So, You Want to Buy a Campground?

Not everybody has the moxie to reinvent themselves; it takes a certain kind of person to abandon all that they know as safe and secure to embrace a life of uncertainty. Some seem to be simply "born that way" and some come by it quite by accident — one seemingly mundane decision can have the power to shift your perspective and change everything.

For Brad, everything changed the day he decided to skip the travel hotel and make the most out of his per diem by staging out a business trip in his camper.

Grinding out year-after-year on a career path as a telecomm technician left a lot to be desired. The work was hard; the pay was meh, and the role required a lot of travel. Brad craved time freedom and a way to support his family without losing his soul.

He often traveled with his wife, Cece, and young son, setting up HQ in some campground and living life in nature's bounty. He was already asking himself "what's next?" and this time, Campground Ownership answered.

From the outside looking in, here was a way to build a business based on serving folks a quality experience for a fair price — with a heck of a view. His wife Cece was a formidable entrepreneur-in-the-rough; she had a natural ability to make people feel right at home. Cece oozed magnetism and gracious, stick-to-yer-ribs southern hospitality.

What if they worked together and created a family business — one they could pass along to their son and his future family?

Leaning in on oodles of research and instinct, Brad and Cece sold their house, cashed in a 401K, and rolled everything into a corporation. After searching for many months, they finally found the 19-acre parcel perfectly located in South Carolina — a well-run family park with good customers, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Was it love at first sight? Brad laughs and shakes his head, "I was just so ready to get out."

And just like that — hello Pine Ridge Campground. And also goodbye.

Flash forward nearly a decade and this scrappy upstart frustrated with a 'job-job' is inspiring us all with a Big Dream story. But getting there wasn't a straight line.

When we first met Brad and Cece, they were working long hours, handling almost everything themselves, and still pining for the time freedom they had in mind when they bought Pine Ridge in the first place.

The initial investment was funded in part through a ROBS plan, which requires finesse to exit. Nobody wants to be double taxed as a C-Corp, especially when there is a better way. What's more, reservations were still being recorded on paper.

"I'm working myself to death for $20K; it was crazy. At some point, I oughta get some kind of reward out of this thing."

— Brad

While the bookkeeper they "inherited" was doing a good job filing tax returns and keeping them out of jail, Pine Ridge Campground needed to strategically plan for growth. In order to succeed, Brad and Cece needed to embrace technology and put some monumental money moves in the hands of a savvy financial steward.