Episode 8 - Zoning Deep Dive With Demo
Welcome to Episode 8...Today we are going to do a deep dive with a demo on how to look up zoning information.
First of all, sorry for the delay in getting this video out...Covid hit my (Keri's) household, so we got a bit behind! I am happy to say everyone is all better and now it’s catch up time!
Our HOT TIP of the day is always get everything in writing from the county, city, or HOA you are dealing with!
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Episode 1 - Why Start A Glamping Business
Hi everyone and welcome to Episode 1! Today we are going to tell you why we want to start a glamping business. We hope you'll subscribe to our channel to follow along as we build our business From The Ground Up!
We had previously been flipping and re-selling single family homes in the Denver Metro area. When Covid-19 hit, we had to shift gears because we were nervous about the housing market crashing in the middle of a flip. We also were seeing that the eviction moratorium could be a problem for us if we followed through with flipping and converting the home to a long-term rental.
We started looking at short-term rentals and learned more about glamping. As Covid progressed, we saw that the glamping business was starting to grow, not just here, but all over the world. Glamping made sense for us for these reasons:
1. We LOVE being outside, camping, hiking, and enjoying nature!
2. A glamping site can be relatively inexpensive to set up and there is much less of an upfront investment to get it going.
3. People are shifting more and more towards outdoor experiences and getting away from the traditional hotel model.
4. Glamping fills a need for family's to get away easily and spend time together outside essentially getting to "unplug" from all the stress of this world.
5. A glamp site gives the customer all of benefits of camping without the hassle of buying, storing, or setting up a tent or other amenities...it's easy to go glamp!
6. Glamping is a quickly emerging and growing market and we want to be part of it. In a September 2019 Bloomberg Business Article, they predict that the Glamping Industry will be worth 4.8 Billion by 2025. Keep in mind this is PRE pandemic, so we expect those numbers have probably already drastically changed. Read the article here: https://bloom.bg/2ZlHn27
7. Glamping is most widely used as a short-term rental. This solves the problem of worrying about a renter moving in and not paying rent.
8. There is plenty of room for all types of players in this market from big corporations like Vail Resorts, Under Canvas, and KOA as well for small "mom and mom" type businesses like ours!
We are learning as we go, so please feel free to post your questions and we will answer them or research and answer them in a future video!
Join us next time when we will talk about PICKING YOUR LOCATION!
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Episode 6 - Selecting A Niche
Today we are going to talk about picking a theme, also known as a niche. There are lots of ways to go about doing this, but the most important question to ask yourself is who is my customer? If your customers are going to be couples, then you are going to have a different theme than if your customers are going to be familys.
Also, consider that you can have more than one type of theme. We decided that each glampsite would have a different twist to it...one will be focused on stargazing and we will include a telescope and some books on stargazing for beginners. Another idea we had was to have a meditation-themed site where we include comfortable pillows, yoga mats, and some books on meditation. We are hoping to find an outdoor spot near some water to set up a little spot for someone to enjoy too.
Our research shows that glampers are looking for an experience more than anything else! Consider reaching out to some local businesses and partnering up to provide an experience as an add on to the overnight...maybe ziplining, fishing lessons, local restaurants, and even local spas would love to connect with you and offer some great pairings!
We are also going to try adding some extras that our guests can purchase or rent in advance like meal kits, trekking poles, or a daypack.
Are you doing a theme? We would love to hear about it, so please leave us a comment!
Our HOT TIP of the day is furnishing your glamping site with thrifted and upcycled decor!
Still have questions? Ask us in the comments section.
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Episode 5 - Choosing Your Structure
No matter where you decide to put your Glamping business, you will want to carefully evaluate for which structure you will use. Some basic questions to ask as you get started are:
1. What’s the weather like?
2. Will it be seasonal or year-round?
3. Who are your customers and what will they want/need/expect?
Weather is probably the most obvious when it comes to making your structure selection. You’ll need to assess your location for temperature, humidity, moisture, sun, snow, rain, and wind. Our glamping site is located in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado so snow, wind, and sun are all factors for us. In the wintertime there are some parts of the mountains that will get upwards of 18” at a time for snow! We definitely wouldn’t want a tent caving in if we end up having our site be year round.
If your site is in a high wind or high humidity area, you will also need to consider this. Most people don’t like staying in a tent when it’s real humid. Luckily in Colorado, humidity is not an issue for us.
We will be starting off with a canvas tent made by Stout Tent (link below). They are a US-based, veteran-owned company. The Stout Tent (link below) manufacturing facilities are here in the US which is important to us. Repairs and warranties are also completed here in the US. Stout Tent (link below) has great reviews and we are excited to put our first one, a 19 foot wide bell tent, up! Watch for a future episode on that experience.
