5 Tips for Cashing in on the Next Solar Eclipse

The “Great American Eclipse” of 2017 will be followed by another spectacular total solar eclipse in 2024, so don’t miss out on your opportunity to cash in. This year, entrepreneurs are making plenty of money hosting themed events, developing unique eclipse products, creating eclipse glasses, making T-Shirts and live-streaming the event. These tips will help you make a profit during the next solar eclipse. The anticipated path of this upcoming eclipse will go from South Texas up into the Northeastern U.S. The moon will be much closer to Earth for the 2024 eclipse, which will extend the totality experience from about two minutes in 2017 to five minutes in 2024.

Themed Events

A great way to make some money is to host an eclipse theme party. These spectacular space shows will bring in plenty of enthusiastic people looking for an entire experience. Anyone can plan an event, advertise it and make money selling tickets. This type of party will take months of planning, but can potentially make you thousands of dollars. If you combine this tip with some of the other unique ways to cash in on eclipses, then you are sure to come ahead. Be sure to book a location months in advance and advertise in your local papers or the internet.

Unique Eclipse Products

If you don’t want to go all-out on hosting an event, then you can always sell unique eclipse products. This year, Krispy Kreme created a chocolate glaze eclipse donut that will be sold for only two days. Jackson Hole, a Wyoming brewery, has created an exclusive eclipse beer, while Snake River Roasting Co. created an eclipse-themed coffee. Snake River Roasting Co.’s spokesperson told CNN that the coffee has been “selling like mad.”

Eclipse Viewing Glasses

People are welcome to look directly at the eclipse during the few minutes of totality. If you are not in the path of totality, then you must wear eye protection to avoid serious damage. Even when an extremely thin solar crescent layer exposing only one percent of the sun is visible, the sun’s brightness is so extreme that you can still permanently damage your eyes. Eclipse viewing glasses are a very easy way to profit off of this spectacular space show. During the 80 percent eclipse of 2000, Fiske Planetarium ordered 25,000 glasses in advance of the event and resold them for two dollars each. The product only cost around .40 cents, so the planetarium made thousands in profit. One store in Boulder, McGuckin, made over $20,000 in one week selling the glasses. The most important thing to remember is to order the glasses at least six months in advance of the event and begin selling them to various stores, organizations and individuals.

Make T-Shirts

Arguably the easiest way to make a profit on the eclipse is to create a unique T-Shirt and sell it prior to the event. Space enthusiasts will want something to remember the event by, and T-Shirts are always a go-to keepsake. With the huge amount of T-Shirt designs this year, you should have no problem finding creative design ideas. Use an online service to bring your unique design to print, and begin selling them months in advance.

Live-stream

If you don’t feel social enough to throw a party, then you can always host an entirely online live-stream. You can record and photograph the event live by using services like YouTube and profit from the advertisements that play throughout your show. You can also combine the above tips to market some unique eclipse products to your audience.

This year, entrepreneurs are making plenty of money hosting themed events, developing unique eclipse products, selling eclipse viewing glasses, making T-Shirts and live-streaming the event. If you are a dedicated entrepreneur, then you could potentially make thousands of extra dollars during the next eclipse event. Take these tips and use them to your advantage!