Saturday, August 27, 2022

 It dawned on me that with the right numbers, this RV park even as it currently will stand, could keep me out of trucks for the rest of my life.  

There's a lot of ifs involved, however. If the power and septic are installed within the next month.  If I can get it up and running in the next few months.  If I can keep it at at least 80% occupancy.  If I can make the tent campgrounds work as well.  I'm thinking to look locally for that venue.  Advertise it in a couple of the local facebook groups that everyone in town and in the county uses as more of a gossip board than anything else.

Those gossip boards are extremely effective in getting the word out.  There's lots of land in this area, but all or most all of it is privately owned.  People the don't own land? Come to my park and enjoy a beautiful Fall night under the stars! I wonder how much the demand is for tent camping anymore tho.  People probably want electricity and wifi now.  They aren't getting wifi, if they want access to the internet, they best bring their phones with them. I have enough service in most areas in the back of the property to be able to stream live video.  Some locations it cuts out, but just a few.  

Electricity? I don't think so, not to start.  It would cost a fortune to have electricity brought all the way back there.  Now, if people wanted to bring quiet generators, I could possibly allow that.  Actually, I guess it's not going to cost me anything to have the power company install those poles and bring the power to the meter stand.  Or if it is going to cost me something, they haven't told me about it and I ain't asking. It must be the same deal as the first one.  They install, you start using electricity, they eventually get their money back.  

However.  I wouldn't want the power company to run poles back to the back. That's a 30 foot easement they demand and they get it.  I'm losing 30 feet to the RV park - but it's land that I have determined I can only use for say, a swimming pool or the doggy park.  Too much of a grade for me to consider putting rv pads there.  I could also put tiny homes there -  a thing I'd love to do but there is quite the investment to just put up one of them.  But you get me a tiny home at the front and that thing will be rented out on a month to month basis, not an overnight situation.  I'd rent the thing out, fully furnished, for $700 a month plus electricity and that's that. They'd have their own fenced in yard and parking area.  NO access to any RV facilities that may be coming in the future, however.  

Anyway, I have plenty of room for spaces going towards the back of the property for future expansion. The front of the property is just an undetermined space of land about 450 deep by 200 usable feet wide.  90,000 square feet minus the 30 foot wide easement for the power poles.  Still plenty of room for a pool, doggy park, clubhouse, whatever I want to put up really.  I do have some lofty goals, admittedly, but if you're going to dream, dream big.  This can be done with the SBA loan.  I'm definitely going for it after the park is running for a little bit and hopefully show some decent ROI, profit margins and net income.  

I really need to take a business course.  In an attempt to bypass that, I am going to see an accountant Monday afternoon.  He is all of a block away from me, lol.  I need help to set up the books, show me what to do and direct me to whatever learning information I may need and take it from there. Need to get that started now, I have no idea about any of that.  Collecting taxes? Keeping books? I'm a truck driver, not a CPA.  I know, people learn this stuff for their small businesses. I get that, I have no idea where to even start.  I guess an expense ledger would be a good start. I am keeping all the receipts from all of my expenditures and have decided that I need to get an app where you  can scan the receipts in so they aren't lost.

Receipts? They fade over time and then they are useless.  I am going to spend tomorrow (Sunday) writing down a list of questions for the accountant and hopefully this guy can help me out. He comes highly recommended by the GM of a national restaurant chain that has an operation here in town.  She went to this guy for whatever purpose, not really sure since I would assume a national chain would already have accounting procedures in place?  

Well, anyway, I'm starting to feel better.  Not all there yet and definitely not ready to start the heavy lifting, but I'm on the road to recovery.  I've wasted so much time this week laying in bed doing nothing.  Time is of the essence right now and sitting around doing nothing - well I'm doing what I can towards the business end of things - doesn't set well with me when I know I have so much work to do over there.  

There is simply no way I can start working again today.  The most I did this morning was unload the dishwasher and that was enough.  Just forcing myself to get up and walk around and start feeling human again.  

But yes, I will at least keep the idea in mind that if I can get the park going soon enough, I will forget trucking and focus entirely on the business.  If not?  Well, you know what that means. Go around filling out applications and find something to tide me over til' the park can be my sole income.          

I'm highly motivated to get the park up and running regardless of whether I have to work another job - or not.  I am spending a lot of money and getting nothing in return.  That's to be expected but no one would want that situation going on forever.  The loss of employment just happened to occur at a time when I am starting to get close to an opening day.  If it was 6 months ago? I would have already started looking for another job.  Now? I can take the time I need to get everything done that I am not going to pay other people to do.  I dont' want to spend 5 or 6 k on a basic bridge.  I've spent $800 on materials and that should be it.  

There is a trailer at harbor freight I am considering buying for the ATV. It's like $400, much smaller than my other trailer and much lighter.  It's a thing where you have to buy the wood and install it yourself.  I have to get a lighter trailer.  I burned up the drive belt on the ATV using the other one. The ATV will still move but it takes a minute and it will get worse.  New belt ordered and yes I do know how to install it, fortunately. Pain in the @$$ but I can get it done.  I just don't want to have to keep doing that.  

Anyway, I'm doing better but far from whole.  Time to get offa here. 

 Friday late-morning Typical morning when there is no work.  It was, I should say, until the new guy called.  "There's nothing wron...