Diversifying rural estate revenues
Building resilience in uncertain times
Country estates are unusual and complex enterprises, often comprising quite different businesses spread across sectors.
Each estate operates differently, with revenues derived from sources as unique as the landscapes of which the owners are custodians. All have one thing in common in our experience - a desire to diversify their income streams.
In times of heightened regulatory, geopolitical and environmental uncertainty it’s as challenging as ever to derive secure and stable revenues from land and property holdings. The key to resilience is, as it has always been, diversity.
An estate dependent on agricultural subsidy alone, for example, is as vulnerable to changing political winds as a winemaker is to arbitrary tariffs, an arable farmer to fertiliser price fluctuation or an event venue to public health emergencies. Recent years have taught rural estates (and the rest of us) to expect - and prepare for - the unexpected.
Learning from success stories
Whether it’s the inside line on how Goodwood grew (and maintain) their event-driven Empire or a peek behind the curtains of Knepp’s rewilding business - the Blackdown team is here to help with advice based on real-world, rural estate experience.
We’ve seen ill-advised estates strip assets to support short-term cashflow, others over-extend themselves with poorly planned capital expenditure and spiralling costs. These cautionary tales inform our approach to growth strategies that are not only grounded in commercial reality, but appropriate and sustainable in the long-term. Estate strategy must consider the decades and centuries ahead, not just the next reporting quarter.
Blackdown’s entrepreneurial approach to estate business
From evaluating modular data centres powered by agricultural waste to monitoring vineyard pollinators with connected sensor networks - the sheer variety of innovative commercial opportunities on rural estates never ceases to surprise us.
From conservation and motorsport to wine making and rewilding - the Blackdown team have a unique understanding of estate business in the 21st century. We bring to these (often quite traditional) businesses our own entrepreneurial approach; an innate understanding of digital technologies and a no-nonsense attitude to assessing business viability.
Schedule a call today to discuss the future of your Estate with Blackdown.
Blackdown’s experience:
Ran all communications and marketing for the Burrell family at the Knepp Estate, home of successful eco-tourism ventures related to the renowned rewilding project
Ran sales, marketing and operations for family office business on the Goodwood Estate
Venture viability assessment and business strategy for private clients and investors
We also have a strong network of contacts at several Sussex estates, including but not limited to Cowdray, Goodwood, Knepp, West Dean (the Edward James Foundation) and Wiston
Associated services:
Estate business modernisation, strategy and planning
Sales, marketing and PR for rural estates
Venture viability assessment
Relevant for:
Estate owners | Land owners | Agricultural business leaders | Estate managers | Fund managers | Agricultural business leaders