I've given a lot of thought to finding a way to earn money while full-timing. Early on I decided the best way to make money was to not "sell" anything to RV'ers. While there are exceptions, most full-timers are on a strict budget with very little disposable money. They also don't have storage room for much of anything. I would recommend trying to find something that doesn't rely on RV'ers for generating income. I include myself in this group...we tend to be tightwads with our money. Just my opinion...

Thanks, Dan. I really appreciate the reply.

I do understand the "tight budget" and I am not really looking to generate income - just to provide a needed service to RVers. However, if the service is of value and something that any of us would willingly pay for, then why not collect a small fee?

The reason this came to mind is many years ago, we were vacationing in the Bahama out-islands. A young lady and her boyfriend were island-hopping by sailboat. She was a hairdresser and offered haircuts to all of us on the island. It was great - we chatted with an island drink and she collected maybe $5 or $10 per head.

Haircuts are a necessity (for most of us, anyway.) Certainly, a chair massage would be a luxury - but would some RVer's pay, say $5 or $10 for 10-15 minutes? Maybe.

I am thinking of services that most of us need (or would enjoy) but that we could not do for ourselves. As for me, I am just looking for ways to keep busy, meet people and have fun. If a few bucks come in, all the better!

My reason for posting was to see what kinds of creative ideas people have. I assumed that other RVers (orRVers to-be) might be thinking about this as well.

And there would be no "competitive worries" unless we all hit the same campground at the same time.  :)

I'll second what Dan said. There are times we might need a pet sitter but we are pretty careful about where we leave him. Just can't think of much else needed.

Thanks, Racer. I greatly appreciate the candor. I love dogs so much I'd sit Buddy for free.  :)

My husband says I shouldn't worry about acquiring a new skill to keep busy. He suggests I just pursue my dream of being a writer while we fulltime.  Maybe he's "write"  :)

But then again he also like the idea of the chair massage...says I can keep my skills up by practicing on him.

There was a thread on here awhile back, women talking about coloring hair. That thread should give you an idea of how the women are dealing with hair issues. Part of the problem you will run into is RV Parks that prohibit business in their park. I'm sure insurance is part of the problem. Another problem could be that if someone is not happy with your service it will cast a black mark on the RV Park even if they had nothing to do with it. I would be sure to ask the park before offering any on-site services. I do have one idea that I think would work...when I was in Arizona at a SKP park, they allowed one guy into the park to wash/wax rigs. I never hired him to do mine, but I saw him in the park working all the time. I thought his price was extravagant, but apparently a lot of folks didn't think so. A 40' rig like mine would take him all day. He washed the rig from top to bottom, applied UV protector to the roof (as well as removed all covers on the roof and cleaned), then waxed the entire rig (including windows). IIRC he charged $4.25/foot, so for my rig it would have been around $180 (with tax).

Since you are inclined towards pets, how about a portable pet groomer/bathing service? For those campgrounds without sewer hookups you could offer a black and gray water dumping and waste hauling service for those intimidated by the job or lacking a portable tank. You could even work out a deal with the CG giving them a cut for promoting your needed service. Chip

Ah. good point on the license! Thank you for that very important reality check, Terry!

Interesting thought, Sushi on the dumping service (which doesn't intimidate me in the least; I used to clean airplane toilets )  and dog washing. As long as Fido doesn't bite, it would be fun!

And Dan, the rig washing service is also a great idea. My husband is 6'5" and I'm 5'2", so we have top and bottom covered.  LOL.

Many thanks to all - this is exactly what I wanted to do: Generate some fun ideas that may interest lots of folks (and identify the "issues" - such as licensure - that need to be considered.)

How about some more fun ideas, gang?

Mooline,

With the aging rv population, any service that takes care of bending, stretching or strenuous activity should be in fair demand. 

I would certainly pay a reasonable sum for a haircut. 

I did just that Labor Day Sunday.  While the fleamarket was closed on Sunday, a lady was cutting hair for the vendors who camped there over the holiday weekend.  The normal "donation" was $10.  Her "net" on Sunday was more than mine for Saturday... or Monday for that matter!  The voluntary "donation", rather than payment for service, is intended to circumvent licensing requirements.  I don't know how legal it might be.  That could vary by state.  A local vo-tech school does the same thing with the hairdressing students.   I've also seen the same type of deal once or twice a month in an indoor fleamarket.  So the idea is workable because there are people doing just that. 

If you look very carefully a lot businesses, including many services, do require some type of state or local sanction.  Ohio's sales and USE tax covers a lot and many don't realize they should be paying it.  For instance there is tax on puppies and storage unit rentals.  Many localities require income tax filings for residents AND nonresidents who operate within their boundries.  There is really no way a transient can know if there is a little "extra" added by some silly city counsel looking for a cash cow.

Many (maybe most?) mobile folks just operate beneath the radar.  I have a transient sales tax "number" in 3 different states so I'm legal where I sell.  There are states where I don't go because of involved requirements.  Indiana comes to mind.  Some PA and IL residents don't sell in their home states because they feel the requirements are too complex to sort through.  And there are those, or so I've heard (third or fourth hand of course ), who do just fine not registering their activity with any government body.

