Amelia's own benchmark - $250K a year in retreat sales - came in her second year leading retreats, and it's what we coach every student toward. That's a realistic outcome to aim at, not a promise, and it comes from a specific, learnable three-year arc rather than luck. Here's the shape of it.
Before booking a venue or writing an ad, answer these on paper: who benefits most, why (what you're imparting), where and when, how (which contractors), what the itinerary looks like day to day, what it costs, what you'll charge, how often you'll run it, and what that leaves you as profit. Getting specific here before you spend anything is what separates a business plan from a hopeful guess.
The hardest part is simply starting. Layer one is your location and venue - identify the retreat you can realistically repeat. Layer two is your content - photos worth advertising and copy worth reading. Layer three is your automation - the email sequences connected to your ads. Your critical, non-negotiable task underneath all three: sales and follow-up. Be professional, build trust, sell out the retreat.