Outdoor Leadership Training Program

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Startup Cost
$40,000-$180,000
Difficulty
Advanced
Time to Profit
18-36 months
Profit Potential
$100,000-$450,000/year

Overview

Outdoor leadership programs provide multi-week wilderness expeditions teaching leadership, technical outdoor skills, and personal development through challenging outdoor experiences.

With gap year programs and leadership development growing, programs generate revenue of $180,000-$520,000 with 40-55% margins.

Services include month-long wilderness expeditions, semester gap year programs, leadership training for educators, corporate executive programs, and college credit courses.

Pricing typically $3,000-$8,000 for month-long course.

Success factors include wilderness permits for expeditions, instructor expertise and NOLS/WEA training, accreditation and college credit partnerships, safety protocols and risk management, and targeting gap year students and professionals.

Required Skills

  • Expedition leadership
  • NOLS/WEA certification
  • Wilderness medicine
  • Educational program design
  • Risk management
  • Student development

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • High tuition revenue per student
  • Meaningful student transformation
  • Multi-week committed students
  • Gap year market
  • College partnerships

Cons

  • High startup costs
  • Complex expedition logistics
  • Seasonal operations
  • Instructor recruitment
  • Liability and risk

How to Get Started

  1. Obtain NOLS/WEA certifications
  2. Secure wilderness permits
  3. Develop curriculum
  4. Hire instructors
  5. Get insurance
  6. Market to gap year students
  7. Build college partnerships

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