We were lucky to catch up with Aaron Friedland recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aaron, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Am I happier as a business owner? Should I compare my current station in life to the young and naive boy I was at 23 – broke, aimless, but adventurous? Or to the alternative reality I might otherwise now be having as a 32 year old tucked snuggly into the corporate structure of benefits, security, and promotion? In either case, I can say that in ways I certainly am happier than I was then, or would be. The idealistic youngster that couldn’t hold down a big boy job even after 4 years of ‘business school’ had his reckless and unhinged fun at the expense of stability, but the lack thereof made for years of uncertainty and dread about what the future as a real adult would hold. I think it was hard to be truly ‘happy’ given this inner turmoil. I can’t dismiss that younger version of myself, though, as simply a dreamer. He was chasing something that couldn’t be attained within the structure of a 9 – 5 office job with the attendant requisites of business travel and limited paid time off. That chase led to extended time spent exploring Asia and Latin America, music and foreign language. Passions such as these are what bring real meaning to me, and having the time to explore them inspired me to craft a lifestyle which included work that aligned with, and supported their place in my life.

The business conception story is one for another time, but it’s result, Oasis Campervans, is my way to get the most out of my time. I work only as much as I feel that I need to. I truly enjoy spending time working on my business. Building vans for my clients can completely absorb and entertain me. It brings me joy watching the designs we collaborate on with our clients come to fruition. I see myself working in this type of craft for many years with an endless well of creative ideas in my mind. However, would I want to be fully committed to Oasis Campervans all of the time? Hell no! My time is my most important asset, and I want to use it to derive the most meaning from my life as I can in the short time I will be here. I take frequent prolonged breaks from my work (ie: in 2023 I worked from January to March and June to August. The rest of the time split between Baja, Mexico and South America). Running my own small business in this way, I may not ever make as much money as I could working a Regular Job, or even going full on with Oasis – but I’m too far down the road of investing in the things I’m truly passionate about to turn back now and even consider those options. It can be a feast or famine existence, this small business ownership project. Work comes quick and it evaporates just as fast. Engaging in my interests outside of the success of the business (and work generally) gives me the balance I need to feel energized and excited about work when it’s time to feast. If I can continue to manage this balance of work and exploration, I don’t see any reason why I won’t continue to be happier as a business owner.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Oasis Campervans is a small – mid sized van upfitter. We work on a wide variety of vehicles, and offer several flagship conversion packages, as well as custom work, small jobs, and van building consultation services. Our specialty is high end woodworking, and we strive to make our conversions look one of a kind.

We are always a small team, typically 1-5 people. We employ family and friends, and naturally become friends with many of our clients.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I first started Oasis Campervans in 2014 (then called Chameleon Campervans), I was desperately unaware of the role that social media played in marketing for Van Life and the companies connected to it. My ignorance soon led to obstinance when I started to see what most other successful companies were doing with these tools. I remember feeling incapable of becoming proficient with these tools, and that’s what led me to close up shop after just 1 project. 3 years later, with the motivation to start the business up again and do it right, I dove head on into the world of learning about social media. Soon I was creating attractive posts that got a lot of attention, and ultimately a decent followership. As time went on, however, I found that I was spending more time focusing on the numbers of Likes, Follows, etc. than some of the more important factors that were leading to clientele. I continued to spend a lot of time perseverating over competitors Instagram followings, the aesthetics of their posts, all the while feeling like I was missing out on important opportunities. But I still had a consistent stream of work coming in. Did I really need to feel stress about my Social Media Shortcomings? I wasn’t sure. Until I read ‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport. In it, he has a whole chapter dedicated to getting the reader to consider the concept of ‘the any benefit mindset’. This mindset, he says, steers us astray because we tend to think that if we can glean any benefit from a tool, no matter how small, we should use it. He argues that this is not true, and that the individual must think about the pros and cons deeply and intentionally. Maybe I could get 1 customer from my social media presence every year. But if I spend 18 minutes every day in consternation over my posts, I will likely be burning away valuable time that could otherwise be spent on a more meaningful, value adding activity to my business. This simple mental exercise put to rest a lot of my worries about having the wrong kind of social media presence, and has allowed me to focus more on the things that really do add value to my product and bring in quality leads.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I always encourage phone calls. I like to chat with my customers before, during, and after the project. They can always call me up to let me know about an issue, ask about an improvement, or tell me a funny story from the road!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oasiscampervans.com/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOafzt-YyFIV9k6X4CUHFHw