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Do You Fit - Skills Questionnaire
As you look for a campground for sale, consider that operating a KOA campground requires a real commitment of financial resources, time and energy. The following checklist will give you and your spouse (or other partners) the opportunity to assess the skills and experience you bring to campground ownership. And, in the event you join the KOA family, this checklist will give KOA an understanding of the strengths you'll bring to your campground, and allow us to better support you.
Please evaluate yourselves on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning virtually no ability and 5 meaning excellent ability. Then - discuss how you and your spouse/partner match up with these fundamental campground skills, and how you see campground responsibilities being divided based on this knowledge.
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Spouse/Other |
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1 2 3 4 5
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Bookeeping/Accounting
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Financial Mgmt/Banking
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Customer Service
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Phone Skills
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Organizational Skills
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Time Management
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Computer Knowledge
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Office Equipment/Cash Register
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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General Mechanical Ability
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Electrical
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Plumbing
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Lawn/gardening
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Light Construction
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Payroll Management
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Staff Training
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Staff Management
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Marketing/Sales Skills
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Ability to get along with others
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Prefer Outside Work
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1 2 3 4 5
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1 2 3 4 5
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Prefer Inside Work
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1 2 3 4 5
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DO I/WE FIT?
The KOA Franchise
Being a franchisee is a unique combination of both "boss" and employee. You own and run your own business, but you agree to follow certain policies and procedures set forth by KOA. The core of KOA's reputation and value is the commitment of each and every KOA franchisee to the brand standards embodied by the KOA logo.
Our KOA owners represent a broad spectrum of skills, experience, personality traits, temperament, and a host of other characteristics, and there's no "ideal" franchisee. However, experience does show that there are a number of factors which can be important to the ultimate success of a franchisee.
The following concepts should be considered seriously and honestly when evaluating whether owning a KOA campground is right for you.
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Hard Work
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Many new business owners find themselves working harder than they've ever worked before, and this can be especially true of campground ownership. Since most owners live and work on the campground, this is not a business or job that you leave behind at the end of the day. Are you prepared for 6 or even 7 day weeks of 14-18 hour days during your busy season? Do you have the mental and physical stamina to handle that? With a new business there's generally little leisure time, holidays are your busiest periods on the campground, and "quality" time with family and friends can be almost non-existent.
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Self-Reliance
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You're in a new business, doing new things, often in a new area. Your old support system of family, friends, business associations has been left behind. A campground owner can experience feelings of isolation, and must be able to overcome those feelings.
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Decision Making
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Again, you're it. The decisions, popular or not, and their results, must be yours. And endless decisions must be made almost daily on both short-term and long-term issues.
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Ability to Delegate
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Whether you're working with family members or employees, You need to be able to delegate rather than try to take on all jobs yourself. Decide what's critical to the successful operation of the campground, be realistic in what you can accomplish yourself, and delegate the rest if possible.
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Emotional Control
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Being your own boss doesn't mean the freedom to act uncontrollably or irrationally. You must be able to deal with family, employees, customers, suppliers, etc. under the best and worst of circumstances. You need to be able to accept the bad and the good, and take an overall balanced view of events.
Emotional outbursts may be satisfying in the short term, but can be damaging to the business if these are regular reactions to adverse situations.
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Stress Tolerance
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Business ownership is both highly rewarding and satisfying and highly uncertain and frustrating. Particularly in the early stages of running your new business you'll need to be able to cope with these stresses.
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Receptiveness
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The desire to be your own boss probably has a lot to do with your consideration of campground ownership. BUT…while independence may be one of your main goals in business ownership, don't let that overcome your willingness to accept training or advice from your fellow campground owners, from your franchisor (KOA), or even from your customers. The advantage to being part of a system is the availability of information that can accelerate your learning curve and ultimate success, if you're willing to listen to others.
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Family Support
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Unlike many businesses, campground ownership is most often a "family affair", with all family members involved to some extent or another. And, the long hours and hard work can be disruptive, particularly if the whole family doesn't back the commitment 100%.
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Sales Orientation
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The KOA name, logo, marketing, and other support will only go so far, then it's up to each individual owner to maximize their local business through advertising, and good interpersonal skills.
You'll be selling yourself, your campground, your services to every customer you deal with.
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Growth Orientation
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The best campgrounds have owners that aren't satisfied with the "status quo", but are always looking for ways to improve and increase their business.
There's no finish line in the race for excellence!
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Profit Orientation
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Profit is not a dirty word in business ownership. If you're not In it to make money, your motivation to maintain and improve the campground will be low, as will your ultimate potential for success.
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Financial Ability
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Getting into business ownership "on a shoestring" can add considerable stress. Even when buying an operating business with proven income, there are bound to be unforeseen expenses.
Do you have the financial wherewithal to weather higher gas prices, or a season of bad weather, or to replace equipment when it fails, or handle hiring help in the event of an unexpected illness?
Start preparing now, whether that means saving more, selling assets, etc., so you're in a good position to buy the campground of your dreams when it presents itself, and so that you have the means to operate it effectively once it's yours.
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The Desire and Ability to "Make Things Happen"
Your attitude is you'll do whatever it takes to get what you want. And make things happen.
When you apply this to campground ownership...
Welcome to the KOA family!
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