5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER OPEN A GLAMPING BUSINESS

3 Years ago today I stood in my kitchen and convinced my husband to take a picture holding our new glamping retreat business sign. Both of us look tired, but I’m the only one that looks excited. Sad. Yes. True? Also Yes.

I am the one who felt that a glamping retreat was the answer to all of our problems, financial and otherwise.

We had been struggling to make ends meet for years. My husband had lost a series of jobs and then purchased a business and couldn’t get employees to stay and work.

It was hard. Stressful.  Extremely disappointing.

When we decided to go ahead and try building a glamping retreat, the banks wouldn’t loan us the money because we didn’t make enough to take out equity on our home, and since we couldn’t borrow against that, they denied us again and again.

Finally, we decided to go for broke and sell our home. This gave us the cash to have leverage with the bank and we secured funding.

We thought it would all be easy once we had the funding from the bank.

We were wrong.

If I made a list right here of all the things that went wrong while we tried to get this business started, you wouldn’t believe me. You might even laugh, or think I’m exaggerating.

I’m not.

So, You think you would like to start a glamping retreat?

You think you have what it takes?

Here’s 5 reasons that you should NOT start a glamping retreat.

If your still here and ready at the end…….well, give me a call. I’ll help you out.

5. You kids will hate the work.

Do you have kids? Are you like  kid yourself? Then hate might not be a strong enough word for how much they and or you will hate working on this project. Long days, even longer nights, building decks, digging trenches, smoothing pathways, and solving mechanical issues are just a few of the hard things learned during this process and if there’s anything that kids hate, it’s something that isn’t fun. If hard work isn’t fun for you, a glamping retreat isn’t for you.

4. The Guests are always happy.

You know those people that are happy so much you start to think they might be faking it sometimes? Nature retreat people are like that. If you don’t like happy people that are easy going, get their endorphins from hiking and seeing sunsets, then you won’t like your guests. They will annoy you with all their compliments and good natured humor. Seeing them relaxing and enjoying your property might just put you over the edge into stark raving mad. Don’t do it. Don’t let those happy crazy hikers into your life.

3. You will spend more time outside

One of the reasons I wanted this business was to get my kids outside more, but I totally underestimated how much time I would spend outside. If you hate fresh air, don’t like stargazing, or feel nauseous at the thought of sitting in the sunshine roasting hot dogs over a campfire, please do not even consider building a glamping retreat. Run. Fast. Don’t. Look. Back.

2. Community

If you are an recluse and do not want to talk to people, or see more good in humanity, this business is not for you. If networking with travel and nature enthusiast is something that could drive you to the looney bin, don’t continue down this path. Also, if you don’t want to answer a million questions from people asking how you got started and how you came up with this idea, then don’t follow this dream.

1. Please DO NOT BUILD A GLAMPING RETREAT if you don’t want growth in your life.

This business will push you to your limits in every way possible. You will think it has broken you and then find out there’s more heart ache waiting around the corner. But where there is heartache, joy is just around the corner. If you can handle the hard, the good will far outweigh all the hurt. Aside from our 6 children this business has been the hardest and most rewarding thing we have ever done. So if you can’t handle the hard, Don’t EVER open a glamping business. EVER.

FOR REAL.