In a recent episode of MC Fireside Chats, host Brian Searl of Insider Perks kicked off the conversation by lightheartedly addressing his scratchy voice and acknowledging the absence of several regular panelists, including Joe Duemig, who was attending a conference in Australia, Scott Foos, who had a meeting, and Kevin Thueson, who was traveling. Despite these absences, Searl enthusiastically introduced the two featured guests: John Handy, co-owner of Treebones Resort, and Devon Towle, Founder and CEO of Global Glamping, also known as Sir Glamps-a-lot. John Handy shared the 20-year journey of establishing Treebones Resort in Big Sur with his wife Corinne. He recounted the serendipitous rezoning of their oceanfront property to commercial use and their subsequent decade-long exploration of creating a unique lodging experience. Handy explained that the concept of “glamping” didn’t even exist when they began, but their vision was to offer an experience that combined the closeness to nature of camping with the comforts of a hotel, leading them to discover yurts. He highlighted the significant financial risks they undertook with business and construction loans, contrasting their approach with the revenue-sharing models discussed later. Handy emphasized that the success of Treebones lies in its unique location, the dedicated on-site staff, and the array of amenities, including fine dining with a sushi bar and lodge restaurant, massage, yoga, a pool, spa, and jacuzzi, all while maintaining a low carbon footprint. Devon Towle, or Sir Glamps-a-lot, detailed his entrepreneurial journey, starting from a background in architecture and housing consultation to founding Global Glamping. He shared how his initial foray into glamping began with a single yurt on raw land in Montana, which surprisingly led to recognition as one of the best Hipcamps in the state. This experience highlighted the potential of the industry and the need for guidance, prompting him to establish Global Glamping. Towle proudly mentioned the company’s growth to 15 resorts with over a hundred short-term rentals and their specialization in eco-tourism development. He was particularly excited to be calling in from their Guardian Ranch location in San Diego, showcasing 3D-printed tiny houses from Azure Printed Homes, emphasizing the rapid construction and eco-friendly nature of these units made from recycled materials. The conversation then shifted to the topic of bootstrapping versus seeking investment capital. Towle shared his experience of creatively financing his ventures, including a “Glamping Rev Share” model that allowed him to partner with landowners and structure providers. He emphasized that the barrier to entry in glamping can be significantly lower than traditional real estate investments, allowing entrepreneurs to start with modest means and grow creatively. Searl resonated with this, sharing his own experiences of building his business without significant initial investment and highlighting the flexibility and potential rewards of a bootstrapped approach. Both Handy and Towle agreed on the importance of agility and the ability to pivot in business. Handy used a compelling ship analogy, stating that a ship in a harbor is safe but not fulfilling its purpose, and that forward motion is necessary for steering. He shared examples of unforeseen challenges like road closures and economic shifts that require constant adaptation. Towle echoed this, emphasizing that nothing ever goes exactly to plan and that perseverance and the willingness to pivot are crucial for entrepreneurs in the often unpredictable world of eco-tourism and glamping. The discussion touched upon the role of technology in their businesses. Handy highlighted how Starlink internet and advancements in battery storage systems have been game-changers for Treebones, especially given their off-grid location. He also spoke about their adoption of Azure 3D-printed homes as an eco-conscious lodging option. Towle also emphasized the speed to market and cost-effectiveness of the 3D-printed homes. Both expressed excitement about future technological advancements, including the potential of AI in design and 3D printing. Searl raised the topic of disconnecting in a hyper-connected world, sharing his own recent experience of the benefits of unplugging. Handy recounted a story about the Wall Street Journal inquiring about their “prepare to unplug” message from their early days, noting the initial resistance from some guests but also the eventual appreciation for the opportunity to disconnect. He mentioned that while technology has advanced at Treebones, they still maintain areas where guests can intentionally unplug. Looking towards the future, Handy expressed that Treebones Resort would remain family-owned and operated, with the next generation taking on leadership roles. He emphasized their commitment to maintaining the essence of Treebones – perching lightly on the land, living simply, and connecting with nature – even as they evolve. Towle shared his vision for Global Glamping, aiming to create affordable, eco-friendly living communities and develop a gamified app to enhance the ecotourism experience. He expressed a long-term goal of securing larger-scale funding to expand these communities for midterm and long-term living, promoting a lifestyle connected to nature and entrepreneurship. In closing, Searl expressed his admiration for the work of both Handy and Towle, predicting a bright future for their ventures and the eco-tourism industry as a whole. He underscored the power of inspiring others through their innovative approaches to hospitality and sustainable living.

Welcome everybody to another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

2

My name's Brian Searl with Insider Perks.

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I got like a scratchy voice,

guys, like when the intro was

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playing, I was fine before I

started like having this dry cough.

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So that's what I have this, I don't

know if you can even tell on the mic,

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but I like to be transparent on my

shows and talk about things that nobody

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really cares about to start the show.

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But welcome everybody.

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We're missing like a

bunch of people today.

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Joe Duemig over in Australia.

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Congrats to him.

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He's at a Australian Campground

Owners conference over there,

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bringing his apps into a new market.

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So super exciting to see his success.

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Scott Foos has a meeting.

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Kevin Thueson traveling.

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Kevin, there's mobile phones.

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I just wanna point that out to

you, Kevin, like you can jump on.

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Like look at Sir Glamps-a-lot,

Devon, he's at a job site.

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He's all up in this stuff helping us out.

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Devon Towle: Yes, sir.

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Brian Searl: And then Zach and

Casey, like Zach and Casey basically

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just said we accept your calendar

invite, we're gonna show up.

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And sorry my dog is messing with me.

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And we're just, then we're just

not gonna come on the show.

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If that happens, here's my little dog.

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Devon Towle: Nice.

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I got my one.

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Brian Searl: She's got lap dog.

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She's gotta have all the attention.

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So anyway, like I was listening

to you guys before the show.

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I was telling these two gentlemen

we're gonna talk about the businesses.

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So I wanna have you guys

introduce yourselves in a second.

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And then we're gonna talk about

Global Glamping, some of the

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cool stuff they have going on.

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Treebones Resort.

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My eyes are better now, John.

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I fixed that problem.

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Thanks for correcting me.

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We're gonna talk about that stuff and some

of the cool things they have going on.

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And then maybe we're gonna have a really

cool discussion on 3D printing because

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both of these gentlemen are involved

in some capacity, which I'm sure they

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will tell you during their intros.

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So you guys wanna briefly

introduce yourselves.

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Let's start with John 'cause he doesn't

have a cool name, like Sir Glamps-a-lot.

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No offense, John, but.

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John Handy: Yeah.

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Brian Searl: I don't have any.

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John Handy: My name's John Handy.

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My wife Corinne and I

own Treebones Resort.

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We built it and opened it 20 years ago.

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Brian Searl: Congratulations, John.

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I'm looking forward to

talking more about that.

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Devon or Sir Glamps-a-lot, or.

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Devon Towle: Yes, sir.

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What's up, MC Fireside Chats.

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My name's Devon Allen

Towle, AKA Sir Glamps-a-lot.

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I'm the Founder and CEO of a

company called Global Glamping.

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Started off as a architect and

housing consultant for Palm Harbor

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Homes in San Antonio, Texas.

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Free advertising for them about 15 years

ago, and ultimately wanted to do my own

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little tiny home community before eco

tours and glamping was even like a thing.

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And so when I moved to Montana seven years

ago I have an entrepreneurial background.

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One of my companies is called

Elevate, which is a skateboarding,

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snowboarding, lifestyle brand, outdoor

adventure travel, and wanted to build

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a little indoor skate park for the

local community for the wintertime.

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Found out about glamping.

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I thought it was a legit joke.

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I didn't know it was like a real thing.

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This was seven years, so it was still

a brand new industry here in the US.

