RV Park Business Plan
You’ve come to the right place to create your RV Park business plan.
We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and RV park owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their RV Parks.
What is an RV Park Business Plan?
An RV Park business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your RV park. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your full financial projections.
What are the Main Types of RV Parks?
There are a number of different kinds of RV parks, some examples include:
- Traditional RV Park – a park specifically designed for RVs, with amenities such as hookups, laundry facilities, and recreation areas.
- Resort RV Park – a higher-end park with luxury amenities such as pools, hot tubs, and activities like golf or water sports.
- Seasonal/Year-Round RV Park – a park that is only open during certain times of the year or operates on a year-round basis.
- Franchise RV Park – a park that is part of a franchise system, allowing for brand recognition and support from the parent company.
- Converted Land/Boondocking Site – utilizing land or space to allow for boondocking, camping without hookups or amenities.
- Glamping Site – a more luxurious and glamorous camping experience, often offering amenities such as yurts or cabins.
No matter what type of RV park you plan to open, your business plan should outline your specific vision for a successful RV park business and how it will stand out from other RV parks. This can include unique features or amenities, target demographic and psychographic profiles, and marketing plan.
How Do You Get Funding for Your RV Park Business Plan?
RV parks are often funded through small business bank loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding. This is true for an RV Park business plan or business plan for campground.
Sample Business Plan for a Profitable RV Park
Below is a template to help you create each section of a successful RV Park business plan.
Executive Summary
Business Overview
Custer’s Best RV Park is a new RV park located in Custer, South Dakota. The company is founded by Charles Carter, an RV park and campground manager who has over ten years of experience working in the RV Park industry. Charles began his career working as a campground attendant and worked his way up to a management position in an RV park and campground near a busy national park. Now that Charles has garnered a positive reputation for exceptional customer service, management, and budgeting skills, he is ready to venture out and establish his own RV park business – Custer’s Best RV Park. Charles is confident that his ability to find and retain highly effective RV park staff, optimize the budget, and build positive customer relationships will quickly garner demand from RV campers looking for the best RV park business in South Dakota. Charles plans on recruiting a team of experienced and motivated professionals to help manage the day to day complexities of running an RV park business – customer service, marketing, leasing and rent collection, budgeting and financial reporting, and cleaning and maintenance.
Custer’s Best RV Park will provide a safe, clean, and welcoming environment for RV campers with an extensive list of amenities and services to go along with each rental. Custer’s Best will accommodate both short-term vacationers looking for a convenient spot near Custer’s Park and people seeking a full-time RV living space. Custer’s Best RV Park will be the ultimate choice in Custer for RVers while being the best-priced RV park in town.
Product Offering
The following are the amenities that Custer’s Best RV Park will provide:
- Full-hookup service (electricity, water, sewer, WiFi)
- Clubhouse with full kitchen, fitness room, showers, laundry, library, and game room
- Camp store (food, beverages, toiletries, emergency kits, cleaning supplies, games, etc.)
- Swimming pool
- Children’s playground
- Campground and picnic area
- Guided tours of Custer Park and surrounding areas
Customer Focus
Custer’s Best RV Park will target all campers, tourists, vacationers, seasonal RVers, and full-time RVers looking for the most fun and convenient spot near Custer Park, South Dakota. No matter the customer, Custer’s Best RV Park will deliver the best amenities, services, and all-around welcoming environment.
Management Team
Custer’s Best RV Park will be owned and operated by Charles Carter. He has recruited an experienced marketer, Sally Smith, to be his marketing director and handle all aspects of advertising, marketing, and promotions for the RV park.
Charles Carter is a graduate of the University of South Dakota with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He has been working at a local RV park and campground for over a decade, beginning as a campground attendant and working his way up to campground manager. Charles’s organizational, problem solving, and communication skills have garnered him a reputation for being an effective manager.
Sally Smith has a Masters degree in Marketing from the University of South Dakota. Charles relies strongly on Sally’s sales and marketing expertise to promote the business and attract target customers. Sally has worked on multiple marketing campaigns for other recreation, campground, and RV Park businesses and will play an essential role in Custer’s Best RV Park management team.
