Minnesotan Opens Private Campground in Her Backyard

This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.

[Music]

I love it when people come up with creative ideas that bring them extra money without taking a lot of time. This is Side Hustle School. My name is Chris Guillebeau. Today, we're gonna talk about starting a private campground. In fact, an injured puppy and a James Brown song gives this Minnesota chocolatier the inspiration to open a campground for adventurous travelers.

Did you get all that? There was an injured puppy. A James Brown song. A Minnesota chocolatier, person who makes chocolate, and a campground for adventurous travelers. Well, I'll break all that down for you in the episode, but when you have an idea like the one you'll hear about shortly, ask yourself, what is stopping you from it?

Now listen, you can't follow up on every idea. I know that. So if there's a valid reason or something legitimately standing in your way, then you might wanna pass on the idea. Totally normal. But a lot of the time, there's really not a great reason.

So if you have a creative idea to make some extra money without taking a lot of time, and you ask yourself, what is stopping me from doing this? Maybe you should stop daydreaming about it and start doing something. Well, that's what the person in our story did. And now she's earning extra money each month for very little work. Here is a thank you to our sponsor.

They allow the show to be completely free to you. And then I'll bring you the story of this Minnesotan who opens a private campground in her backyard. [Music]

Robin Doctorman wasn't expecting to come up with a new idea for a side hustle, but while listening to some good 70s music one day, inspiration struck. She heard James Brown say, "You've got to use what you've got to get what you want." And this was just the line for her situation. At the time, Robin needed some money.

Her new puppy had broken his leg, keeping the world safe from an evil mob at Doggy Daycare. The surgery he needed was expensive, and she didn't want the charge sitting on a credit card costing her interest. James Brown's words helped her see that the answer was sitting right in her backyard. The chocolate shop she owned kept her exceptionally busy in fall and winter, but sales slowed down with the summer heat. Robin and her partner Deirdre owned five acres of land near the St. Croix River in Minnesota.

This land was just two miles from a state park, which was almost always full of campers. It hit her then that this was an opportunity she could take advantage of. The campgrounds near the state park were always full, and there were no inexpensive motels nearby. What was stopping her from hosting her own private campground? This was her chance.

Now the first thing she did was conduct some quick research. When she looked up local laws and regulations, she learned that a license from the state was required only for those who hosted five or more campsites. Armed with this knowledge, Robin set up three campsites and equipped each with fire rings. Along with the installation of a composting toilet in a garden shed, her new campground was ready. The only thing left to do was take pictures and upload listings on platforms, including Airbnb and Hipcamp, a directory of campgrounds.

Within 10 days, she received her first Airbnb booking. Hipcamp also sent one of its own scouts down who stayed at the place, took photos, and reviewed the entire experience. With social proof and validation on both platforms, Robin's listing became more prominent, and she soon began getting booked out. Robin knew that her well-located and spacious land could make for an ideal private campground, but she also knew it would help to create some kind of unique selling proposition. That was the main reason why she invested $1,000 to install that composting toilet.

That was her only startup cost, and she knew it would create an environmentally friendly vibe to her listing and attract potential campers. While this was a large sum at that point, especially since she needed to pay for her puppy's surgery, she knew that it would pay for itself in a few months if she could just get her private campground to take off. And it has. During the summer months, she was able to average $800 a month in extra income. She also began selling firewood to campers as a side side hustle.

There's very little work involved at this point. Robin or Deirdre meets the campers when they arrive, explains the lay of the land, and then leaves them to it. The income has fallen a bit as winter approaches, but that's okay because now her chocolate shop is busier. That's not all. This idea has produced new inspiration.

Robin is now planning to turn an unused chicken coop into a tiny house that she's calling The Roost. She's pitched camp on her idea and is doubling down to ensure she can create the best experience for adventurous travelers. Her advice, and that of the singer James Brown, is to always use what you have. [Music]

Awesome, congratulations to Robin on the private campground. Never heard of such a thing, but it makes perfect sense.

And three quick observations from the story. First of all, use local laws to your benefit. In her case, she thought about having this campground. She went to see, do I need to have some kind of license? How does that work?

And she learns that you can't have more than five campsites without getting a license, so she starts with three. I guess this way she can move up to four if she wants, but still doesn't have to worry about that license. Next, one thing can lead to another. She's got that additional income source of selling extra firewood, and now the planned expansion to the unused chicken coop that will become a tiny house. And then finally, when you have an idea like this yourself, a creative idea to make extra money without spending a lot of time, ask yourself, what is stopping you?

If you've got a good reason, okay, fine, can't do everything. But again, if you don't have a great reason, maybe you should stop daydreaming and start doing something. That is my encouragement for you today. I hope you enjoyed this story. As always, inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is so much better.

Today's show notes are at sidehustleschool.com/668. You can check out Robyn's campground listing as well as a link to her chocolate shop. If you have a comment or question for the show, give me a call on the Hustle hotline. That number is 8449 Hustle, or 8449487853. Do come back tomorrow.

Much more is on the way every day, a new episode. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]