If you ask Outdoorsy owner Tammy Reese what she does, she will tell you she’s a stay-at-home mom. This may be true to an extent. She does stay home with her kids.
However, she’s even busier than the average stay-at-home mom. “I am currently a stay-at-home mom of three boys,” Tammy says. “I have a 5-year-old and two three-and-a-half-year-old twins. I was a P.E. and health teacher for six years before choosing to become a stay-at-home mom the year my twins were born. Because of Outdoorsy, I am now the Harrisburg branch manager of The Camper Connection.”
That means this already-busy mom of three boys is running an entire branch of a national camper rental business. What is now a big operation started out small.
“We chose to start renting out our 2014 travel trailer in 2017 because [the options] were to either a) sell it, or b) let it sit there doing nothing for the next year or two,” Tammy says. “Our twins were only a year old and we didn’t see ourselves camping anytime soon with a toddler and twins, so we thought ‘If we can just make enough money to cover the monthly payment each month for the next year or two, then it makes sense to keep it until we venture back into camping!”
“Since I was a stay-at-home mom, I needed some sort of business side hustle,” Tammy says, adding that she was excited to start the rental business.
The business did well that first year, but it was during her second year that things really took off. “I am blessed to have met Garr Russel and the team behind The Camper Connection,” Tammy says, referencing one of the owners she met through Outdoorsy.
“My partnership with The Camper Connection allows me to stay at home with my boys all while growing my business,” Tammy says. “It has truly become a passive income for my family.”
Wondering just how successful she’s been? The numbers tell all. “My first year of renting, I grossed about $6,000 renting out my 2014 travel trailer. My second year, I started a consignment branch of The Camper Connection and grossed about $40,000 renting out a total of 10 units, nine of which were on consignments,” she says. “This past season, and my third year, I plan to gross about $75,000+ renting out about 20 units.”
“This type of business can always feel a little risky,” Tammy confides, “but I feel safe renting RVs on Outdoorsy because they offer excellent insurance and liability coverage. Not only do they offer great coverage, they come through with great service when a claim is needed. Outdoorsy also offers Wheelbase software that is beneficial to businesses like mine.”
She recommends Outdoorsy to friends any chance she gets. “I have had many friends reach out to me from different parts of the country asking me how they should go about renting an RV,” she said. “Of course I always direct them to Outdoorsy and say ‘Take your pick!’”
All about Tammy Reese
Favorite morning beverage:
“Coffee with a splash of honey.”
Favorite campsite meal:
“Breakfast! Bacon, eggs, and pancakes next to a morning fire.”
Music you like to play on the radio:
“Contemporary Christian”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite:
“We count how many campers we pass on the road.”
Favorite season:
“Spring”
What’s your Outdoorsy spirit animal?
“Otter”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go?
“I would love to travel cross-country visiting state parks!”
