Testing the appetite for a Business idea! Feedback needed!!

[Mx468]

Hey Randy I air bnb my airstream right on my property and there is

definitely money to be had in renting out airstreams. It all depends on location, market, competitive pricing, what your offering, the uniqueness is already there being an iconic trailer, etc... also the people you meet, at least my guests were all nice, some wanted to own a airstream one day but couldn't afford it now, pretty hip and didn't mind glamping in my yard I am currently a publisher of a local magazine in my town and was contemplating on writing a book on the what to do and don'ts to airbnbing out your airstream. Its pretty lucrative and cleaning the space is pretty easy and maintaining it as well. Drop me a pm to discuss further or to pick my brain, your on the right track. Don't give up, but you might have to tweak your plan a little. Dan

[Mack31]

Randy,,,

Most people thought the internet was a passing fad...

This idea could work with some adjustments, which I think is what you were asking about.. Most people would not rent out their "Pride and Joy" units, however there are many many many unit for sale.. One idea to consider might be to purchase used units and have them in the rental program, along with renting out lot space. You might also consider doing some restoration / renovation work. This would allow you to upscale the used units for a less that retail cost. you could also sale these upgraded units or rent them. You might consider doing this business with other than Airstreams,,, maybe tiny houses..

As a MBA, you understand it is about the numbers,, crunch them til it works..

Good Luck

[Overstreet]

Not a new idea. Many parks work on that model. Limiting it to only Airstream is likely too limiting. The AS park at Christmas Fl converted to a regular park cause there weren't enough AS.

See....
https://liveoaklandingrvresort.com/
https://liveoaklandingrvresort.com/

Many AS parks are site owned and rented out when owner isn't there. Not the trailer, the site.

If you rent out an AS, any park model or house be sure to take the depreciation discount on your taxes cause your renters will "install" depreciation in the unit. Renters also have a habit of taking or breaking things.

I'm out of the rental game and plan to stay that way.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by DonRich7878

It is theorized that knuckle dragging neanderthals are now extinct because because of an inherent lack of ability to accept new ideas and respond to changing environments.



Every successful business accepts new ideas as opportunity and responds to changing environments by learning from mistakes, those which don't become extinct. I recommend that you focus on "how it can be done" rather than "why it can't".

Where do I begin? [emoji3]

I thought smithcreek’s comment was exceptionally witty and your reply was equally thought provoking. Loved both...and I have some personal experience here that may or may not be relevant.

I got my MBA at Babson - known for its entrepreneurial development capabilities. I built my plan there and entered it in their annual contest. Out of over 100 submissions that year, I came in 2nd after our pitch to the panel. Not bad. But not #1. Still - was able to supplement and far surpass the life savings I had put in to it and raise a few million dollars in VC funds to get things started with a 6 person team and a soon to be patented product.

Now - to be perfectly transparent, this was during the dot.com bubble when people were inclined to write checks based on napkin sketches at a bar - so...

At any rate - Easy come easy go. When the bubble started to burst, our investors had to divest 30 of their 33 startups and we weren’t out of beta with our product so in no way would we have made the cut at $X in annual revenues and Y% CAGR (hard to achieve a CAGR on zero revenues...). At least I didn’t lose only my own money - I lost theirs too....

I learned a lot about myself in the process and a few things from the nearly 100 VCs we met with while shopping the plan for fundraising back in the 90s (could be different now for sure...):

1) there is a world of difference between an idea and an opportunity. Everyone has great, fun, compelling ideas. There is no shortage of them. An opportunity is something people will pay money for. Don’t confuse the two. I think that’s universally still true.

2) VCs are, contrary to popular imagination, some of the most risk averse people on the planet. If they can’t sense in 30 seconds that they are talking with an A team who preferably has an A plan, with a significant addressable market and a meaningful barrier to entry - the checkbook is closed. Period.

3) having said that - investors also know they can’t pick only winners among the opportunities they choose to fund. If they’re not ultimately losing on some bets, they’re likely leaving some home runs on the table.

Knuckle draggers sure need to evolve to survive. And they ought not run in to packs of wild lions to test their evolutionary progress. There’s a balance in there somewhere - not every evolutionary or revolutionary change is good - and not every idea is an actual opportunity. Ask how it can be done for sure. But just because you can - doesn’t mean you should.