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Bought some raw land in Montana, had

a warehouse, built a skate park needed

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a way to cash flow the property.

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So I put my property on Hip Camp and

was doing $25, $30 bucks a night.

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Had a little skate park going,

saved up, built the yurt.

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And fast forward a year, we ended

up getting nominated for the

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best Hip Camp in all of Montana.

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Out of 6,000 locations,

I was in the top 10.

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I ended up winning by the, and then got

Forbes and then going through zoning

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and permitting and all that other stuff.

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I recognized that this industry was like

the wild west and the industry needed

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some people to help, guide the industry.

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And so I started Global Glamping.

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Fast forward seven years now,

we've been featured in quite

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a few major publications.

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The most recent big award was

for business elites 40 under 40,

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and I just turned 40 last month.

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So literally barely made

it by the nick of time.

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So that was super cool.

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And now we have 15 resorts with over

a hundred short term rental in the

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ecotourism space, about 34 properties.

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And we've literally helped thousands of

people with guests and also developments.

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And so we specialize in ecotourism

and developing locations.

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I'm actually here at our Guardian Ranch

location in San Diego, California, or

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in Escondido in San Diego, California.

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With the 3D printed tiny houses from

Azure printed homes as a world's

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first ever, we've been able to get

three decks framed out plumbing

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and water lines done in three days.

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So all of you that weren't on

the call, there's no excuse.

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Brian Searl: That's true, man.

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That's true.

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Thanks for being here.

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Like you're not too

far from me in Montana.

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I know you're not in Montana right now.

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We just covered that.

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But I'm in Calgary.

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I live here permanently.

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Devon Towle: Oh nice!.

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Brian Searl: So just North of you.

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Not too far away.

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Did I hear you say like you

were bootstrapped, right?

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Is that what I heard?

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Devon Towle: Yeah,

completely bootstrapped.

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We've never had any ambassador.

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I was just doing this to get people

into nature and do some tent camping

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and it's become this thing now.

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So it's been a really exciting.

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Brian Searl: So this is a super

interesting question for me because

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I am like, I'm also bootstrapped and

there's obviously a place for investment

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capital for certain use cases, but I

think this is an interesting conversation

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to have simultaneously that will

allow us to explore how your business

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is built or businesses were built.

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And that is you see a lot of people on

LinkedIn, especially since the pandemic

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who are, and not speaking negatively

for or against whatever, but who are,

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I'm an investor come investor with

me putting money into my company.

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We'll give you fractional shares of

this or fractional shares of that.

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Or like you can make so much

money in the RV park space or

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the glamping space or whatever.

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And that's a viable path

to success in some cases.

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I don't know that I fully agree with

the fractional share thing, but that's

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obviously just my opinion for sure.

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There are definitely methods

of profit behind there.

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But it's not the only way, and I think

that story gets lost sometimes, is that

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there is ways that you can bootstrap from,

all the way down to like you said you

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started, and I want you to talk more about

this, but your $25, $30 a day, tent sites

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or whatever on Hip Camp it's not as easy

as like getting a check written for you

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for 5, 10, 50, a hundred million dollars,

but sometimes it's more rewarding.

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What do you think?

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Devon Towle: Oh man, I, and I completely

agree, and that's actually another reason

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I started this company because I've been

able to get creative with financing.

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And even my first deal, I did a,

it's called Glamping Rev Share

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to where we have five acres.

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There was a gentleman that was in in

Montana, in Florence, Montana, which is

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the next little town to Stevensville.

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It's where they, to film

to show him Yellowstone.

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And I had, someone had told me that

he had a bunch of yurts and so I

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called them and I was like, Hey man.

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I heard that you have a bunch of

yurts that you're trying to sell, you

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haven't really been able to sell them.

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I could do a display model as well

as, share the revenue with you.

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So I was like, I'll do the

management, I'll do the listing.

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I'll give you half of the

revenue, help you sell your yurts.

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And that's how we got the yurt.

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I paid for the deck.

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He supplied the yurt,

place for $ 500 bucks.

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Built my own little fire.

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Only had a porta-potty.

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I was afraid that people were gonna

leave bad reviews, but actually

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again, people get analysis paralysis.

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And I did add a desperation and sure

enough, like we got good reviews because

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the porta-potty was always clean, and

again, like I just had to generate

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revenue and we were getting $75, a

hundred bucks a night, and I knew if I

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could do it, with one, I could scale it.

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And that's how I've been able to

scale my business was I do rev

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share deals with people and then

they would generate a cash flow.

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They'd buy the structure, and then

I'd buy them out after a few years.

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And so now we do that on pretty

much all of our locations and we'll

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even invest in other sites depending

on, if it's feasible or not.

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But we do 50-50 to where we'll

sell the structure, we'll put

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it up on our qualified land.

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They get half of the rental income

and then after five years they can

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sell it to us at an agreed upon price.

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We can broker a deal and

then, sell it to a commission.

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They can sell it to another,

structure partner or they can move

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it to one of our other sites or

move it to their own location.

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Develop their own sites because as

90% of the people in the industry,

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if they, have been in this industry,

that's the biggest thing is finding

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the capital to do the developments.

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And so I've been able to find a

workaround 'cause I haven't, I didn't

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have the best credit when I got started.

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I didn't have it going, so I had

to get creative and this rev share

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model has been a game changer for me.

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Brian Searl: Yeah, that's all

that resonates with me, right?

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I didn't, even to the last point,

like the bad credit when I started

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like in 2010, 2011 or whatever I never

took a big loan from a bank either.

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Like looking back on it, I'm

like, I can't believe I was that

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stupid, but I had no other choice.

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At one point, I think I had

$150,000 in credit card debt,

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like long time ago, right?

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But that's how I was building my business.

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And then I was turning it over, right?

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Very quickly.

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But that ability to just like, that

would never fly with investors, right?

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The kinds of things that, like I've done

over the years to build my business that

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were like, I'm gonna just go all in this.

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'cause I think it's right.

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And an investor would look to

that oh my God, are you crazy?

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You're never doing that with my money.

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But it worked.

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And so that's the flexibility

is what appeals to me too.

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Devon Towle: The barrier to entry

for this type of real estate

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investment is a fraction of the

cost of your typical Airbnb or other

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real estate investment where you

need 500,000 to a million dollars.

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You could literally get started with

some raw land a bell tent, a little

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solar battery bank, and two to $3,000.

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And that's not the ideal way to do it,

but where there's a will there's a way.

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Brian Searl: Yeah.

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But that creativity is

the key to it, right?

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And again, I'm not saying that you

can't be successful other ways.

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Of course you can.

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There's plenty of models proven out.

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There's lots of great groups out there.

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Kevin's is one, right?

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They have a lot of great investors

behind their company and they've been

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extremely successful with KCN Campgrounds.

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See, I even talked nice about

you, Kevin, when you're not here.

216

He's not gonna watch the show, but.

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But like that, yeah, that stuff,

the way that you can just.

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It's harder for sure, I guess

is what I'm trying to say.

219

It's harder, it requires more

creativity and innovation in the

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beginning to a certain extent.

221

Especially because you have that ability

to be more flexible and thus and I think

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it also takes longer, but the reward of

but your boots into the mud and building

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the things and doing what you're doing,

standing at the construction site and

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seeing it all come together, right?

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Like you probably at this point in

your business, you probably don't

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need to be the guy standing there,

but I have a sense you maybe enjoy it.

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Devon Towle: Right now as I'm building

out the construction crews and everything

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it is a necessity for me to be on site.

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I don't have to be with the guys all the

time, the responsible young gentlemen.

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But yeah, it is, it's like

I like being out here.

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I like being able to work remotely.

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That's another thing I love

about ecotourism and glamping is.

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You have internet, you have all the

amenities that you would normally

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have at a hotel, but now, my view is

overlooking a 40 acre, horse sanctuary.