Success Factors
Custer’s Best RV Park will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:
- Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly qualified team of campground attendants available 24/7 to lead activities and tours, answer questions and provide information on the area, and perform cleanup and maintenance services when needed.
- Comprehensive list of amenities available to ensure campers feel welcome with all the conveniences of home.
- Custer’s Best RV Park offers the best pricing around. Their pricing strategy is the most cost effective compared to the competition.
Download the RV Park business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Financial Highlights
Custer’s Best RV Park is seeking $220,000 in debt financing to launch its RV park. The funding will be dedicated towards purchasing the land and building out the facilities. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, utilities, and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:
- Purchase of the land: $90,000
- Build-out of the RV Park, campground, store, and clubhouse: $100,000
- Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, utilities): $110,000
- Marketing costs: $10,000
- Working capital: $10,000
The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Custer’s Best RV Park.
Company Overview
Who is Custer’s Best RV Park?
Custer’s Best RV Park is a newly established full-hookup RV park and campground in Custer, South Dakota. Custer State Park, a 71,000 acre expanse of spectacular terrain packed with recreational activities such as hiking, mountain biking, and wildlife tours. Custer’s Best RV Park will provide the most amenities for the price, making it the first choice for campers in the area. Custer’s Best will provide a comprehensive list of amenities and services to suit both short-term vacationers and full-time RVers. Their full-service approach includes a comprehensive set of property oversight, maintenance, guided tours, as well as a clubhouse with laundry facilities, fitness center, showers, kitchen, and game room for campers to enjoy.
Custer’s Best RV Park will be able to manage camper onboarding, site maintenance, guided tours, leasing and rent collection for long-term campers, and campground activities. The team of professionals are highly qualified and experienced in RV park and campground management. Custer’s Best RV Park makes RV life convenient and enjoyable for its campers.
Custer’s Best RV Park History
Custer’s Best is owned and operated by Charles Carter, a former campground manager who has a Business Administration degree from the University of South Dakota. Charles has worked for an RV park and campground near a busy national park for over ten years. Charles’s tenure with the RV park and campground has given him the skills and knowledge required to start his own company. Charles has worked hard to grow a large network of industry professionals and RV enthusiasts ready to help promote the business to their friends and families.
Since incorporation, Custer’s Best RV Park has achieved the following milestones:
- Registered Custer’s Best RV Park, LLC to transact business in the state of South Dakota.
- Has a land contract in place to purchase the property from the current owner.
- Reached out to numerous contacts to include RV park attendants, managers, and RV enthusiasts to spread the word about the upcoming RV park in Custer.
- Began recruiting a staff of campground attendants, maintenance technicians, and security personnel to work at Custer’s Best RV Park.
Custer’s Best RV Park Services
The following are the amenities that Custer’s Best RV Park will provide:
- Full hookups (electricity, water, sewer, WiFi)
- Clubhouse with full kitchen, fitness room, showers, laundry, library, and game room
- Camp store (food, beverages, toiletries, emergency kits, cleaning supplies, games, etc.)
- Swimming pool
- Children’s playground
- Campground and picnic area
- Guided tours of Custer Park and surrounding areas
Industry Analysis
The U.S. Campground and RV Park industry is an estimated $6.2B market. RV camping is a popular recreation activity in the United States, with approximately 41M Americans participating in this recreation activity each year. According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, there are approximately 30M RV enthusiasts, including RV renters, across the country, creating a niche market with an enthusiastic target audience. The RV industry continues to post increasing sales numbers year over year. According to Dun & Bradstreet, there are over 4,000 RV parks across the nation, with combined annual revenue of $2.8B.
The U.S. Campground and RV Park industry demands drivers include personal income and tourist travel. The industry is highly fragmented with 50 of the largest companies accounting for only around 30% of all industry revenue. Most RV park owners are privately held, single-location enterprises.
Profitability depends heavily on the occupancy rate and the effectiveness of the marketing campaign. RV park operators can gain a competitive advantage by offering diverse site offerings and amenities or by operating in desirable locations.
Download the RV Park business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Customer Analysis
Demographic Profile of Target Market
Custer’s Best RV Park will target all campers, tourists, vacationers, and full-time RVers looking for the most fun and convenient spot near Custer Park, South Dakota. No matter the customer, Custer’s Best RV Park will deliver the best amenities, services, and all-around welcoming environment.
