When Joanna and I bought our first motel in the Pocono Mountains, we didn’t just own it — we lived in it.
That’s not a metaphor. We were physically living in the back unit of the rundown property we had just overhauled. It had moldy carpets, broken plumbing, and no guests. We were in the thick of it. Every check-in, every clogged toilet, every phone call was handled by us. It was just the two of us, our kids, and a whole lot of hustle.
We were what I now call operational owners…
We were the general managers.
The housekeepers.
The maintenance team.
And while we didn’t have much in terms of systems, staff, or margins — we had something more important: proximity. When something went wrong, we were right there.
That first year taught us everything. And it allowed us to build Ferncrest later.
But it wasn’t sustainable.
Eventually, we made the move back to Philadelphia, and that’s when our role began to evolve. We started becoming executive owners — not absent owners, not passive investors (there is no such thing in hospitality, let’s be real), but strategic leaders of the business instead of boots-on-the-ground operators.
And that shift? It changed everything — from how we spent our time to how we structured our team, to how we thought about scale.
Why This Matters for You
Most people say they want to be executive owners. They want freedom, flexibility, the ability to work on big ideas.
But here’s the truth: you earn the right to be an executive owner — either by building the business to a level of profitability where it can support you stepping back, or by raising enough capital and hiring from the jump.
And both paths have their trade-offs.
At Ferncrest, we’ve built our franchise model with this in mind. We believe you need 20–30 keys to make the economics work for executive ownership. Less than that? You’re either breaking even or doing a lot of the work yourself.
That’s not a bad thing. In fact, I’d argue starting as an operational owner is the best way to learn. You’ll understand the rhythms of hospitality. You’ll build empathy for your team. You’ll learn what makes guests tick. And when it’s time to scale? You’ll do it with eyes wide open.
So here’s the question I want to leave you with this week:
Are you building a job… or a business?
There’s no wrong answer.
Some people love being operational owners. They’re on-site, in nature, hosting guests, living the dream.
Others want to build a business that can scale — and know that they need systems, staff, and strategic thinking to do it.
The key is knowing which one you are right now, and which one you want to become.
We started in the trenches. Today, we’re focused on building the Ferncrest brand, expanding through franchising, and helping others do the same. But that shift didn’t happen overnight. It was a long, often messy, but deeply rewarding process.
And we’d do it again in a heartbeat.
🚨 Don’t Forget!
We’re hosting a LIVE online Glampground Startup Challenge next Tuesday April 8 where I’ll be teaching on topics just like this – helping you launch your glamping business as soon as this year.
It’s completely free, but you do need to register to get access.
I hope to see you there!
Happy Glamping,
Brian & Joanna Linton