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So it's a lifestyle man.

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And, getting in God's creation,

getting outdoors, being able

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to, connect to community.

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That's the reason why I'm

so passionate about it.

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Brian Searl: For sure.

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I wanna come back and look at, talk

more about your 3D homes and how

241

the business is going in a second.

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I wanna get to John.

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I don't wanna leave him

sitting there too long.

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John, how you doing?

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John Handy: I'm doing well, thank you.

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Brian Searl: Tell us about Treebones

Resort and how you guys got started.

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It's been 20 year journey, so

can you think back that long?

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And I know I just say that 'cause

I have a short-term memory.

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I can't remember what I had

for breakfast yesterday, so I'm

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trying, I'm counting on you.

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John Handy: It Treebones Resort

actually is 20, 20 years old.

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This past November.

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But it got started when I was 27.

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My wife and I were 26 and 27, and we we

bought a piece of land in Big Sur and

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it was a, we did a really risky thing.

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We bought it, it's on the ocean.

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We had an interest only loan with

a five year balloon payment at the

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end, which is a very foolish kind

of thing for any young person to do.

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But we love the property.

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We weren't buying it

because it was commercial.

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A year after we bought it, it got rezoned

commercial without our asking, and

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it's called Visitor Serving Commercial.

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So Big Sur actually picked out

that piece of land and said that

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would be a good place for a hotel

or a restaurant or store or both.

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We changed our dream and we spent about

a decade just thinking about what we

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would do, but this was all money that.

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Was just a young couple was just

putting together to do it five years.

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After we bought it, we were

able to pay off the loan.

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Good things happened at work for me.

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I was a toy designer at Mattel Toys.

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And I was hoping for, that kind

of success, but I shouldn't

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have been able to bank on it.

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And then we started

exploring what we would do.

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And the word glamping didn't

exist when we bought the property

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and it didn't actually come out

until a year after we opened.

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So glamping, the word came out

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figured out what glamping was for us.

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And I was traveling a lot from Mattel

and staying in hotels and they're like

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little miniature versions of your home.

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And it gets old after a while,

it's you're not really the lodging

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part wasn't an experience, so we

wanted to make it an experience and

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we did like to camp as a family.

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And one thing led to another

and we discovered yurts.

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We bought our first test

yurt from Pacific Yurts.

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And we loved it on the site.

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It worked really well.

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And that's how we got started.

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But we got business loans, small business

administration loans, construction

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loans, and we took a lot of risk.

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I think what you guys were talking

about earlier about rev shares and

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other things are good ways to do it.

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They're logical, smart ways of doing it.

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We didn't have any of that kind of

thought process back in those days.

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And in fact the Coastal Commission of

California and the Monterey County,

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once they did approve our project it

took five years to get the approval.

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But once they did, they wanted us

to build a whole thing at once.

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They didn't, they've had bad experiences

with, piecemealing something together.

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So we didn't really have the

option of starting out small.

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We had to build it out.

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And then through the years we've counted

on our staff our beautiful people that

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come to work for us, and plus all the

wonderful people that visit us, they

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fill us with ideas and thoughts about how

to improve and what to make it better.

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And so over the 20 years

we've evolved quite a bit,

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but that's how we got started.

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Brian Searl: It's interesting how

many different things have to happen

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to have you end up where you are.

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I was thinking about this, I dunno, a

couple weeks ago because I'm reading a

308

book about it, but how many different

things have to come together, decision

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wise, to leave you where you are

today from as small as like the land,

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like you're not planning that to

the land being commercially rezoned.

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Had it never done that,

would Treebones exist?

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Maybe not.

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Maybe you would've owned a

multimillion dollar hotel empire.

314

I don't know.

315

Or Right.

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John Handy: I think it is a series

of minor miracles, or not minor,

317

some of 'em are major and blessings

that come into making this happen.

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And just having the right

idea at the right time.

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There's a thing in, so my background

is product design, but there's

320

a concept called pent up demand.

321

And that's something that everybody

wants it, but it doesn't exist right now.

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And as soon as you make it and

create it, they've always wanted it.

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It's like the iPhone.

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Brian Searl: Yeah.

325

It's exactly what I was

about to say, the iPhone.

326

Yeah.

327

John Handy: We never had that,

but we can't live without it.

328

And I think in the case of

glamping, ecotourism and Big

329

Sur, it really didn't exist.

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And people were waiting for it.

331

They knew they wanted

to come visit Big Sur.

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And there was a lot of 'em that were

looking for the most unusual experience

333

or unique experience that was close

to the land that they could get.

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But a lot of that didn't happen.

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There was regular camping

and then there was motels and

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then there was luxury resorts.

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But this was combining

all of those things.

338

And I think the elements that go into

making Treebones successful is the site.

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Number one is where we are.

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We're in Big Sur.

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We're looking over at the ocean.

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We're on Cape San Martin.

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So we have 180 degree views of the ocean.

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Behind us are spectacular mountains

that come right down to us.

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But second would be our

staff that live on site.

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So 31 people live in this property

too, and it makes it so that

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it's more personal for them.

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And then the other part of

it is just the amenities.

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So we have fine dining.

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We have a sushi bar, omakase

sushi bar with two fabulous chefs.

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Yancy Knapp is the head sushi chef there.

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And we have DJ is his assistant

and those guys put out a great 14

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course omakase meal five days a week.

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And we also have the lodge restaurant

with Kyle Walker is our executive chef.

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That's a price fixed dinner.

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But we didn't start out with that.

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We started out with barbecue and

Trit tip and things like that.

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But our guests that were coming from

San Francisco, LA and from Europe,

359

were asking for a higher level of food.

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And so we have those restaurants

and then we also massage and yoga

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and other things that go with it.

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Pool, spa, jacuzzi.

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And so in our case Treebones Resort

is really, yes, you are staying

364

in a yurt or you're staying in the

autonomous tent or the Cove Azure home.

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But you're not suffering

while you're there.

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You're actually living luxuriously.

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You're off the grid.

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You have a low carbon footprint, but

you're enjoying your time and you're

369

enjoying your meals and your experience.

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That's the essence of

what we've got going on.

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But that was, it evolved.

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Devon Towle: Yeah.

373

We did something similar at

our glacier resort because it's

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literally an hour in all directions.

375

There's no cell phone signal, so we were

able to get starlink up and running.

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We got a restaurant and a bar there,

'cause there's nowhere to eat as well.

377

That's another, difficulty that you run

into with these types of locations is

378

not having those types of amenities.

379

So a lot of 'em, you

have to build it on site.

380

So the fact that you have that sushi bar

and then all that other stuff, I'm sure

381

like people would love to have that,

because we have simple food, burgers,

382

pizza, stuff like that, chicken wings.

383

But there's no other place to eat, so you

have to have that type of stuff there.

384

Brian Searl: Yeah, I

think that's interesting.

385

Like just we were talking about decisions

and I know you turned off your camera

386

for a second, I dunno if you were

walking around and listening to it all.

387

But we were just talking about the

number of decisions that come into

388

play as you make and build a business.

389

And just the different directions

that all those could take you.

390

And I think and I wanna see if

you gentlemen agree with it, but.

391

I'm reading this fascinating book.

392

It's called The Midnight Library.

393

It's total fiction.

394

It's not about business but it's about

a woman who wants to die, and then

395

she goes and gets stuck in like this

purgatory place called the Midnight

396

Library that has like infinite number

of books with every possible outcome

397

of what her life could have been like

at every decision point, which is

398

basically an infinite number of, right.

399

It's a really cool book.

400

And I'm only in the, I don't

know, 10, third or 11th chapter.

401

I was just reading it on a plane

coming back from vacation yesterday.

402

But like just thinking about all those

different things like you never know

403

where a decision is going to take you.

