How to Start a Silent Retreat Center

Part 1 - How to start a Silent Retreat Center business - Background

Silent retreats give people a chance to disconnect from their hectic worlds by providing them with a peaceful place to commune with themselves. Guests are discouraged not only from talking but from making eye contact with one another. Silent retreats typically provide classes, meals, and reading materials to structure the guests’ time. Retreats serve to get people back in touch with themselves so they can be more effective when they return to their real life.

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start a Silent Retreat Center business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening a silent retreat center?

Costs to get started may be surprisingly low. You can potentially turn your own home into a silent retreat to get started! If you choose to hold the retreat in a more standard peaceful location, such as the woods or the mountains, you’ll need to budget for both the space and the furnishings for your guests. Larger retreats will also require trained staff who can work with customers to enhance their spiritual journey.

What are the ongoing expenses for a silent retreat center?

Silent retreats will need to account for staff salaries, commercial insurance, and the cost to maintain their space.

Who is the target market?

Entrepreneurs might be surprised at the kinds of people who want to try a silent retreat. It’s not just for those who embrace alternative lifestyles, but for everyone who feels as though they’re pulled in a million directions on any given day. Considering the level of distractions in the world, it likely won’t be difficult to appeal to people.

How does a silent retreat center make money?

Silent retreat businesses generally make money by charging people a flat fee based on the time they spend in the retreat.

How much can you charge customers?

Major retreats in peaceful settings can charge up to $4,000 for an 8-night stay. Decide your own prices based on the start-up costs, amenities offered, and the costs of your direct competition.

How much profit can a silent retreat center make?

Those who can create the right experiences can expect to make plenty of profit. If you charge $1,500 for a three-night stay at even a 10% profit margin, you’d make $1,500 in a weekend with only 10 guests.

How can you make your business more profitable?

You can offer ‘optional’ activities that people can pay for during their trip. For example, let’s say you have a first-class chef making healthy meals for your patrons. You can offer patrons the chance to have the chef make their personal favorite meal one night. Or you can offer more exclusive classes taught by world-renowned teachers.

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at a silent retreat center?

Owners will likely spend much of their time planning itineraries and managing staff. They may teach classes, cook meals, or prepare sleeping quarters. Owners also typically need to handle more standard administrative duties, such as marketing, budgeting, and meeting commercial business needs (e.g., following zoning laws, maintaining insurance policies, etc.)

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful silent retreat center?

You should ideally have some experience with retreats and hospitality before starting this business. You do not need to have direct education in psychology to begin the business, but a background of formal education in mindfulness may help you design the activities and hire the right staff for your retreat center. It can also give you the credibility you need to entice people to try your product.

What is the growth potential for a silent retreat center?

Silent retreats are exploding in popularity, so the growth potential is huge right now. Owners have a major opportunity to capitalize on the public’s desire by giving them memorable and relaxing experiences. As the market becomes more saturated and the idea becomes less novel, this demand will likely drop-off.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a silent retreat center?

Silent retreat businesses aren’t a new concept, but the fad of luxury silent retreats to lure people away from their iPads is. This means that you’re going to be a bit of a pioneer when it comes to figuring out your particular business model. The best thing to do is get a sense of what people what in your area. Silent retreats may sound like a great idea — until a person realizes that they won’t be able to check their phone when they feel that familiar sense of boredom or anxiety. It’s your job to find out how to keep people occupied without giving them their proverbial security blanket.

You may want to first test your ideas with friends and family. Ask them for honest feedback about how they feel as they try different activities. This should help you design packages that fit with different people’s personalities. For example, an overly anxious person may only be able to do your retreat for an hour rather than a whole week. Promoting a theme, such as Buddhist principles or Kabala, may also make it easier to brand your business. Just be careful not to use these principles solely as a means of selling your product, but as a means of guiding you into a cohesive business strategy.

In the beginning, pay more attention to the quality of your customer’s experiences rather than the revenue you’re making. It doesn’t necessarily have to be easy for them to put down their phones, but it should feel worth the effort at the end of the day. People are open to trying new things as long as everything is well-coordinated and thoughtfully executed. Your guests will likely be able to tell if the whole thing feels thrown together as a cheap excuse to make money. (This is especially helpful advice if you choose to conduct a silent retreat in your home.)

How and when to build a team

If you feel comfortable working with just a few people out of your home, then you likely don’t need a team at the beginning. However, larger retreats will need teachers and coordinators to keep everything organized. Look for people who understand how retreats work and how they can contribute to making the environment more peaceful.

Part 2 - Is a Silent Retreat Center business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Silent Retreat Center business in 90 days