Today I am speaking with a man who operated a seasonal business in Michigan, then traveled full-time with his wife and four children during the winter months. The experienced opened his eyes to a new way of renting RVs.

Garr Russell is the founder and CEO of Fireside RV Rental. The company is based in Florida, where the family settled down after full-time RVing for many years.

They got into the RV lifestyle after Garr’s wife bought him a camper for their 10^th wedding anniversary. But, being pregnant with child number four, she was miserable living in the travel trailer, so she went home early.

When Garr returned home with the kids, he put the unit up for rent on Craigslist. Within hours, he had people clamoring for the opportunity to rent the bunkhouse. The experience of renting their RV soon turned into a business where Garr was renting other privately-owned RVs as well.

Soon, he developed a business model that enabled Garr to franchise the business to other people who wanted to be self-employed.

Garr and his family have lived in almost every type of RV, but had the most fun in a Class C motorhome. He said the best part of their family travels was roadschooling their children by exposing them to a variety of activities, places and experiences all across America.

It was only after their oldest daughter turned 16 and desired a more stable social environment, that the family opted to settle in Florida. But, even now, the family loves to go RVing and thinks renting RVs is an ideal way to test the waters – and check out different types of RVs – before buying one.

Garr and his wife operated a credit counseling service while they were full-time RVing. After he started renting RVs, Garr amassed a fleet of nearly 50 privately-owned vehicles that he was renting through his business.

Fireside RV Rentals is basically a management company acting as an intermediary to connect private owners with people who manage fleets of RVs in their local area.

Today, there are 57 franchise locations in America, each of which have exclusive rights to use the Fireside brand within a 10-mile territory. Most franchises maintain fleets of around 25 rental units.

He teaches business owners how to find RVs to rent, where to store them, how to rent them and to do so while making a good income. The RV owners pay most of the upfront costs for storage, maintenance and repairs. Renters pay for insurance and any damage they may incur.

As a result, Garr said Fireside RV Rental is a low-overhead business opportunity. Not only do they rent RVs to local residents, but also to people who may fly into the area for vacations, too.

It costs $50,000 to buy a franchise, and then Garr’s company earns a 10% royalty on each rental contract. The franchisees keep the rest after covering their overhead. Franchisees typically earn at least $100,000 per year.

That means a business owner can rent RVs during summer months and take off in fall to full-time RV all winter, which is what Garr and his family did for years.

As a faith-driven business owner, Garr runs Fireside RV Rental according to Christian principles, and he likes working with other business owners who share his faith.

Garr started a podcast called “RV Rental Secrets” to teach people how to be successful in their own businesses. He also wrote a book titled, “My Wheelestate Story,” which people can download for free from the resources page at www.firesidervrentalfranchise.com.

For information about renting RVs, visit www.firesidervrental.com. The company also has a YouTube channel and is active on Facebook.

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That’s all for this week’s show. If I can pull it off over the holiday, I’m planning a fun tongue-in-cheek interview for the episode scheduled to be released the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. So tune in again on Dec. 31 for the last episode of 2024. May you enjoy a happy, memorable and stress-free Christmas holiday. Thanks for listening!