404

And yeah, that's one of the biggest

things that I try to tell people when

405

they come to me for advice on like

entrepreneurship or building a business

406

or whatever else is you think about

your decision, for sure, but don't

407

overthink your decision because you will

never know what the opposite impact of

408

that other decision could have been.

409

It could have been a lot better,

it could have been a lot worse.

410

It could have been the same but you're

never going to know the outcome of that.

411

So there's no such thing

as a perfect decision.

412

Would you guys agree?

413

John Handy: Yes, I would agree.

414

I love the ocean.

415

I love boats and fishing

and things like that.

416

I have a boat analogy though about

decisions and about going in a direction.

417

And I think it rings true to me.

418

And one of it is that this

concept of playing it safe I

419

don't think you could really build

something if you're gonna be safe.

420

'cause the safe thing

is to don't do anything.

421

So a ship in a harbor is safe, but

that's not what it was built for.

422

That always ran true to me.

423

And the second thing is that you've

got this giant vessel with huge motors,

424

but you can't steer it, unless it's

moving forward you have to start moving

425

and then you can make adjustments.

426

But if you're just sitting there without

any propulsion, you're not going anywhere.

427

You cannot steer that boat.

428

It's steered by motion.

429

And that's been true of our business where

we didn't take the safe route, we took

430

the riskier route, but we thought about it

before we did it, but we still took risks.

431

And then secondly, we started moving

forward before we knew everything.

432

'Cause we didn't know everything

about running a resort.

433

Brian Searl: And you still don't do you?

434

John Handy: And I don't.

435

And I have to keep myself

humble and it's not easy.

436

It's not hard to keep myself humble.

437

It's easy to keep myself humble

because I'm humbled every day by

438

things that I couldn't predict.

439

Like the global economy shifting right

now and travel is shifting from Europe

440

and Canada that were coming here.

441

That's been really halted recently.

442

And also we have a road closure

in Big Sur, North of us.

443

So all of the traffic that would

come down, highway one from the

444

north, has to come all the way around

a mountain and add an hour and a

445

half to their trip to get to us.

446

And you can still reach us from the south.

447

But that's something unpredictable.

448

It keeps you pretty humble when you're

trying to run a business 'cause you

449

don't know what next year brings,

but you have to be agile and you

450

have to adjust and you have to make

moves, based on what's happening.

451

And also people will tell you.

452

Like I said, coming from the product area.

453

Our consumer was a child and

they had no brand loyalty.

454

They were fickle, and they wanted

whatever was cooled this year,

455

they didn't care about last year.

456

But you had to listen to the children

to tell you what they wanted.

457

And we always tease some of the designers

in my group would be disappointed by a

458

bad focus group or a bad test result.

459

But I said, what happened?

460

Did the consumer let you down?

461

They will never let you down.

462

They'll always tell you what is going on.

463

And I think that's the thing if

you keep yourself humble, you keep

464

your ear to your consumers, you can

make the adjustments you need to.

465

Brian Searl: I love your ship analogy.

466

I would add one.

467

Stopped one, one other point to it, right?

468

Sitting in the harbor is definitely,

not the death of a business, but the

469

death of major progress in a business.

470

I think there's another segment of people

that is much larger that probably start

471

the engines and head down the safest

route possible, like the trade route to

472

Europe that would had been done hundreds

of thousands or thousands of times.

473

But they knew there was no piracy on that

route and they knew there was no icebergs

474

and they knew there was no nothing.

475

And so you took that safe lane and that

may lead you to a profitable business.

476

And you could do some

interesting things on that lane.

477

You could even steer just a

little bit left or a little bit

478

and end up at a different port.

479

But you're not gonna be

Christopher Columbus.

480

And maybe Christopher Columbus is

the wrong, analogy to give 'cause

481

apparently he wasn't such a great guy.

482

But either way you understand my point.

483

And so I think that's interesting to me.

484

The ability of and I see that as, I

don't want to slight anybody, but like

485

I see that from the outside looking

in as what an in invest as a group.

486

Typical group, not all.

487

Typical group with investment capital

is almost required to do, in a lot of

488

cases, is to stay in not necessarily the

safe lane, but stay in the things that

489

have been proven to work before lane.

490

Or the things that at certain, and

we've talked about this on the show

491

before like electric pedestals at

your glamping resort or whatever else.

492

You get to a certain point where, the

consumer has demanded, X amount of

493

electric cars have been purchased, X

amount of campers own electric cars.

494

The math problem now adds

up to me owning pedestals.

495

Instead of being the first mover to add

them, and then all of a sudden people come

496

to you because there's no other place like

the burger joint in the middle of Montana.

497

Devon Towle: Yeah.

498

And back to, you know what John

was saying too, and what you guys

499

were, talking about is nothing

ever goes exactly to plan, right?

500

And you can plan all day, you

can run all the numbers, you

501

can do this and then that.

502

But there's engineering

permitting, there's zoning,

503

there's, manufacture delays.

504

There's so many different things that

happen to where you just have to persevere

505

and you have to be willing to pivot.

506

Just don't quit, but pivot.

507

And that's something that I've had to

deal with literally on a daily basis.

508

Brian Searl: Yeah.

509

Devon Towle: So when you go into

whether it's, ecotourism, glamping

510

or any other business, especially as

an entrepreneur, you have to be thick

511

skinned and know that, the only time

you really fail is when you quit.

512

And if you continue just to move

forward and press ahead and go through

513

the difficult times and know that,

you might have to move some things

514

around or pivot on some certain things.

515

And I go to that every day.

516

Knowing that hey, some materials

aren't available or whatever.

517

Brian Searl: Yeah.

518

Devon Towle: So just knowing

that you're gonna have to use

519

your outside the box thinking.

520

There isn't a, like we have, guide

and roadmaps now, especially, that's

521

why we offer our consulting because we

spent literally hundreds of thousands,

522

if not mostly, it's been millions of

dollars more over the past seven years

523

to help people expedite the process.

524

And I was looking for a company like

Global Glamping when I started because

525

I paid for real ed real estate education

when I flipped houses or all that

526

other stuff, 'cause the experts have

done it and they've made the mistakes.

527

So I'd be willing to pay some money

upfront to negate that and collapse

528

my timeline because there's a

learning curve with all this stuff.

529

So that's actually how Global Glamping

was born, because I was looking for a

530

company to help me with the renderings

and the site maps and the proformas

531

and the pitch decks and like the

different property manager software.

532

Unless you're in this business, people

don't understand the whirlwind of

533

different verticals that you have to work.

534

John, you said you've had your

business now for over 20 years,

535

so you've seen it before.

536

It was, like you said,

even camping or glamping.

537

So I know what I've been through

the past seven years, but I couldn't

538

imagine, over two decades of having

to pivot and figure out which other

539

ways to go and stuff like that.

540

So I'm sure you could tell us some stories

about, having to pivot with your business.

541

John Handy: Sure.

542

Devon Towle: And would you agree, like

that's probably one of the biggest

543

things is learning how to pivot

and know that not everything works

544

out exactly the way you want it to.

545

John Handy: I think agility is the

advantage that a small company has

546

over big corporations that have

multiple hotels and businesses.

547

You're agile 'cause you're able

to move and change as needed.

548

And I think one of the things

that's affected us a lot is staying

549

on top of the latest technology.

550

And it was funny because Trevor

Noah, on the late show parody

551

of Treebones at one time.

552

There in the morning, CBS news came and

talked about the unplugging trend and

553

they used the human nest at Treebones

and they said, no internet, no cell

554

service and you can just comment, unplug.

555

And he made fun of us.

556

But he was, you know how there's

always truth to it 'cause he's

557

saying, I get a load of these places

that say, come prepare to unplug.

558

That's because they don't

have cell service or internet.

559

And it was true, it was a funny

skit that he did on his show.