The precise demographics for Custer, South Dakota are:
| Total | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population | 590,157 | 100% |
| Male | 284,873 | 48.30% |
| Female | 305,284 | 51.70% |
| Under 5 years | 41,749 | 7.10% |
| 5 to 9 years | 43,509 | 7.40% |
| 10 to 14 years | 41,324 | 7.00% |
| 15 to 19 years | 43,301 | 7.30% |
| 20 to 24 years | 48,119 | 8.20% |
| 25 to 34 years | 106,407 | 18.00% |
| 35 to 44 years | 73,788 | 12.50% |
| 45 to 54 years | 64,669 | 11.00% |
| 55 to 59 years | 35,109 | 5.90% |
| 60 to 64 years | 27,995 | 4.70% |
| 65 to 74 years | 39,539 | 6.70% |
| 75 to 84 years | 17,394 | 2.90% |
| 85 years and over | 7,254 | 1.20% |
| Total housing units | 260,024 | 100% |
Customer Segmentation
Custer’s Best will primarily target the following customer segments:
- In-state campers/vacationers looking for a place to stay near Custer State Park.
- Out-of-state tourists/vacationers looking for a place to stay near Custer State Park.
- RV enthusiasts/people looking for a semi-permanent/permanent residence for their RV.
- Seasonal RVers/people looking for a place to stay in Custer, South Dakota on a seasonal basis.
Competitive Analysis
Direct and Indirect Competitors
Custer’s Best RV Park will face competition from other RV parks with similar business profiles. A description of our direct competitors is included below.
Kuster Kamps RV Park
Kuster Kamps RV Park provides full-hookup RV rentals. Located in Custer, the Kuster Kamps RV Park is able to provide a convenient location for campers headed to Custer State Park. Their list of services include full-hookup accommodations including utilities, water, sewer, and internet, picnic tables and tent campgrounds, and a swimming pool.
Kuster Kamps’ promise is to deliver excellent customer service, amenities, and maintenance of the RV park and campground. The team of experienced RV park management professionals assures the park is run smoothly, freeing the campers to enjoy their stay.
SD RV Park
SD RV Park is a thriving RV park business that provides outstanding RV rental accommodations for campers. SD RV Park provides comprehensive services and amenities including full-hookup rental space, a communal kitchen and laundry, and campground activities scheduled throughout the week in peak seasons. The owners of SD RV Park are RV park and campground management professionals so they understand how an RV park should be operated, maintained, and marketed. Campers can depend on their 24/7 staff availability for any maintenance issues that come up. By choosing SD RV Park, RVers can rest assured they will have a relaxing vacation.
RecVe’s Park & Campground
RecVe’s Park & Campground is a trusted Custer RV park and campground that provides superior service to RV enthusiasts looking for both short-and-long-term rental space. They are able to provide a one-stop shop for campers in the Custer State Park recreation area. RecVe’s Park & Campground offers full-hookup rental spaces, a camp market, and guided tours. RecVe’s is the premium choice for full-time RVers with exceptional customer service and round the clock maintenance available.
Download the RV Park business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Competitive Advantage
Custer’s Best RV Park will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:
- Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly qualified team of camp attendants onsite 24/7 to provide visitor information, emergency maintenance, and security.
- Comprehensive menu of services and amenities that provides campers with the greatest flexibility and most options as compared to the competition.
- Custer’s Best RV Park offers the best pricing around. Their pricing strategy is the most cost effective compared to the competition.
Marketing Plan
Brand & Value Proposition
Custer’s Best RV Park will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:
- Highly-qualified team of skilled campground attendants that provide a comprehensive set of services (guided tours, campground activities, maintenance, cleanup, and round the clock security).
- Unbeatable pricing to its customers – Custer’s Best RV Park offers tiered pricing packages as well as a la carte options to give campers the flexibility to pay for what they need, and skip what they don’t.
Promotions Strategy
The promotions strategy for Custer’s Best RV Park is as follows:
Word of Mouth/Referrals
Charles Carter has built up an extensive list of contacts over the years by providing exceptional RV park management and customer service. Many of these contacts have communicated to Charles that they kept renewing their contracts because they were happy with the service he was providing. Once Charles advised them he was leaving to open his own RV park, they signed commitments to follow him to the new RV park business and help spread the word of Custer’s Best RV Park.