With a bad economy many jurisdictions are looking to collect extra revenue by increased enforcement.  PA seems to be looking for money right now.  My PA registration certificate says the state may confiscate my goods and vehicle if don't have it clearly displayed.  I've never heard of that happening but I don't doubt it has occurred sometime.  I make sure mine is in plain view.

I don't know what "HR" might mean but my degree in English isn't useful per se.  Obviously I'm no Hemmingway either.  I don't read "blogs" so I can't comment on their usefulness as a source of income.  Several of us at different markets try to help explain official letters to those who's first language wasn't English.  That not a paying proposition, just a favor friends.

Good luck,
Bob

edited to thwart some sneaky spelling gremlins

-- Edited by fleamarketeer on Monday 13th of September 2010 07:32:21 AM

Awesome post, flea! Thanks for the advice. I really plan to give all of this some serious thought over the next year or so. We'll see what happens! Thanks to everyone for the great ideas and sage advice!

I wasn't sure what "chair massage" was or why I might want to pay for it, but I just happened to notice this today. 



Neat idea.  The lady said she'd been doing this for about a year and was doing OK with it.  So another idea is workable.

fleamarketeer

Edit: another gremlin stomped.  Ewww, I need a boot scraper...


-- Edited by fleamarketeer on Sunday 19th of September 2010 04:07:26 PM

This is an old subject but just came across it.  Here are some random thoughts . . .

A camper in a Ft Lauderdale RV Park does haircuts every Friday.  She has a sign up sheet on her picnic table and you just sign up for the time slot you want and she'd show up at your door at the chosen time.  DHd had two hair cuts while we were there.  "Suggested Donation" was $12 and she said she averaged 6-8 hair cuts every Friday.  

While at an RV Resort in Las Vegas, there was a camper who gave massages in her motor home.  She had a sign posted on her windshield to advertise.  Her husband had to go to the pool when she had a client.  She charged $40 for a one hour massage.  Both my husband and I got massages.  We'd definitely pay for one of your chair massages.

Other services I would pay for:

1.  Someone to do alternations.  I don't sew and being vertically challenged I am always looking for someone to take up my hems.  Last time I had it done I paid the dry cheaners $12.70 to shorten a pair of jeans.  I would much rather have had a fellow camper do it for say $10.  Right now I have 5 items that need altering.
:(

2. Someone to cook a meal.  Nothing fancy but it needs to be healthy, hearty and homemade -- soup, spaghetti sauce, chile, stew, etc.  I don't need the side dishes, just the entree itself, I can boil pasta and make a salad easy enough. :)  Anyway,  I would pay $10 for a container that would feed 3-4.   It could just be what you are making for yourself and I'm just buying your left overs.  :) 

I would also pay for home baked goods -- like half a pie or cake, a dozen cookies, a loaf of banana nut bread.  

3.  I have paid someone to come in and clean the rig -- the inside I mean -- including windows and screens inside and out, plus cleaning out all of the cupboards.  Just once a year, as a treat to myself.  She charged $20 an hour with a 4 hour minimum.  I kept her busy for the full four hours.   She was not a fellow camper but a professional cleaner.

4.  I've also paid to have the carpet steam cleaned professionally.  Last time it cost $100.  My husband did do it once using one of those rented machines from the grocery store.  It was only $40 for the machine and the special soap, but it was such a pain to do that I don't want to ask him do it again.  

5.  We fly to various places a few times a year and I would pay a fellow camper to drive us to and from the airport in lieu of paying for parking at the airport.   Price would be determined by how far a drive it is and how much the airport parking would cost.

6.  More than computer repair, I think a computer tutor would be a service I'd want.    E.g. some one to help me if I wanted to put all of our financials on to Quicken and didn't know how, or I wanted to create a database in Access to keep track of all the many friends we've met on the road, or I wanted to create a really fancy annual Christmas letter with pictures and graphics.  At home I have a niece who would help me with things like this.  She has a masters degree and charges $25 an hour, though I do get a family or senior, I'm not sure which, discount.  :)   

At the KOA campground we are currently in, a fellow camper is offering to do various tasks.  Her flyer reads " I will clean your house, run your errands, rake your yard, take you to the store, wash your car, drive you to your appointments, walk and feed your dog, etc.  Very reasonable rates! "  The campground obviously has no problem with this as they put the flyers into our mailboxes. I'm going to call her to see how much she'll charge to take us to/from the airport as we are flying to DC for a week later this month and parking is going to cost $65.    

Anyway, I hope this helps.           

You know Scotlyn has an idea there. How about a concierge service - kind of an RV butler thing. For a set fee per hour, you could do any number of things...spring clean inside (I'd pay for that) walk, wash, or sit Fido, hair cutting, massages, grocery shopping, errands, drive someone who doesn't have a toad to run errands or to the airport... the list could be endless, but that would maybe mean more business, since you're not limiting yourself to just one thing...