560

But now we do, we have starlink and

starlink brings cell phone and there's

561

probably disadvantages to that in

that now people are reconnected again.

562

But it's really technology that

didn't exist for us a while back.

563

We had satellite internet, but it had

what was called a fair access plan.

564

So it was real slow and you

could only use so much data.

565

So it was really difficult.

566

And over the last five years,

starlink has changed everything for

567

us, but also we're off the grid.

568

We don't have a grid for us.

569

So the battery storage systems,

the lithium iron phosphate battery

570

systems for us have been huge.

571

And it's allowed us to run off the

sun and to use that battery power at

572

night and really, have seamless power.

573

And those are just some of the

technologies that have come into, LED

574

Lights as an example, were amazing now

that they're nice and beautiful and warm.

575

And even though our lodging

technologies we were talking with Sir

576

Glamps-a-lot about the 3D printed homes.

577

So Azure printed homes we

bought one of those because

578

we're an ecotourist location.

579

But one of the things that haunted me is

only 7% of the stuff that we throw into

580

the recycle bin actually gets recycled.

581

The something like the Azure Home

uses 60,000 water bottles in one home

582

and reinforces it with fiberglass and

then uses robotic arms to print it.

583

And I wanted to show our guests that's

a really comfortable place to stay.

584

It's very luxurious and modern.

585

But it's also good for the environment

'cause it's a use for all these recycled

586

bottles here in the United States.

587

New technology staying on top of that.

588

The other one was the autonomous

tents, which are really popular for

589

us, but that was invented by Phil

Parr, who was a partner with us.

590

But that's a rev share.

591

Like you guys were talking about

earlier, I did a rev share with him

592

because it was an unknown type of

construction and he was gonna have to

593

supervise it and be really hands-on.

594

And so we did that and we formed a

partnership and it's been a really

595

good creative partnership at Treebone.

596

So it's just like you say, it's pivoting.

597

It's watching for the technology,

watching for the things that change

598

and don't hang on to the past.

599

Move on where necessary, but don't

lose the essence that I think that's

600

what we're trying to do at Treebones.

601

And one thing I'm gonna tell

you, I might lose power on this.

602

I might have to reconnect.

603

So

604

Brian Searl: I thought you just said you

had this robust solar thing going on, man.

605

John Handy: Yeah, I know.

606

I'm not plugged in right now.

607

My iPad looks like it's got 4% left,

so if I disappear, I'll come back.

608

Brian Searl: All right, cool.

609

You could disappear now if you want.

610

We we'll talk to Sir Glamps-a-lot

for a minute if you just wanna

611

go run and get a charger.

612

So Sir Glamps-a-lot let's talk about

3D printing for a second and then

613

we'll bring in John for his perspective

when he gets back in a second.

614

Tell us about what you have going

on first before I ask any questions.

615

Devon Towle: That was another

thing, I was looking for consulting

616

and assistance with, because

there's so many options, right?

617

There's Safari tents, Tree Houses,

geo domes, yurts, aircrete, cabins,

618

A-frames like, oh my gosh, there's

just so many different units, right?

619

But again, the most difficult

thing in this industry is the

620

funding and the financing.

621

And Jean, the, one of the co-founders.

622

Had seen my products and

my sites on Facebook.

623

I forget, Instagram somewhere.

624

And he called me and was like, Hey,

we really love your business model.

625

We have an amazing product that, the

world's first 3D printed tiny homes.

626

And we would love to meet with

you in person to see if we can

627

figure out a way to work together.

628

So he flew out to our Murfreesboro,

Arkansas location, diamond glamping,

629

and we met in person, fell in love with

the site and said, Hey I think that

630

there's an opportunity to work together,

since we're not just selling trucks, the

631

building we work for, we have multiple

verticals inside of our business.

632

And so he was actually able to find an

equipment company to partner up with me

633

and I was able to get 25 tiny houses, 20

of the X 180's and five of the X 360's.

634

And now over the past, two months

we've been getting them delivered.

635

I've been bouncing around to our

different locations and setting them

636

up and everything that I've done

so far and then like I said, we've

637

done domes, tiny houses, cabins, the

sheds that you can finish out into,

638

little cabins and stuff like that.

639

We've done 'em all.

640

And as far as eco-friendly speed

to market, cost effectiveness,

641

ROI longevity, these Azure printed

tiny homes are absolutely amazing.

642

What John was saying is obviously

it's made outta recycled materials,

643

but also they're plug and play.

644

I got the top tier unit, which has

the full insulation, the full solar

645

power battery banks the full bathroom

module, the kitchenette, everything.

646

And they were roughly around a $100k.

647

Their base price was like, $ 59,000

but we were able to rent them

648

out for $250 to $500 night.

649

I think Treebones even rents theirs

for $700 to $800 a night, and

650

they're booked out quite a bit.

651

They do get high returns, but again,

like the speed to market, the energy

652

efficiency of them, the eco-friendliness

of them, that's another thing that

653

people love about this industry is it's

they're temporary structures, right?

654

So being able to have a unit that's up

and running with a matter of days is huge

655

for this industry because, the longer you

take to get your side up and running, the

656

more vulnerable you are to losing your

business because you're not cash flowing.

657

So if you can get things up in

cash flowing right away and start

658

generating revenue it's a game changer.

659

And this has been a game changer for us.

660

This is our first season with all

of these units, so we're excited to

661

see how they do, but already we've

been able to get up eight of these

662

things and literally less than two

months and they're gonna be generating

663

a substantial amount of revenue.

664

But yeah, being able to find the right

product, the right structure, finding

665

the right land that doesn't have a ton

of restrictions, and have to go through

666

a two to four year zoning process.

667

I got one property right now.

668

The one that actually was featured in

Forbes and won of the best Hip Camp.

669

It's a good old boys club and they're very

strict when it comes to what they allow

670

and don't allow in their little towns.

671

Finding the right land that

it's unrestricted, un zoned.

672

And being able to set up your

site quickly has been advantageous

673

to the success of our business.

674

'cause I wouldn't have,

I wouldn't do the same

675

I went through, but again,

you having to pivot and learn

676

what works and what doesn't.

677

'cause no one's ever really

done this stuff before.

678

Brian Searl: Yeah.

679

And that's the interesting part.

680

John, we have you back, but

I think there's a little bit

681

of an echo coming from you.

682

We tried to unmute you and it's making

weird sounds, so we'll try, if you

683

want, I don't know what's happening

if it's just an echo, but anyway what,

684

yeah, what interests me is like you

talk about all the choices that are

685

available for people now, but like the

choices that you have available now

686

is vast seemingly, when you compare.

687

What was available even just a few years

ago, but I think we're just getting

688

started, especially with 3D printing.

689

And you talk about Azure having this

company that does a few different models.

690

I'm looking forward to what

we're gonna see in 15, 20 years.

691

I think there's a way, I

think there's a thing where

692

Devon Towle: I'd say less than that man.

693

I'd say five.

694

Brian Searl: I'm always the quick

person that like, wants to jump forward.

695

So I try to be more conservative sometimes

when I'm talking to shows like this.

696

I agree with you.

697

Like it just depends on the

scalability of technology.

698

Like can they 3D print full

villages in Mexico years ago for

699

$4,000 for a little hut, right?

700

So like these things are gonna get pretty

cheap, but imagine when designers like our

701

company, we do marketing and advertising.

702

Imagine when we get our hands on

like the 3D CAD designs and we

703

can design some of this really

cool stuff, or AI can do it right?

704

And then come up with one.

705

Devon Towle: Yeah, I was

actually gonna mention AI.

706

Pretty soon you're gonna be able to

just put in a design on an AI and then

707

it'll print it out with a 3D printer.

708

So that's where we're headed.

709

Brian Searl: And that excites me

because then Sir Glamps-a-lot,

710

you can go to I don't know, like a

LA Raiders game or whatever else.

