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The property looked perfect until I walked it… (and the lessons learned)
Last week I posted a video walking two different properties on opposite sides of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. One in Cosby, Tennessee - 10 acres on a mountain about an hour east of Knoxville. One in Bryson City, North Carolina - 22 acres with views of the...
The Slow Slide From “Boutique” to “Run Down”
Five years ago, Joanna and I bought a rundown roadside motel in the Pocono Mountains. We lived there for a year while renovating it ourselves. Every room, every wall, every detail. When we finally opened The Rex Hotel, it worked. Today the property does around...
We Found Two “Perfect” Properties For a Glampground… But Can Only Choose One
Last month I flew to Michigan to walk two properties with a seasoned operator who has opened 159+ locations as a franchisee (restaurant business) and built brands as a franchisor. Two sites. Ten minutes apart. So ultimately, we have to choose one. 83 acres of an...
Winter Doesn’t Break Campgrounds. Bad Decisions Do.
Last weekend’s blizzard dumped nearly 30 inches of snow on our campground in Promised Land. It immediately took me back to earlier this winter, when I spent a full day on the property during the first real snow of our first winter being open, with guests staying at...
A Real Campground’s Decision to Expand with Glamping
A few months ago I flew down to Tennessee to walk a 25-acre campground Michelle and Ryan bought for $575,000. It sits against the Cherokee National Forest, near whitewater rafting, and within driving distance of Atlanta. It’s gorgeous. And they are building a...
Why Our New Camp Store Matters More Than You Think
When people saw the prefabricated camp store show up on a truck last year, most assumed it was just a new building on the property. This week’s YouTube video shows what actually happened behind the scenes. Not just the chaos of taking delivery on a...
The profit hiding in plain sight at your glampground
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...
How We Assess Land for a Glampground: Chambers Creek Edition
This week we posted a new YouTube video that takes you on the first site planning trip for Ferncrest Chambers Creek in Grandview, Texas. In this newsletter I want to use that trip to show how we actually assess land for a Ferncrest level glampground, then invite you...
Why Winter Will Be a Profit Center for Us, Not a Liability
I just got back from a three-day trip to Promised Land. The plan was simple: check on our properties, review the winter setup, and get back home. What I didn’t plan for was the first snowstorm of the season. Eight inches of fresh powder dropped on Tuesday. Promised...