You’re also going to need to assess who your customers are going to be? Are your structures going to be used for large families, parties of one, intimate couples retreats, yoga retreats, corporate retreats, hunting groups, etc.? Will you be allowing your guests to bring dogs? If you are, then you better make sure your structure supports that! We have decided to allow our guests to bring dogs with a pet deposit. We will be installing a solid surface, waterproof floor so that if a dog has an accident, it can be easily cleaned up and it doesn’t ruin the tent!
Which brings up another important piece when choosing your structure and that is what type of base does it need? Most tent manufacturers will recommend a wood deck, concrete slab, or a pea gravel base. Drainage is important, so you will need to consider this as well.
Once you start digging in and researching structures, you will probably be amazed at how many options there are out there! The glamping industry is growing very quickly and there are more new glamping specific products coming on the market very quickly. One great place to see all the new glamping products is at The Glamping Show USA (link below). It will be held near Denver, CO on October 5-6, 2021. There are tons of great classes you can register for plus you get access to the expo where you will get to see all those cool new products first-hand. Check out The Glamping Show USA (link below)
As always, thanks for watching, subscribing, and for supporting our show!
Still have questions? Please ask us in the comments section!
Join us next time when we will talk about picking a theme or a niche for your glamping business.
Check out The Glamping Show USA! https://www.glampingshow.us/
Check out Stout Tent! https://stouttent.com/
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The Build A Glamping Business From The Start Show - #4 Land Hacking
WHAT IS LAND HACKING? Land hacking is a great tool to use when you have very little or no money to buy land. You can land hack by leasing land from someone else that owns the land and may be using it for something else or it may be sitting unused. A lot of land owners would love to lease (also known as rent) you a part of their land for you to build a glamping business. You can also land hack by purchasing a piece of land that already has a structure on it such as a house or cabin. You’ll still want to make sure that the land is zoned correctly just like you do for undeveloped land. There are three great reasons to buy land with a livable structure already on it:
1. You can either live in it yourself while you build or run your glamping business.
2. You can use it to house a caretaker for your glamping business. Someone that takes care of the day-to-day of running your business.
3. You can turn that structure into another short-term or long-term rental helping generate even more passive income.
HOW TO FIND LAND TO HACK: This is where you can get creative. You may have to think outside the box a bit on this too.
Network, network, network! Reach out to people you know and ask them if they have land that you could lease or if they know of someone that does. Networking through family, friends, and even coworkers is a great way to start your land hacking quest.
Find land that has the right kind of zoning and then get the contact name/address of the person or business that owns it from the county. Write them a letter explaining what you would like to do and see if they are interested.
Place an ad! Place a free ad in a local paper, on Craigslist or similar posting site, or on social media like FaceBook Marketplace. Make your ad clear and concise so people know what you’re looking for.
Find a parcel of land that already has a structure on it that you can buy and live in, rent out, or use to house a caretaker for your glampground.
Our HOT TIP of the day is to search for government owned land instead of just privately owned land. The government is one of the largest holders of land in the U.S.
Still have questions? Ask us in the comments section.
Join us next time when we will talk about how to choose a structure for your glamping business!
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No 3 - Permits & Zoning
It's important to get your zoning correct so that you can easily apply for and receive the permits you absolutely must have to start a glamping business. You might be wondering where in the world to start this process. Don't worry, we've got you covered in this episode!
WHAT IS A PERMIT? Permits are what you need to fill out to get permission from the county to do what you want with the land you have purchased or will be leasing. It's important to follow all guidelines the county has to be able to obtain an "approved" permitted use for the land. Every county and every state is different, so do your due diligence!
WHAT IS ZONING? Zoning is how local governments designate how a parcel of land will be used or developed. Zoning tells you what rules you must follow.
WHERE DO YOU FIND ZONING? Usually, you can look up zoning on any county website by looking at a GIS MAP (Geographical Information System). To do this, you will need a physical address or a parcel number. Once you know how the land is zoned, look at the “Use Table” and understand the definitions for the terms within the table. You can then look at the Land Use Regulations in more detail about how you can use the land.
When you look up zoning, you should have an idea of how you want to develop the property. Here are some suggestions that would work well for a glamping business model:
CAMPGROUND
B&B or Air B&B
ADU (accessory dwelling unit)
CABIN
RV’S
TINY HOMES
Making sure the land is zoned correctly and allows the use you are after, the permit process will be much easier!
WHAT NOT TO DO: Do not fall into the trap of looking at land to buy or lease and falling in love it before you figure out what the zoning is.
Our HOT TIP of the day is to search for land by zoning instead of searching by the price, size, or type. Start your search this way and save yourself a whole lot of time!
Still have questions? Ask us in the comments section.
Join us next time when we will about land hacking which is a great way to get low cost or almost free land!
Thanks for joining us today! We appreciate your likes and follows!
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The Build A Glamping Business From The Start Show - Why Start A Glamping Business?
Welcome to The Build A Glamping Business From The Start Show! We are your hosts, Keri and Augusta. Please join us on our journey to start a glamping business from scratch! You will get tons of information, ideas, and helpful tips!
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