In this day, there’s a different kind of gold rush brewing. Due to the price of gold rising so rapidly, entrepreneurs have come out of the woodworks to try their hand at prospecting for gold. It’s not quite as easy as the plethora of television shows make it seem. Mining for gold ends in broken dreams and empty bank accounts for most adventurers, but it is definitely possible to defy the odds and be one of the few people that strike it rich in the mining business. Before you go tearing feverishly into the ground, here are a few tips to assist you on your journey to success.

Do Your Research

It is absolutely essential to your success as a gold miner to do your research before you set up shop and begin to dig. Thorough ground research will save you a ton of money and man hours. You wouldn’t want to set up all of your equipment, and hire a whole crew just to find out the land you are mining is worthless.

There are many books available that contain information on where gold has been found in the past. Use this information to begin your search. In the 1800’s. when the original gold strike hit, thousands of men flocked to areas where gold was found. There equipment was far less efficient as cleaning the land of its gold, and re-mining those areas could produce a good home base for your project startup.

Equip Your Party

Once you have chosen the area you want to mine, you will need to purchase the proper equipment to begin your operation. When you are a beginner, know that it is not a good idea to over invest yourself by purchasing too much equipment. Unless your land promises a large amount of product, you should just stick to what is absolutely necessary. You will need a sluice box to run dirt and separate the gold from the pebbles. You definitely need a good ole gold pan for panning and prospecting.

Be sure to research the range of equipment that is available, and what each piece is made to do. If you’re running a larger operation, a shaker will be a good investment. A shaker will help to shake out all of the bigger rocks and send the gold (which is heavier) to the bottom of the machine to be caught in the sluice box.

Know What You’re Getting Into

You COULD throw your whole life savings into purchasing equipment and paying employees to set up a giant mining operation in hopes of striking it rich, or you could be smart with your money and realize that the modern day gold rush is a rare success for most people. Don’t go into this with no plan B, and please don’t throw everything you have into dreams of gold. There is plenty of gold to be had in the U.S., but finding it is a very tedious and expensive process.

By Kar

Dr. Kar works in the interface of digital transformation and data science. Professionally a professor in one of the top B-Schools of Asia and an alumni of XLRI, he has extensive experience in teaching, training, consultancy and research in reputed institutes. He is a regular contributor of Business Fundas and a frequent author in research platforms. He is widely cited as a researcher. Note: The articles authored in this blog are his personal views and does not reflect that of his affiliations.