We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Britt Roth. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Britt below.
Britt, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Many things come to mind with this particular question and it’s a fun one to think about! I believe success starts with a hands on approach. You cannot create something and hope it’ll be successful. You need to nurture it, get your hands dirty with it figuratively and literally,- if you need to dig a hole or clean bathrooms in order to understand the small things that are involved in running your business – then you do it and you never act like you’re above any job needing to get done! Always be involved in every single process, look at all the areas of your business with a detailed eye, and be willing to reevaluate and change course if there are areas that are not working, or not efficient, or are costing you money.
Secondly, it’s customer service. Let me say it again, customer service!!!! I have always been a stickler for good customer service because it is RARE to find. You have have several companies with the exact same product, varying price points, and if one person stands out with the best customer service, I will always choose that one even if it’s slightly more money. We are presented with so many choices for just one thing these days, and the only thing that separates a good product in my mind is the people behind the product and how they approach each of their potential customers. If my concern, question, request or interest isn’t important enough to warrant a response to my email or call, then my money won’t be spent with you. It is not difficult to be attentive to customers, convey gratitude, and offer helpful, cheery assistance. This is a HUGE element lacking in many businesses, it is not a skill that’s taught to new/existing employees, and if companies focused more on this, I believe they’d see an increase in business immediately.
It’s important to not over complicate things. Our CFO – and my mom and the best design partner – has the most amazing saying. She says to do the way that is ‘macheesier’! It’s a cute, silly saying but it sums up how we work best. It means to opt for the route that is the easiest, takes the least amount of time and not the most amount of money! There are certainly ways to get things done in a more complicated, lengthy and expensive way and that can create success as well. But for us, we like to get creative and utilize the talents of our team to approach things the ‘macheesier’ way!
Mindset is also another important element to success. Things in business take time, so having patience and knowing that whenever things happen, is when they were meant to happen and you cannot force it! Maintaining a positive attitude is also paramount. We like to create a positive, calm environment amongst our management team which trickles down to everyone representing our business, and then that vibe gets passed on to each and every guest, which is the overall experience we want to create at our RV park.
Another key element is to treat your team members WELL!!!! If you have people that work with you, it’s vital to always be helpful, available and appreciative for what they do for you. The success of any business starts with the quality of the people that represent it and nurturing those relationships both professionally and personally is a top priority for any business. Reward them often, their successes are your successes and it never hurts to show them that in a bonus or a nice gift of thanks.
And the last thing element is to stay in your lane, do what you do best, don’t try to compare or copy what others are doing in your industry. Create a new vision for your industry that sets you apart from the competition so that there is no comparison. Don’t grow too fast or put pressure on more social media, more advertising dollars, more this, more that. Stay small, stay focused!
Britt, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
We began our journey in 2017 from Austin, TX. Lots of changes were happening in our lives – new babies, loss of jobs, loss of friendships – and we were ready for a major change. After seeing a YouTube video of a family who sold everything and moved into an RV, we put the wheels in motion and 6 months later we had our home rented, we bought a truck and a fifth wheel and we hit the road, inexperienced, nervous and excited! In our year and a half traveling full time in an RV we knew we loved this lifestyle and were so happy we didn’t let fear stand in our way!
In that 1.5 years of staying in RV parks we realized that nothing existed that looked or felt like what we wanted to stay in, so when we eventually discovered Kanab, UT we fell in love with the beauty and energy in this little town that’s situated in the middle of 4 National Parks and dozens of national landmarks and state parks plus 1000s of miles of breathtaking hikes that take you to slot canyons, dinosaur tracks, petroglyphs, and more!
Along with my parents, Rick and Meryl, we sold our homes and everything we owned and found an amazing 40 acre piece of land with 360 degree views and we built, from the ground up, our dream RV park.
With our combined backgrounds in hospitality, marketing, filmmaking, adventure guiding, and years of entrepreneurship, we set out to develop a new kind of RV park – one that we yearned for on the road- where natural beauty meets luxury- inspired by our travels across the globe.
Dark Sky blends nature with luxury – each of the 18 premiere pull through sites are 75′ apart from each other and sprawl out along 20 acres with 20 more acres that are untouched sage brush! The bath suites are a designers dream and modern tiling, metal countertops, heated floors and indoor/outdoor showers!
We are much more than just an RV Park … we are an experience from the moment you receive the first welcome text from our host to our socials on Thursday with food and drink to our concierge propane service and our serene, calm nature!
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
We realized quickly that we had a lot of return guests and guests who come to celebrate a special occasion. We make sure we recognize those people and we prepare small gifts for everyone returning or celebrating with us with a nice handwritten note. We make sure we indicate these details and communicate them well to all staff that would be welcoming them so they feel like everyone is aware they’ve been to our park before or know they are here for a celebratory reason, which always makes people feel special!
We started a VIP program recognizing people that have spent a certain amount of money with us with Dark Sky dollars! These kinds of initiatives show guests that we appreciate their repeat business and recognize that they have selected us over other choices in the area.
We’ve sent out holiday cards with a custom ornament for top spenders and return guests!
We host weekly socials providing dinner and drinks to all our guests and its now something that people look forward to when they come back. They know they can count on a fun party on Thursdays and that creates a brand loyalty and a sense of community when you’re here.
We respond to every single review with a personable response!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of new clients for us is word of mouth. The reason people want to tell others about you is because they’ve had a memorable and impressionable experience. If you focus on the customers that you already have and create the best experience possible from beginning to end while they’re here, they’ll do the advertising for you! It’s all about customer service.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.darkskyrv.com
- Instagram: @darkskyrv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkskyrv
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dark-sky-rv-campground-kanab
- Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g57030-d21058684-Reviews-Dark_Sky_Rv_Campground-Kanab_Utah.html https://www.campendium.com/dark-sky-rv-campground https://thedyrt.com/camping/utah/dark-sky-rv-park-campground
Image Credits
Photos taken by Vima Productions : https://www.vimaproductions.com