Professional Associations and Networking
Custer’s Best RV Park will become a member of professional associations such as the South Dakota Campground Owners Association and the National Association of RV Parks & Campground (ARVC). They will focus their networking efforts on expanding their customer network.
Print Advertising
Custer’s Best RV Park will invest in professionally designed print ads to display in programs or flyers at industry networking events and in local newspapers and magazines.
Website/SEO Marketing
Custer’s Best RV Park will utilize their in-house marketing director that designed their print ads to also design their website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all their services and amenities that Custer’s Best is able to provide. The marketing director will also manage Custer’s Best’s website presence with SEO marketing tactics so that anytime someone types in the Google or Bing search engine “Custer RV park” or “RV park near me”, Custer’s Best RV Park will be listed at the top of the search results.
Social Media Marketing
The marketing director will manage all of Custer’s Best RV Park’s social media marketing strategy including maintaining an active presence on various social media platforms and working with brand ambassadors and influencers to promote the RV park on their social media channels.
Pricing
The pricing of Custer’s Best RV Park will be moderate with more flexibility in pricing packages than their competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing their services.
Operations Plan
The following will be the operations plan for Custer’s Best RV Park.
Operation Functions:
- Charles Carter will be the Owner and Campground Manager. He will oversee all staff and manage customer relations. Charles has spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
- Sally Smith – Marketing Director who will execute on all marketing efforts for Custer’s Best.
- Jill Miller – Staff Accountant will provide all client accounting, tax payments, and monthly financial reporting.
- Marty Johnson – Maintenance Director who will provide all maintenance for the RV park.
- Joe Williams – Head Camp Attendant who will supervise all seasonal and hourly camp attendants for the RV park.
Download the RV Park business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Milestones:
Custer’s Best RV Park will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.
7/1/2022 – Finalize contract to purchase the land.
7/15/2022 – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts.
8/1/2022 – Begin build-out of Custer’s Best RV Park.
8/15/2022 – Begin marketing campaign and networking at industry events.
8/22/2022 – Finalize rental contracts with first customers.
9/1/2022 – Custer’s Best RV Park opens for business.
Management Team
Custer’s Best RV Park will be owned and operated by Charles Carter. He has recruited an experienced marketer, Sally Smith, to be his marketing director and handle all aspects of advertising, marketing, and promotions for the RV park.
Charles Carter is a graduate of the University of South Dakota with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He has been working at a local RV park and campground for over a decade, beginning as a campground attendant and working his way up to campground manager. Charles’s organizational, problem solving, and communication skills have garnered him a reputation for being an effective manager.
Sally Smith has a Masters degree in Marketing from the University of South Dakota. Charles relies strongly on Sally’s sales and marketing expertise to promote the business and attract customers. Sally has worked on multiple marketing campaigns for other recreation, campground, and RV Park businesses and will play an essential role in Custer’s Best RV Park management team.
Financial Plan
Key Revenue & Costs
The revenue drivers for Custer’s Best RV Park are the RV park rental fees they will charge to the campers for renting a space. Custer’s Best will offer multiple pricing options to accommodate short-term and long-term rentals. Additional fees for RV park services and amenities will be charged on a per-use basis. Alternatively, customers may pay for a per-stay or a per-season pass to secure access to all amenities.
The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff the RV park. The expenses will be the payroll cost, utilities, supplies, and marketing materials.
Funding Requirements and Use of Funds
Custer’s Best RV Park is seeking $220,000 in debt financing to launch its RV park. The funding will be dedicated towards purchasing the land and building out the facilities. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, utilities, and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:
- Purchase of the land: $90,000
- Build-out of the RV Park, campground, store, and clubhouse: $100,000
- Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, utilities): $110,000
- Marketing costs: $10,000
- Working capital: $10,000
Download the RV Park business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Key Assumptions
The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.