I think the OP has gotten some pretty good market research from this crowd (of which I’d consider myself an avid knuckle dragger on the rental vision).

Maybe the OP will nail it! I don’t see it. But Fred Smith got a C on his college paper about a “hub/spokes” delivery system and still turned it in to FedEx...what the heck do I know?

Drag on, friends! [emoji3]

[Overstreet]

Originally Posted by randy_beaman

My thoughts is something like this:

https://autocamp.com/gallery/

Basically, rather than outright own all of these trailers like AutoCamp - utilize an airbnb model. Doesn't have to be only AS.

Pairing it with a really nice outdoor setup, hot tub, maybe an outdoor shower, deck, etc. Along with a nice lodge with a restaurant.

on-site there would be a fulltime maintenance crew, and insurance covering 100% replacement cost on anything for your trailer.

I have run some basic projections, and this business would become profitable if people would be willing to pay $250 night to stay, which places it in line with nice but not ridiculous priced hotels.

Take a look at the resorts links on my other post. They were focusing on Park Models.....nice two bedroom units. Buy in was around $85K.. nice unit lots of comfort items. They charged for lot rent, power, maintenance (as needed) and management fees. They charged the vacationer an overnight fee, and houskeeping fee. Which was around $250-$350 (foggy memory) plus houskeeping fee. Rents etc off set the owners costs. Which means as an owner you didn't want to be there. You want it rented out.

It would be a business investment not the normal Airstream purchase reason.

I think you'd be limiting your self in Denver to summer season with just AS. Park models.......think modular home on a trailer chassis.....would handle winter better. An $85k park model has more living space and house luxury items than an $85k Airstream.

[Big Thunder]

I have to agree with Kendrix. There is no way we would want strangers, or even relatives, to rent out our AS! We are especially sensitive about our bed and bathroom. Thought of "others" using our AS is not even in the equation!

[StreamNTyme]

No I would never rent out my rig! To no one, not even family.
If you get into a campground, do it in the south. Where you can be open all year. Near interstates, near people, near activities, near shopping, near entertainment. Of course, as others said clean, quiet, roomy sites, shady, full service. South east coast is hot, tons of people moving and visiting here daily.
Tourists all year, activities, festivals, etc. all year.

[Jim & Susan]

...........So I'll just go ahead and say it out loud....

I don't really want any naked butts all over the inside of our Airstream.

Sorry, that's just reality.

I suspect the folks with the really expensive models feel the same, they're just too polite to say so.

Somebody had to say it.

Jim (the prude)

[bweybright]

So he hasn't posted in a week and was very responsive before that. I am guessing he got the vibe of this forum and is looking for another that he can quote to get his VC funding in line?....snarky insert there.
That would mean that we are now preaching to the choir?
At least he did learn very quickly that Airstream owners can be a finicky group to deal with. It's an emotional and personal thing...not just money.....at least for us older owners. Maybe the younger owners don't really have the attraction/relationship we do to ours and they are interested in the bucks and throw it away when done.
Having done a lot of consumer insight work for some really big companies I realized about 5 years ago that I now do not really matter to manufacturers, I will buy what I buy and spend what I spend. They are after the next younger dollar, so his idea might fly. Just not for this audience.

[Ted S.]

Go for it Randy.

If renting out RVs didn’t work Outdoorsy would not have been founded.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/12/ou...fresh-funding/

Illegitimi non carborundum !!!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Renting RV's, cars, trucks, boats, snowmobiles most certainly *does* work. Doing it with brand new privately owned items ... maybe not so much. Check with your insurance guy if you need to put a number on the "why?".

When the car or RV or snowmobile rental outfits get ready for the season, truckloads of new vehicles arrive from the factory. I've watched that process. Some time later the (heavily) used vehicles are given a deep clean and sold off. It does indeed work and most certainly makes money.

Bob

[gsp]

Originally Posted by Ted S.

Go for it Randy.

If renting out RVs didn’t work Outdoorsy would not have been founded.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/12/ou...fresh-funding/

Illegitimi non carborundum !!!

It’s naive to pretend that outdoorsy is the same idea as what the OP presented - you clearly didn’t read the article. Outdoorsy renters take the trailer on the road, and owners keep most of the profits.

You also seem to think that getting funded means that your idea works, which is misplaced. Have a look at “Theranos” which raised almost $1B in funding - without ever having a working idea or product.

Cogita ante vos loqui