711

Is it LA Raiders or is it Oakland Raiders?

712

I don't know.

713

I think it's LA Raiders now.

714

Whatever, I just made up a team.

715

Devon Towle: Las Vagas.

716

It's Las Vegas Ranger.

717

Brian Searl: I'm a miserable

Cleveland Browns man.

718

I dunno,

719

Devon Towle: I'm not from California.

720

I just have a project out here.

721

So that's more probably John's.

722

Brian Searl: All right so anyway,

like whatever, a football team,

723

basketball team, college, whatever

imagine just showing up like a night

724

before a playoff game or two nights

before a playoff game and renting like

725

a lot where you can put up temporary

football helmet style glamping, right?

726

And then you let people stay in it for

$500, $700, a thousand dollars a night

727

and then you take it all and recycle it.

728

'cause NASA's been doing that on

the Space station for 10 years.

729

And then you just pack it all up, take it

to the next place and print something new.

730

That's gonna be cool.

731

John Handy: Yeah.

732

Devon Towle: Yeah.

733

That's awesome.

734

Brian Searl: John, welcome back.

735

John Handy: Thank you.

736

Sorry for the technical difficulties,

I guess Trevor Noah is correct.

737

We're making excuses.

738

Brian Searl: It's a good problem to

have I realized this the other day and I

739

don't wanna spend too much time on this

'cause I don't like to talk about myself

740

too much 'cause we have you guys here.

741

But I realized that when I

was on vacation, like I don't

742

take very many vacations.

743

I work seven days a week, 16 hours a day.

744

'cause I really love what I do.

745

But when I do take a vacation, I try to

disconnect and it's been harder now that

746

like lately, 'cause I've been dealing with

AI and like things are moving so fast.

747

That's just my little corner

of the world that I play in.

748

But I realized like walking along

a beach in Vancouver Island with my

749

girlfriend over the weekend, like this

is a whole different world out here.

750

Like it has such a huge benefit to

what you do normally in your day if

751

you were able to truly disconnect.

752

I think there's a huge benefit there

that so many people in our society,

753

because of the constant noise, don't

realize that they're missing until

754

they like actually experience it.

755

John Handy: Yeah, that's right.

756

I got a call from the Wall Street Journal,

like first year we opened and we put

757

on our website, come prepare to unplug.

758

And they wanted to know about that

trend and I said, no, it's not a trend,

759

it's just that's what's happening here.

760

And they asked me if we ever get

any executives that come to stay at

761

Treebones and what's their reaction

to no ability to talk on a cell phone

762

or the internet back in those days.

763

And I said to be honest with you,

a lot of them get very nervous

764

about that and they get upset.

765

And I said, my personal experience

has been that when I leave on

766

vacation, I go to a place like Alaska

or somewhere where I'm not gonna be

767

able to be in contact if I call the

office and say, you're not gonna be

768

able to reach me on a regular basis.

769

I can call in maybe once a week or

twice a week, but just take care

770

of everything and just do the best

you can and I won't criticize you.

771

And my team always rose to those occasions

and the world will work without us.

772

If you go and look at astronauts

and go into outer space, that world

773

is just existing just fine without

your intimate little involvement.

774

And I think we get too connected to

our devices and we need to unplug

775

sometimes, we need to get away and

at least at Treebones, we focus

776

all the internet on the main lodge.

777

So that's the hub of activity.

778

But when you go back to your individual

lodging units, with the exception of the

779

Cove, which is the Azure home and the

autonomous tents, they have full speed

780

internet, but everything else doesn't.

781

And that way you have that option

just to unplug and be away from it.

782

And, just even kids with video games

learning that they can live without it.

783

It's amazing.

784

Brian Searl: Can you

live without video games?

785

John Handy: I think so.

786

Brian Searl: I'm kidding.

787

I'm kidding.

788

I don't even play video games.

789

Devon Towle: I used to be a huge

gamer and then I realized there

790

was more important things in life.

791

And I don't play video games.

792

I haven't played video

games in almost a decade.

793

I used to love Halo and FIFA and

794

Brian Searl: I just played

the builder ones, right?

795

So I'll still play like Fallout or

something where you have to build

796

a city or make so many decisions.

797

'cause I like to do that from

an entrepreneurial standpoint.

798

So I'll play those once in a

while to just de-stress at night.

799

But I'm far from a gamer.

800

Like I'll pick up a PS five

controller once every couple months.

801

For a couple hours.

802

Devon Towle: Maybe later on

when I have more time, again, I

803

might get back into video games.

804

Brian Searl: You're never

gonna have more time.

805

You're enjoying what you do Too much, man.

806

I used to say that to myself too.

807

John Handy: The game is real life.

808

Brian Searl: If I have more time and

then I'm like, lemme do this other

809

thing that's gonna stress me out.

810

And then I.

811

Devon Towle: Yeah, for sure.

812

I like John's, the game of

real life, that's for sure.

813

Brian Searl: It is and it's interesting,

like you can, and I think we're

814

blessed, at least I consider myself

blessed to be in this industry of

815

glamping, camping, RV parks, all that.

816

'cause there's a subset of many more

people in this industry who have already

817

experienced that disconnection, either

through their own parks or through

818

traveling to other people's parks, or

just having a love of the camping glamping

819

industry and coming into it and purchasing

a property to do that same thing.

820

But for sure, I can tell, like when I

talk to a client, like you talk about

821

going on vacation and disconnecting,

there are clients who, and most of them

822

are this way who are like totally fine.

823

Like I understand you

need to take a vacation.

824

Your team is there, I have

35 people or whatever.

825

Like they're not gonna be the

same as you, but we can deal

826

with that for a week or two.

827

We're not gonna die.

828

But there are some clients who like feel

like they are gonna die for that week or

829

two weeks that they can't talk to Brian.

830

And I think those are the people who

are generally speaking stereotypically,

831

are nearer to the business, haven't

learned how to disconnect, are involved

832

in too many things that are stressful

at their business and haven't sorted

833

some stuff out, but they'll get there.

834

But I think we're at a great advantage of

being in this industry from the get-go.

835

Would you guys agree?

836

John Handy: Yeah, I think so.

837

Devon Towle: Yeah.

838

It's so untapped still.

839

People like us are the ones forging

and pioneering the entire industry.

840

So.

841

John Handy: It's easy to think of yourself

as absolutely critical to your business.

842

And I'm sure there's an

element of that's true.

843

But what I've discovered too is if

I delegate things to my other family

844

members and to other people that I've

hired, we have a great general manager

845

at Treebones and if I delegate to them

and give them the proper amount of

846

instruction and maybe some learning

ahead of that great things happen and

847

I'm ready to expect the unexpected.

848

And that's how we're gonna get to

the next wave of whatever's happening

849

at Treebones is through the next

level of teamwork and staff members.

850

Brian Searl: Yeah.

851

And the only way you figure

that out is to fail, right?

852

So what I think John is saying is

if you're an entrepreneur out there,

853

the more vacations you take, the more

ways you realize your business fails

854

without you, the more things you can

fix, the better you are and the calmer

855

your vacations will be in the future.

856

So just take a vacation every other week.

857

Devon Towle: That's not

the best advice, guys.

858

In case people are out

there that was sarcastic.

859

Brian Searl: They know if they watch

this show, they should never listen

860

to anything that comes outta my mouth.

861

But yeah I mean where do you guys'

businesses go in the future, John?

862

Like what are your future

plans for Treebones?

863

John Handy: It is interesting that we

have had lots of investors come and ask

864

if they could buy or buy into Treebones

or have us franchise it and move it other

865

places we haven't been wanting to do that.

866

Right now there's nothing against

that, but there's a lot of movement for

867

people to invest in ecotourism because

there's a lot of people that they only

868

wanna put their money into something

that is environmentally friendly.

