Feasibility of Homestead Consultation

So, I am interested in providing homestead consultation for people, but I question the financial feasibility of it. I love the idea of helping others better provide for their families and I have an MS in Sustainable Agriculture, but I don't know how to put myself out in the public and how to make this something I can feed my family with. I mean if it went well, I'd invest in equipment to better direct and develop client's property, but I am also held back by fear given my area there may not be enough work to make a living.

I know I can provide consultation in:
Fruit & Vegetable production (Particularly perennial)
Livestock production
Resource Management
Soil Remediation
Greenhouse Production

Even if it's not something I can get started soon I plan to make a flagship for what people can do with their land with a 1 acre home my wife and I are buying. I will be able to show how space intensive we can be with minimal room. Maybe I am looking for some encouragement in it, but also practically speaking if the service was available would this be something y'all would want or know people who would? (I'm not soliciting). If this was something steady enough, I would be game to do video calls.

Any advice or thoughts are welcome.

Hi Kevin,
I think it is a great thing with a great need, but it seems very hard to get into.

I think, first that many people don't think they need a consultant... because things are working. They may not realize things could be working much better, or you might save them a lot of money down the road, by designing something a certain way. I would love to have a consult. I looked up some permaculture specific consultants in my state (only 2 at the time), but the reality was that I could not afford them. And if I could afford them, then they could not afford to make a business out of it. Which just means that I am not the target customer for them.

For those people who have the money to invest in a good consultant, they will probably start with some of the well known names in permaculture/homestead consulting.

I don't want to rain on your dream, but I think it may take a while to get there. Not impossible, but I could definitely see you working two jobs for a while. Having said that, there are a lot of consultants that do more than just consulting. They have other streams of income and do design/consulting as well. Geoff Lawton (arguably one of the best and most known consultants) also teaches, also heads up the Institute/Farm that he runs. In fact all of the names I can think of for consulting have other sources of income. Sometimes its a homestead, or a podcast, or a tree nursery, etc.

Consultants of all sorts seem to trade comfortable security for better pay or more excitement.

I'm not opposed to working two jobs, just wanting work I won't grow as complacent in. I think you hit the nail on the head about cost. Usually, high quality consultation will cost quite a bit, but most homesteaders don't have significant income. While I don't have to make a fortune, I also need to provide for my family.

Thank you for your thoughts.