This week’s YouTube episode from Flint Creek (our first Ferncrest franchise) revealed one of the most common mistakes new glampground owners make: they underestimate the money sitting right in front of them.
When I arrived, Chris and Sean weren’t selling firewood at all. They were giving it away for free.
Now there is nothing wrong with giving complimentary firewood. It’s a fantastic guest experience. But if you’re not charging premium rates (ie over $300), the amount of wood a single glamping site could burn, could literally burn up a significant portion of your profits.
Most operators assume “it’s just firewood,” but here’s the truth:
It’s never just firewood. It’s a margin engine.
Back at Promised Land, we made the same early mistake. We used to sell bundles for $7.
No one complained.
Then we tested $10 for a bundle…
Same demand. Nearly double the profit.
And that small shift is part of why our camp store now drives over $50,000 a year in high-margin revenue.
This is the part new operators don’t understand until they’ve lived it:
profit in a glampground doesn’t come only from bookings. It comes from optimizing the micro-economics of your property.
The Flint Creek walkthrough featured in this video reinforces a few big lessons:
- Giving away wood for free burns real money
- A three-dollar increase can change your annual P&L
- A camp store isn’t a “nice to have” – it’s a revenue lever
- Guests value convenience and are willing to spend a little extra money far more than you think
You don’t need more units or more guests.
You need a setup where guests naturally spend more because the experience warrants it.
That’s exactly what this week’s video shows: the real economics, the real conversations, and the real adjustments happening behind the scenes of a franchise glampground.
If you’re interested in building a glamping business, don’t miss this video!
Hope you enjoy! And Happy Glamping,
Brian Linton
