Every glamping operator bends the truth when you ask them why they started a glamping business.

They’ll generally tell you it’s down to a passion for hospitality, or a love for building beautiful things. Those are valid reasons that no doubt contributed, but they fail to mention the single biggest driver:

Money.

As far as I know, there are no crazy billionaires that are in this game for the hell of it. Which means every glamping operator out there, whether it’s their first business or their twenty-first, started playing this game because they were financially motivated to do so. That’s okay. If you’re reading this, you’re likely treading the same path.

But how good can the results actually be? What’s the prize for winning the game of glamping?

Allow me to explain.

I contend there are four types of winning outcome for those getting into this business. These are:

• Generational wealth

• Life-changing money

• Escaping the rate race

• The priceless outcome

Generational Wealth

This is the prize reserved for the select few. Those who effectively beat the game and sell their business for a boatload of money. The Sarah Duseks of the world, who sold Under Canvas for more than $100 million.

Make no mistake, creating generational wealth is bloody hard. To do that, Sarah grew Under Canvas to 8 locations (with more in the pipeline), creating a super-strong brand and a passionate customer base in the process. Anyone who’s built one glamping location will tell you that’s easier said than done.

Sarah was the first to become generationally wealthy through glamping, but she won’t be the last. Others are well on the way, and I expect a $250+ million exit in the coming years. That’s the kind of valuation Posh Outdoors is shooting for anyway (it’s not really The Glamping Insider without a Posh mention, is it?).

Life-Changing Money

This type of victory is typically won by selling one or two smaller locations, rather than a chain. Think Ben Wolff selling the 11-key Onera Fredericksburg at a valuation of $7 million, or a private equity firm acquiring Isaac French’s Live Oak Lake (7 keys) for the same price.  

How do you achieve this outcome? Ben and Isaac both built their resorts to operate without them thanks to savvy hiring and a series of smart tech automations. Both businesses were incredibly well marketed, too. Above all, they were highly profitable, which is the first sign any prospective buyer will look for.

I foresee a lot of micro-resort operators achieving a similar outcome as the industry matures. Is $7 million going to feed your great, great, great grandchildren? No, but it’s a bloody good result nonetheless!

Escaping the Rat Race

Since launching Glampitect North America two-and-a-half years ago (doesn’t time fly?), I’ve fielded the same call a million times over.

“I’ve got a corporate job that I hate. I want to quit, start a glamping business and change my lifestyle.”

Most aren’t bold enough to take the leap, leaving glamping in the “what could have been” pile – right next to the high-school crush they never asked out and the football career cut short by a bad knee.

But for those that do jump, and jump well, a worthy victory awaits. The kind that awaited Chris Jeub, who quit his job as a teacher when Monument Glamping started making him a six-figure income.

If you’re a “mom and pop” operator, you might not be interested in growing a $100+ million business or selling to a private equity firm. Building a fun little business and living an outdoor lifestyle might be enough for you, and glamping really does give you that opportunity.

P.S If you want to follow in Chris’ footsteps, this is the last chance to sign up for his free Easy Entry to a Glamping Business course. Register here for the princely sum of $0.

The Priceless Outcome

I’ll hold my hands up: I was a little cynical earlier. There is more to this game than money. 

I opened the first edition of The Glamping Insider with this story from Lex Jones, a glamping operator in California:

Every operator I know has a story like this. People may enter the game for selfish reasons, but they always come out of it having made people’s lives better along the way. 

You can put a price on a glamping business, but you can’t put a price on saving a marriage, repairing a parent-child relationship, or just brightening someone’s weekend. 

See, I can do sentimental too!

💡Idea of the Week - Adult Coloring Books

Tori from the amazing Bolt Farm Treehouse is coming on the podcast soon, and to prepare I watched their episode on Netflix’s “The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals”.  

I learnt that, alongside community journals, antique books and yoga mats, each unit is equipped with an adult coloring book. Coloring can be incredibly therapeutic, and having them on a glamping site encourages the guest to slow down and recharge.