869

And so I've noticed that trend

happening in the last few years.

870

We've been a approached a lot

of times, but for now, I talked

871

to my whole family about it.

872

And we don't have any other partners.

873

We own it fully.

874

We've paid off our loans.

875

But I think we're gonna keep

it as a family and let the

876

next generation take it.

877

My wife, Corinne and I have

been very hands-on for 20

878

years while we're running this.

879

And then, all the years that went

into planning it and building it.

880

But now we're ready to let that next

generation start to step up and move on.

881

And our kids have said they'd rather

have Treebones than the money,

882

'cause in the end it's theirs.

883

But we're gonna keep it going.

884

And then our guests have told us,

please don't ever lose the essence

885

of what Treebones is, even though we

are improving and changing things.

886

And the essence of Treebones isn't

yurts and or anything like that.

887

It's the idea of perching

lightly on the land.

888

And it's the idea of living simply.

889

And being close to nature and being able

to hear nature and see nature and touch it

890

and feel it, but also be safe and warm in

your own place to, to go to bed at night.

891

So if we add anything, it's gonna

be with that essence in mind.

892

And we're gonna keep it family oriented.

893

I'm not saying that's the only way

to do things, but there's a lot of

894

corporate hotel chains and there's fewer

and fewer family run businesses that

895

the owners and you know the family,

and we know our guests, and I think

896

that's what's working for us right now.

897

So that's what we're gonna stick

with for the future of Treebones.

898

Brian Searl: That's awesome.

899

Beautiful.

900

I think there are certainly different

paths you can take as, we'll just call it

901

for the sake of argument, a regular small

business owner outside of our industry.

902

Not sliding at all, but we'll just call

'em regulars for the sake of argument.

903

But if you're in the glamping

business, there's so many different

904

ways you can take it and all

of them can be right for you.

905

John Handy: Sure.

906

Brian Searl: It depends on

your audience and who you're

907

targeting and what you want to be.

908

And if you want to be family owned or

you want to be investor driven or you

909

wanna be something in the middle, which

we talked like Kevin is one of those

910

groups, I think I can say that I would

say he's in the middle right where he is.

911

We have to focus on the

investment side of it.

912

We have to give an ROI to our

investors, but also like we care

913

about the people who are here.

914

We care about their experiences,

we care what they're seeing,

915

doing, touching, tasting, whatever.

916

And those things are like built

into our, like you can come invest.

917

And I don't know that this is true

about Kevin, just to be clear,

918

but you can come invest in us,

but these are our ground rules.

919

We're gonna provide good experiences

where people were gonna do that.

920

And I think that whether that's

Kevin's property or like we've

921

talked to dozens of others that we've

entered that've interviewed on the

922

show, who all have their different

philosophies of things they're gonna do.

923

There's no wrong way to do it

unless you're not understanding your

924

market and you don't have a plan or

a vision that you're going after.

925

Is that fair?

926

Devon Towle: Fair.

927

Brian Searl: So what's, yeah,

I was just gonna ask you Devon,

928

what's the future for you too?

929

Devon Towle: Yeah, so I saw this happening

about 15 years ago when I was doing

930

the tiny houses and the market, I just

turned 40, like I said, and if I didn't

931

have this business, I still wouldn't

be able to afford a home like this.

932

Being, getting creative with financing

and working deals and stuff like that is

933

the only way I've been able to purchase

units is because mortgages are insane.

934

The prices of houses are insane.

935

The median income price of the United

States home right now, is over now

936

eclipsing some places over $500,000.

937

People can't afford places to

live, so offering affordable.

938

Eco-friendly, available structures in

communities that are, escaping the Matrix.

939

Being in the outdoors has been

the most rewarding thing for me.

940

And people have gotten

engaged at our properties.

941

They've had weddings, they've

came back for their honeymoons,

942

connecting people to nature.

943

Just like John said, that's been the

most rewarding part of the business for

944

me and our business has really become

a ministry of TLC man togetherness,

945

love community, connecting people to

outdoors, showing them more affordable

946

options for, midterm and long-term living.

947

Right now my goal is to get enough

cash flowing assets so I could get

948

like a 25 50 million, a hundred million

dollar capital raise or funding.

949

'cause I want to open up legit

communities like this for

950

midterm and long term living.

951

And ultimately, not like a timeshare

where you buy a couple weeks and then

952

you go to a location or another location.

953

But I wanna sell.

954

Ecotourism, long term and midterm living

memberships to where they can buy into

955

our different developments, and then

they could actually travel around the

956

world and become digital nomads, and

then we'll help with entrepreneurship.

957

We'll, be able to have all of the onsite

amenities from internet to spa stuff, I

958

know health and wellness is huge for Gen

Z and younger generations these days,

959

people don't want to drink as much.

960

I'm six years sober now too, so I've.

961

Nature and this industry has

been huge for me as far as

962

mental and health wellness stuff.

963

There's just so many different check

boxes that ecotourism and glamping,

964

check for not only myself, but for people

and wellness and lifestyle in general.

965

That makes me so passionate about it.

966

And that's really what I want to

be able to do is offer communities

967

for people that they can actually

live in these types of sites.

968

It's more than just a short-term

rental for me at this point right now.

969

That's what I'm doing to be

able to get the cash flow and

970

show the business model works.

971

But I wanna open up, long

sustaining communities for people

972

to be able to live in full time.

973

That's my main goal.

974

And then also we're developing an app

that almost gamifies, ecotourism because

975

each location has unique things to do.

976

So I know, I'm sure John, his

location has, some cool stuff in the

977

area that is only specific to them.

978

Same thing with Glacier National Park.

979

We have the Glacier Mountains

and then and Diamond Glamping.

980

We have Murphysboro, Arkansas,

which is a creator of diamonds

981

where you can go mine diamonds.

982

So finding locations that have cool,

unique experiences showing affordable

983

housing, building communities.

984

And, being eco-friendly is really the

mission of Global Glamping, and it's

985

an exciting time for the industry.

986

Brian Searl: I think my hunch is,

and just call this a prediction.

987

We'll see how this ages that I think

even if you don't get a hundred million

988

dollars investment, you're gonna

build something pretty fucking cool.

989

Wait, I'm sorry, that's, I can't

swear that's on the leader show, I do.

990

Just kidding.

991

Sorry.

992

Like we have another podcast called

Outwired that I'm gonna do in like

993

an hour that's more of a Joe Rogan

style where we actually drink

994

whiskey and let a few swear words go.

995

But really I think you're gonna,

and I think you know that, I don't

996

think you need me to tell you that.

997

But I think that slow burn of the patients

thing that you've already experienced

998

and you already know how to handle is

gonna make a more rewarding company.

999

And I think also, like you're gonna be

able to turbo that anyway with robots

00:50:09,227 --> 00:50:13,367

and AI to where you won't even need that

investment at the scale that traditional

00:50:13,367 --> 00:50:14,807

people would need capital at, but.

00:50:16,057 --> 00:50:16,732

Devon Towle: A hundred percent.

00:50:16,802 --> 00:50:19,292

Brian Searl: Yeah, I'm excited to see

what, both of you guys continue building.

00:50:19,352 --> 00:50:21,692

I'll be building here on my

side too with AI and marketing.

00:50:22,062 --> 00:50:23,592

It's definitely gonna

be an interesting world.

00:50:23,652 --> 00:50:27,292

But the disconnection piece, the

technology that blends with nature the

00:50:27,292 --> 00:50:30,772

ability for people to still disconnect

while being connected in some ways

00:50:30,802 --> 00:50:34,192

to their own choosing, I think makes

for a really fascinating future.

00:50:34,192 --> 00:50:35,302

Any final thoughts, John?

00:50:36,202 --> 00:50:38,762

John Handy: No, I think that

the future is bright for

00:50:38,762 --> 00:50:41,372

ecotourism, glamping, and camping.

