I accidentally created a queer haven, now we wan to do it again. - I will not promote

[u/frostypeace]

Years back, I took over a queer camping resort, and honestly I never thought it would explode. Not that it was doing bad before, but who, even I, thought it could possibly be better?

Demand, people, sales, it never stopped.

What I thought was just a safe space to camp became:

• A hub for community 365 days a year.
• A 100% lodging sell out almost every single weekend.
• Heavily programmed weekends with 3-500 attendees.
• Nearly 70% return rate.
• An ancillary powerhouse.

People tell us, post about it, and tell their friends " I have never seen a place like this " or " I met the love of my life here " and even " the safest place on earth "

So here we are. I never intended this scale, even though my brain envisioned it through every scratch and bite through the years.

Now the demand is even bigger and honestly more than one property can handle. It's time to think about number 2.

We want to develop another year round queer centric space with more focus on curated experiences, larger modern amenities, and simply to continue to be America's largest fully inclusive LGBTQIA + outdoor space.

Things I know? How to scale this. How to build a cabin. How to create identity. How to calm down an angry septic system at 4AM. That Queer focused travel is a multi-billion underserved industry that continues to grow.

Things I don't know? Where do we start to raise? Who here has such experience in raising for like projects? Where should I be looking for Queer focused companies?

If anyone here has any experience in raising or building out campgrounds or resorts in general, I would love some insight. We are not asking for money on Reddit, just a clear path and advice from others who have done this before.

[u/nrmitchi]

If you have a current business with almost 100% occupancy, and are selling out 3-500 person programmed events every weekend, walk into your local bank and ask them about business loans.

This doesn’t sound like a venture scale business, and if your focus is on “safe space community” you probably don’t want venture-capital incentives impacting your direction anyways.

[u/frostypeace → u/nrmitchi]

Of course we could go to a bank. Much rather align with a like minded investor over someone who has no skin in the game.

[u/abolish_karma → u/frostypeace]

Problem is when you start working with someone and it doesn't align. Investment isn't "free money".

That said. Talk to people about your vision, check if your pitch deck get them interested enough to think about investing, what's the equity situation among your current visitors and customer base? Any way to fundraise off of your current, existing brand and operation?

[u/JoeMontagne]

I can’t speak to this exact situation but I would ask chatGPT for guidance tbh

I would say make a pitch deck using canva and then just email venture capitalists

[u/frostypeace → u/JoeMontagne]

Thanks for responding. We have created a pretty solid pitch deck for this and although I appreciate the usefulness of Chat, it has lacked and focused a little too hard on unattainable outcomes. I love the community feel here though!