151: The Nation's Premier, Luxury Camping Experience ⛺… How Sarah Dusek grew Under Canvas® Camping…

Background on Sarah Dusek of Under Canvas:

Sarah Dusek is co-founder and CEO at Under Canvas Inc. Sarah and Jacob Dusek were inspired by the African safari experience and they set out to create an immersive outdoor escape that serves as a unique bridge between travel and the outdoors. Under Canvas began in 2009 with the opening of an all-inclusive glamping adventure package and has since grown to include eight luxury glamping resorts and a customized event’s offering, bringing the glamping experience to life anywhere in the country.

The Under Canvas safari-inspired tents include amenities such as daily housekeeping and fresh towels, plush king-size beds, luxurious linens, en suite bathrooms and even a wood burning stove for chilly nights. Kids and adults alike delight over evening s’mores around the communal campfire as they share their stories of their day’s adventure. Happy, well-rested glampers wake to the sounds of nature, perfectly positioned to explore America’s most iconic national parks and monuments.

Recognized as the “perfect glamping experience” by Vogue, Under Canvas operates locations in Yellowstone and Glacier in Montana; Moab and Zion in Utah; Mount Rushmore in South Dakota; Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and Grand Canyon and Tucson, Arizona.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[1:53] Sarah Dusek is the co-founder and CEO of Under Canvas. They are the largest glamping service provider in the US today.
[3:10] The idea of bringing some luxury and comfort into the camping experience came about because Sarah was not really the outdoors type of person.
[5:44] The first few years of the company was extremely tough for Sarah and her husband.
[10:28] Sarah provides more detailed information about Under Canvas regarding their services and how they operate.
[14:53] Part of the challenges they face in providing their glamping services is the unpredictable weather.
[16:40] One of the things that Under Canvas is proud of is their very good environmental tract record.
[20:53] Sarah and her husband started their safari-style camp business in Montana with almost no money.
[25:09] In the early days of their business, Sarah and her husband were doing everything by themselves.
[28:07] According to Sarah, there are some advantages when you have a seasonal business.
[32:00] In 2012, they created their very first national park product.
[35:45] Sarah shares her insightful idea when it comes to creating a business plan.
[38:30] In 2013, Sarah brought in someone with professional expertise in the hotel industry. This person was a great asset in the business because he taught them so much in terms of staffing, systems and procedures and many other things.
[44:43] In the last 3 to 4 years, they were focused on building more teams and getting more people to join the business.
[49:22] Sarah talks about the mistakes made when hiring people into the business.
[55:08] There are several growth pains that the company has to experience throughout the years. Sarah also shares the key solutions she made to overcome those challenges.
[1:02:35] Sarah offers a few motivational words on how to be successful and build a multi-million dollar business.

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Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖 📚 Favorite Book(s)? The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? There are too many to pick one!
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? Expensify
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Key Point from the Interview:

“At the end of the day, what I always looked at is, are my pluses going to be greater than my negatives. I’m going to spend X but I think I’m going to make Y, and here’s what I’m going to do to try and determine why I’m gonna make Y. And that’s how I’ve always looked at it.”

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