The Path: backyard to sideliner to commercial

Every beekeeper is on one of four stages. Find yours, then work on the next one. This is a way to learn, not a price list and not a promise.

Honest first: most new beekeepers lose money in year one. Dead hives are the biggest leak. Nobody here gets judged for a dead hive. We ask what happened.

STAGE 1. BACKYARD (1 to 5 hives)

Job: keep every colony alive through a full year and learn what a hive really costs you.

Money questions: What did your first hive cost, all in? What did mite treatment and feed cost? What did you lose, and why?

STAGE 2. HOBBYIST (5 to 10 hives)

Job: make your own bees from splits instead of buying them, and sell the extra honey to people you know.

Money questions: What does one jar cost you to make? What do you charge? How many jars did you sell, not just fill?

STAGE 3. SIDELINER (10 to 100 hives)

Job: a repeatable second income from more than honey: nucs, queens, services, classes.

Money questions: Which product pays the most for each hour you work? What does one winter loss cost you to replace?

STAGE 4. COMMERCIAL (100+ hives)

Job: run bees as a business with trucks, crews, contracts and cash flow. I started in 2017 with 10 hives. Today Ten Box Bees runs 900+ colonies.

Money questions: What is your cost per colony per year? Which month is your cash lowest?

YOUR ONE-LINE MATH (fill in your own numbers):

Cost to keep one hive for a year: $____

Income from one hive for a year: $____

Difference: $____

If the difference is negative, that is normal in year one. Write down why.

HOW TO USE THIS POST

1. Comment your stage and hive count.

2. Join the 7 Day Sideliner Starter Challenge. It starts Monday, Nov 2.

3. Open the Classroom and start with the course "Start Here: The Path."

4. Bring questions to the Q and A, every other Wednesday at 7:00 PM Central.

Not legal or tax advice. No income is promised here.

Which stage are you in, and what is your hive count today?

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The Path: backyard to sideliner to commercial

Profitable Beekeeping

skool.com/beekeeping-mastermind

Real numbers from a 900+ colony Texas operation: honey, nucs, queens, leasing, pollination, classes. For beekeepers who want their bees to pay.

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