- Number of occupied rentals per day: 10
- Average fees per month: $40,000
- Average expenses per year: $330,000
Financial Projections
Income Statement
| FY 1 | FY 2 | FY 3 | FY 4 | FY 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | ||||||
| Total Revenues | $360,000 | $793,728 | $875,006 | $964,606 | $1,063,382 | |
| Expenses & Costs | ||||||
| Cost of goods sold | $64,800 | $142,871 | $157,501 | $173,629 | $191,409 | |
| Lease | $50,000 | $51,250 | $52,531 | $53,845 | $55,191 | |
| Marketing | $10,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | |
| Salaries | $157,015 | $214,030 | $235,968 | $247,766 | $260,155 | |
| Initial expenditure | $10,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Total Expenses & Costs | $291,815 | $416,151 | $454,000 | $483,240 | $514,754 | |
| EBITDA | $68,185 | $377,577 | $421,005 | $481,366 | $548,628 | |
| Depreciation | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | |
| EBIT | $41,025 | $350,417 | $393,845 | $454,206 | $521,468 | |
| Interest | $23,462 | $20,529 | $17,596 | $14,664 | $11,731 | |
| PRETAX INCOME | $17,563 | $329,888 | $376,249 | $439,543 | $509,737 | |
| Net Operating Loss | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Use of Net Operating Loss | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Taxable Income | $17,563 | $329,888 | $376,249 | $439,543 | $509,737 | |
| Income Tax Expense | $6,147 | $115,461 | $131,687 | $153,840 | $178,408 | |
| NET INCOME | $11,416 | $214,427 | $244,562 | $285,703 | $331,329 |
Balance Sheet
| FY 1 | FY 2 | FY 3 | FY 4 | FY 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSETS | ||||||
| Cash | $154,257 | $348,760 | $573,195 | $838,550 | $1,149,286 | |
| Accounts receivable | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Inventory | $30,000 | $33,072 | $36,459 | $40,192 | $44,308 | |
| Total Current Assets | $184,257 | $381,832 | $609,654 | $878,742 | $1,193,594 | |
| Fixed assets | $180,950 | $180,950 | $180,950 | $180,950 | $180,950 | |
| Depreciation | $27,160 | $54,320 | $81,480 | $108,640 | $135,800 | |
| Net fixed assets | $153,790 | $126,630 | $99,470 | $72,310 | $45,150 | |
| TOTAL ASSETS | $338,047 | $508,462 | $709,124 | $951,052 | $1,238,744 | |
| LIABILITIES & EQUITY | ||||||
| Debt | $315,831 | $270,713 | $225,594 | $180,475 | $135,356 | |
| Accounts payable | $10,800 | $11,906 | $13,125 | $14,469 | $15,951 | |
| Total Liability | $326,631 | $282,618 | $238,719 | $194,944 | $151,307 | |
| Share Capital | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Retained earnings | $11,416 | $225,843 | $470,405 | $756,108 | $1,087,437 | |
| Total Equity | $11,416 | $225,843 | $470,405 | $756,108 | $1,087,437 | |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY | $338,047 | $508,462 | $709,124 | $951,052 | $1,238,744 |
Cash Flow Statement
| FY 1 | FY 2 | FY 3 | FY 4 | FY 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS | ||||||
| Net Income (Loss) | $11,416 | $214,427 | $244,562 | $285,703 | $331,329 | |
| Change in working capital | ($19,200) | ($1,966) | ($2,167) | ($2,389) | ($2,634) | |
| Depreciation | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | |
| Net Cash Flow from Operations | $19,376 | $239,621 | $269,554 | $310,473 | $355,855 | |
| CASH FLOW FROM INVESTMENTS | ||||||
| Investment | ($180,950) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Net Cash Flow from Investments | ($180,950) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING | ||||||
| Cash from equity | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Cash from debt | $315,831 | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | |
| Net Cash Flow from Financing | $315,831 | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | |
| Net Cash Flow | $154,257 | $194,502 | $224,436 | $265,355 | $310,736 | |
| Cash at Beginning of Period | $0 | $154,257 | $348,760 | $573,195 | $838,550 | |
| Cash at End of Period | $154,257 | $348,760 | $573,195 | $838,550 | $1,149,286 |
You can download our free RV Park business plan template PDF. This RV Park business plan template can help you through the business planning process for your own RV park business.