For 21 years, Eddie Macias served in the US Navy as a Master at Arms First Class Petty Officer. “I loved it, and sometimes wish I was still active duty,” he says about the two decades he spent as a military service-member.
Upon retirement, he took on a new career in law enforcement. “Thankfully, it was an easy transition as it’s in my nature to serve others,” explains Macias. One minor hiccup with his new role was the location — as it was two hours from his home. He rented a hotel room nearby but found the arrangement to be less-than-ideal long-term. Eventually, he decided to invest in an RV — a house-on-wheels.
Little did he know, the purchase was one that would enrich his life.
While the RV worked well enough as a lodging solution, Macias knew his rig could be used for more than a place to lay his head during the workweek. Living in a busy tourist area, he saw a huge demand for people itching to get outdoors. RVs, motorhomes, and camper vans were the perfect way to travel and experience it all.
This gave him the idea to rent out his RV while he wasn’t using it. He could offset the cost of ownership with the rental income and still enjoy the rig to himself when he wanted to use it.
“At first, renting to people I didn’t know worried me because of possible damage from fires and theft,” he says. “After a talk with someone from the Outdoorsy Owner Success team, my concerns lifted. It was their $1,000,000 insurance coverage guarantee and dedicated support team in case something did happen that snew me.”
The conversation convinced him to list his RV with Outdoorsy, the #1 trusted peer-to-peer marketplace connecting RV owners with people who want to experience RVing without ownership. Within the first day alone, Macias had booking requests for renting his Class C Sunseeker and was preparing the rig for his first guests.
Since starting his RV rental business a little over a year ago, Macias has seen revenue grow steadily. He now makes enough to pay for a hotel room while at work, all RV-related expenses, fun weekend getaways, and an expansive drone collection.
He is even considering adding new trailers with his earnings. His only question, “I can’t decide between a huge Class A, or tiny teardrop trailer… there seems to be a big market for those.”
Macias believes his military background helped him succeed as an entrepreneur — from a deeply-ingrained desire for a positive customer experience to the willingness to jump in and get his hands dirty on any given task.
“Service members and veterans are among our most successful pro operators making anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 with just one or two vehicles,” says Jennifer Young, co-founder and CMO of Outdoorsy. “They know how to lead teams, work with systems, and have the dedication and perseverance to succeed — no matter what. Our platform provides the technology, marketing, and world-class customer service needed to succeed.”
This year, Outdoorsy launched an incentive program to encourage active-duty and veteran service members to become entrepreneurs. From Veterans Day 2017 to Veterans Day 2018, Outdoorsy is waiving 100% of its service fees for the entire first year when service members list their RV on the platform. On average, this will put $3,000 or more back in their pockets, and out on the road.
Macias is one of dozens of veterans who’ve created successful entrepreneurial businesses on Outdoorsy. Learn more about Outdoorsy’s Active Duty and Veteran Military program now.
