👻 How much are these Christmas tree stands actually making?

If you’re new here, we turn $1 into thousands building these weird but simple side hustles. Welcome to Ghost Business 👻 Your (mostly) weekly email

TLDR;

• Sell 500 trees at ~$95 → about $47.5K revenue with costs around $32K → ~$15K profit.

• Add-ons (wreaths, stands, garland, delivery) can boost profit to $20K–$22K for one lot.

• Key expenses: wholesale trees, lot rental, seasonal labor, insurance, and simple setup (tent, lights, saw).

• To start: source wholesale trees, rent a visible lot, get permits/insurance, set up a simple sales tent, and upsell wreaths for easy margin.

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You see these pop up every winter, Christmas tree stands. The lots often sit empty all year then they hustle for 2 months and relax the rest of the year.

So I was curious how much these guys make and can we do this next year?

The breakdown

Revenue

• Average retail tree price: $95

• Sell ~500 trees

• Total revenue = $47,500 revenue

Costs

• Wholesale trees (500 × $38): $19,000

• Lot rental: $3,500

• Labor: $5,800

• Setup (tent, tools, lights): $1,500

• Card fees: $1,400

• Insurance/permits/misc: $1,000

• Total cost = ~$32,200

Wreaths

• Wholesale: $12

• Retail: $35
  Sell 150 = $3,450 profit

Other easy upsells

• Tree stands

• Garland

• Firewood

• Delivery fees ($25–$80 per delivery)

Add-ons usually bring $1.5K–$4K extra.

Total Profit with Add-Ons

$20K–$22K per season 🔥 

How to start this next year

1. Buy wholesale trees from regional farms (200–500 minimum).

2. Rent a visible lot (church, school, shopping center).

3. Get permits + liability insurance.

4. Set up tent, lights, saw, stands, signage.

5. Sell trees + upsell wreaths and accessories.

p.s If you found this insight into the newsletter industry valuable, imagine how helpful it could be to someone else dreaming of starting their own hustle!

Hit the share button below to pass this on to a friend, colleague, or anyone who's ever thought about turning their passion into profit.

Viability:

1 [building spaceships] 🚀 to 5 [easy peasy] 😊 

This is one of the easier Airbnb experiences to scale because the core work (making waffles + guiding a short walk) is simple and repeatable. You can run multiple sessions, increase price, upsell extras, and even hire helpers later if demand grows.

(As usual each business will have it’s own setbacks, and it’s all about the execution and consistency rather than just having the idea)

It’s a great day to be great!

Love, Mike 👋