shares. "The bulk of our time goes to YouTube and is a public platform. However, people are aware of the work is involved and are eager to contribute to its success."

Jonathan and Ashley did not have to create an elaborate pitch to members to join their community. Since they'd built solid foundations through years of consistent posting and quality content, people were looking for it themselves.

Help to fellow creators

More than a decade of experience as creative entrepreneurs The Longneckers are experts on a thing to know about running an online-based business. Their advice for fellow creators? Be patient with the process, it takes time, diversify your income streams and platforms, and always be good to your audience.

It takes time to achieve success

It's okay to take some time to achieve the goals you set as a writer.

"It took us eight years of work before we reached that pivotal moment... however, we continued to learn and using them in the next phase until we were where we wanted to be."

Do you remember the course that the Longnecker first taught about boondocking? While it wasn't a huge seller in its initial days the course, they were able use that course to secure a big brand partnership several years after.

In the end, learn as much as possible, create the best work you can, and be sure to enjoy your journey on the journey. It's impossible to predict the direction you'll take.

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

It is essential to diversify your income streams as a creator. It is also important to diversify the platforms you use to connect with your target audience in particular if you depend on these platforms to earn a profit.

Social media platforms could alter the rules in a heartbeat. They are the sole authority regarding what information you share and who will see the content.

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

"Your site should function as the hub, and the rest of your company must be spokes. It is possible that you can make a whole business off of 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 credibility and trust has made a difference in helping Jonathan and Ashley establish the name they have today.

Over the years, they shared their knowledge and developed interesting material to their followers, even if they didn't actually make any money. Their generosity and positive voice on their brand made them a part of the community with their loyal customers.

"Goodwill is one of the things I keep coming back for," Jonathan notes. "I find that so many companies douse their money. There's much to be said for the public's opinion. We want people to get a positive impression when they think of our brand."

Jonathan and Ashley mention that you don't have to reinvent the wheel in order to create trust with your followers. You must be yourself, produce the highest quality content for your readers, guide them with openness and honesty and enjoy yourself along the way. Your followers will be impressed.

Staying in touch with the Longnecker family

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

They provide a range of digital products and online courses  and an online community where members can support their efforts.

In constant pursuit of knowledge and listening to their customers, and diversifying their offerings, Jonathan and Ashley have created a company that allows them to be able to do what they love most-building their incredible desert homestead together as a family.

We're excited to see what they come up with in the future.