00:50:41,372 --> 00:50:45,747

I think it's one of the things that,

it's written into our vision is to

00:50:45,747 --> 00:50:49,347

make sure we are inspirational to

the people that come and visit us,

00:50:49,407 --> 00:50:51,147

as well as being inspired by them.

00:50:51,147 --> 00:50:56,467

But I think that when they come and

they stay in a an Azure home or a yurt

00:50:56,527 --> 00:51:00,127

and they're comfortable and they're

living off grid, there's also ideas

00:51:00,127 --> 00:51:01,357

that they can take home with them.

00:51:01,357 --> 00:51:05,197

I think nothing better than going

on a trip somewhere and then

00:51:05,197 --> 00:51:07,087

coming home feeling inspired.

00:51:07,597 --> 00:51:11,897

And I think that's our big thing is how

do you inspire people to have their own

00:51:11,897 --> 00:51:16,597

organic garden, to compost their waste,

to get their electricity from the sun?

00:51:16,857 --> 00:51:18,537

To live in a recycled home.

00:51:18,587 --> 00:51:22,237

And even when we were off air, Brian,

you mentioned something about going

00:51:22,237 --> 00:51:25,797

beyond the Azure home and making

things you could buy in the store.

00:51:26,217 --> 00:51:31,987

That's an exact vision we've had where

we recycle our own waste on site and

00:51:31,987 --> 00:51:33,997

turn it into products you can use.

00:51:34,107 --> 00:51:38,547

That part of that isn't that the

10,000 people, that's about what we

00:51:38,547 --> 00:51:43,712

get a year coming through Treebones

to stay, that's not gonna in itself

00:51:44,012 --> 00:51:48,332

change the world to take those people's

recycles and turn 'em into products.

00:51:48,332 --> 00:51:52,832

But if they're inspired, if you take

even a percentage of those people

00:51:52,832 --> 00:51:56,132

and they've gone and implemented

something of that on their own,

00:51:56,132 --> 00:51:58,092

it makes the world a better place.

00:51:58,092 --> 00:52:00,492

And that inspiration gets passed on.

00:52:00,497 --> 00:52:04,042

And I think that's the big vision

that we would all like to, at

00:52:04,042 --> 00:52:05,442

our place, would love to see.

00:52:05,472 --> 00:52:08,412

We'd love to feel like someone

walked away and had a new idea.

00:52:09,202 --> 00:52:09,742

Brian Searl: And they are.

00:52:09,742 --> 00:52:11,032

And I think that's the point, right?

00:52:11,032 --> 00:52:13,852

Is that the way you inspire

people to do all that is to

00:52:13,852 --> 00:52:15,742

show them that it's possible.

00:52:15,747 --> 00:52:19,192

Whether it's a 3D printed home

or through off the grid living

00:52:19,192 --> 00:52:22,102

that's just as comfortable as

home or whatever it is, right?

00:52:22,372 --> 00:52:23,962

John Handy: It's

possible, but not painful.

00:52:25,012 --> 00:52:26,002

Brian Searl: Yeah, exactly.

00:52:26,052 --> 00:52:27,372

Devon Towle: And it exists already.

00:52:27,372 --> 00:52:27,432

Brian Searl: Yeah.

00:52:27,432 --> 00:52:30,342

Devon Towle: Because it's

in our DNA to be in nature.

00:52:30,342 --> 00:52:30,402

John Handy: Yeah.

00:52:30,702 --> 00:52:34,092

Devon Towle: To be connected to

the outdoors, to be in community.

00:52:34,452 --> 00:52:38,742

And that's like the biggest draw for

people that are just sick and tired

00:52:38,742 --> 00:52:42,282

of living in the city and, being

controlled and all this other stuff.

00:52:42,282 --> 00:52:47,222

And this is that opportunity and that

outlet to be able to experience that now.

00:52:47,252 --> 00:52:49,622

'cause before it really

didn't exist, now it does.

00:52:49,622 --> 00:52:53,982

So it's like John was saying, we want

to pave the way, give people a visual

00:52:53,982 --> 00:52:56,232

and be immersed in the outdoors.

00:52:56,262 --> 00:53:00,552

And it's gonna take people like

John, myself and you, Brian, just

00:53:00,552 --> 00:53:04,702

to continue to share the vision and

get people outdoors connected to

00:53:04,702 --> 00:53:06,802

nature and escape the matrix, man.

00:53:07,462 --> 00:53:07,642

Brian Searl: Yeah.

00:53:07,642 --> 00:53:10,842

And all it takes is that experience

like just on Vancouver Island,

00:53:10,842 --> 00:53:13,242

and I still have them, right, I

appreciate this just as much as

00:53:13,242 --> 00:53:15,012

you guys do, but I still have them.

00:53:15,012 --> 00:53:19,002

We were in Vancouver Island, took a boat

tour out eight hours, two hours into

00:53:19,002 --> 00:53:22,182

the middle of nowhere, up into the North

Islands, and we did a grizzly bear tour.

00:53:22,672 --> 00:53:25,972

And just sitting off the shore, like we

got to be the first people to see it,

00:53:25,982 --> 00:53:30,242

the bear was named Thimble, come out

with her two cubs that were like in their

00:53:30,242 --> 00:53:33,752

second year of life and just playing and

wrestling with each other on the shore.

00:53:33,752 --> 00:53:36,902

Like you just can't, like

that's a whole different world.

00:53:36,952 --> 00:53:38,902

And if you can, there's so many

people I'm sure who take that

00:53:38,902 --> 00:53:41,872

tour who will be on their phones

taking pictures and I like, sure.

00:53:41,932 --> 00:53:43,252

I took some pictures too, of course.

00:53:43,252 --> 00:53:45,442

But really won't see the bears.

00:53:46,102 --> 00:53:47,662

When you see the bears.

00:53:47,722 --> 00:53:52,282

And imagine what it's like to just be

them and their simplified nature and

00:53:52,282 --> 00:53:55,562

walking through the forest and picking

berries and if you can identify with

00:53:55,612 --> 00:53:57,292

that's when you truly get the inspiration.

00:53:57,292 --> 00:53:57,562

I think.

00:53:59,447 --> 00:54:00,052

Devon Towle: A hundred percent.

00:54:00,052 --> 00:54:01,312

Brian Searl: Cool, guys,

I appreciate your time.

00:54:01,522 --> 00:54:02,392

It was a wonderful show.

00:54:02,392 --> 00:54:05,242

If you guys wanna hear more of me,

not you two, I know you guys are

00:54:05,242 --> 00:54:09,262

busy, but everybody who's watching

us wants to hear more of me talking.

00:54:09,512 --> 00:54:10,912

In about an hour, we're

gonna do a show on Outwired.

00:54:10,912 --> 00:54:14,512

We're gonna talk about niching down into

your different groups of people you wanna

00:54:14,512 --> 00:54:18,212

target, figuring out who your audience is

through marketing with a lot of different

00:54:18,212 --> 00:54:21,632

data and insights and things from Scott

Bahr and Greg Emmert, my two co-hosts.

00:54:21,632 --> 00:54:25,182

So other than that, we'll

see you next week for another

00:54:25,182 --> 00:54:25,812

episode of MC Fireside Chats.

00:54:25,812 --> 00:54:26,162

Thank you, Devon.

00:54:26,162 --> 00:54:26,432

Thank you, John.

00:54:26,432 --> 00:54:26,912

Really appreciate it.

00:54:26,982 --> 00:54:27,272

John Handy: Thank you.

00:54:27,272 --> 00:54:27,522

Enjoyed it!

00:54:27,592 --> 00:54:27,902

Devon Towle: Thanks, Brian.

00:54:27,902 --> 00:54:28,402

Brian Searl: Take care guys.