We recently connected with Dawn Laing and have shared our conversation below.
Dawn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Who else has ever been on the verge of burnout, gone on vacation, then decided to turn their life upside down? I know we can’t be the only ones.
During a vanlife adventure in the southwest (New Mexico, Arizona, West Texas) of the US (May 2019) my partner and I were on “vacation” but still working. Multiple sales calls a day, remote meetings with our team back in Toronto (Ontario/Canada), as well as signing and building deals from the road. Having the option to work remotely meant we could technically get away from our everyday routine but it was far from the break we needed. However, while on the road during this trip … through Marfa Texas no less…. we did have time to talk and reflect on our lives. The risks (financial, professional and personal) we had taken to date had been many and we were both ready for a change of pace. We stayed at El Cosmico in our camper van, camping in their parking lot, and felt the energy and inspiration to try and create something within a community we really enjoyed. One thing was for sure we needed to get out of our current life and try something else on for a while
Once we got back to Toronto we percolated on what we discussed on the road but we were eyeballs deep back into our busy Toronto, entrerpreneurship, routine. It would be months before we seriously revisited those talks and feelings of the previous spring. Fast forward to summer 2019 and just 3hrs east of Toronto in the sweetest little region called: Prince Edward County. Drew and I were daydreaming about a renovated camper motel inspired by our experience at El Cosmico (Marfa, Texas). While driving the county we ended up driving by a drive-in movie theatre and thought it would be super cute to catch a movie there that night. More than cute .. little did we know that night would change our lives forever.
We showed up for movie time and checked in, bought our tickets, got parked and each took turns going to the snackbar and getting organized in our car for the movie. It was obvious this drive in was loved, but it was also obvious they needed help or at least were tired and might need an injection of energy to take their business to the next level. After the movie we messaged the owners on Facebook asking if they needed a hand with the business, they declined and said they were actually more interested in selling the business and retiring – so we did what any level headed human would do and we offered to buy the business. To our surprise, they said let’s chat and within 48hrs we had a handshake deal on a new adventure, new life, in a new town we had never lived in before within a business space we hadn’t ever considered.
By Oct 2019 the deal was done and we had officially bought ourselves a drive-in movie theatre, not knowing anything about running a seasonal business or operating a drive-in. All we saw was potential and we wanted to make moves to make our dreams come true.
We got the keys in April of 2020 (aka – hello pandemic days) and got to work reviving and modernizing our new business, while also juggling the needs of the businesses we were exiting all while navigating a pandemic landscape. It was official, we were leaving the place we had lived in for almost 20 yr, and the business my partner had been growing for 15+years with his high school friend, for a town and business we didn’t know at all with a completely different lifestyle attached to it. We really had no idea what we were in for but that was the risk we were willing to take!
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.
Sure! How does one get into the Drive-In Theatre business? Well, this whole thing really started from an intense need to change my life. My past careers are all over the place: Raptor Biologist, Ornithologist, Conservation Biologist, Federal Government Program Manager, Artist Manager, Communications Director, Gallery Owner, Operations Lead and now Drive-In Owner…. The one binding thread is all of these jobs require me to be operationally inclined and team oriented. Coming into the role at the drive-in meant learning a whole new market / business and applying my past leadership experiences to elevate it. Taking the business on during a pandemic also meant strong communication skills were also needed because we wanted to bring a whole new industry back to life in the community we were situated in. Re-introduce folks to wholesome family entertainment underneath a blanket of stars.
Owning a drive-in takes teamwork and I’m most proud of what we have created over the last four movie seasons. We have revived the space, made it safe, and modernized it in a way that still retains the spirit of what this drive-in has been known for. We have created a space for a diverse group of young people to work and build professional skills while also providing exceptional hospitality to their community and tourists alike! The drive-in has expanded to host more than just movies. We host Sunday daytime markets in July x August (with an average of 80 vendors), we have been rented by private corporate partners like Netflix, Sheertex, and a Telecom Group (to name a few) for staff and community events, the space has also been booked for weddings, banquets, race days, celebrations of life, Music Festivals as well as Vanlife meet ups and niche group events. The venue has become more than just a drive-in but a community venue for special summer gatherings worth making memories over. Seeing this space for more than just movies has been one of the most exciting aspects of this spaces potential.
The Mustang Drive-In PEC is more than just a move theatre, it’s a nostalgia magic making machine that transports you to a time you didn’t even know you missed until you get here and experience it for yourself. Being able to put a little bit of myself into it has also helped me learn about myself and what I like about this change in career.
Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?
Having almost 10 acres of commercially zoned land in the heart of a popular tourist destination means we have options. There is so much more we CAN BE doing beyond “just movies”. We are zoned commercial highway which means we can add multiple businesses to the property such as: Hotel, Motel, Distillery, Car Dealership, Tiny Home Showroom, Tesla Charging station, storage lockers or so much more. Prior to getting the keys to the property our original thought was to add 8 – 10 vintage campers that we would renovate and rent out like a motel. Each being self sustaining and off grid, while also taking advantage of the commercial bathrooms we already have on site and operating over the busy season to capture additional revenue while also still operating the drive-in with little impact to the site. Such as the infamous El Cosmico we visited back in 2019.
However, once we got the keys we realized how much work was ahead of us in just reviving and modernizing the drive-in – so we made a new 5 year plan to build out a SUSTAINABLE, safe, and profitable drive-in business that can last the test of time. Here are some of the things we added over the years to try and test alternative revenue streams while optimizing the property outside of just movie nights.
Year 1 – during the pandemic – we had the opportunity to build out a safe venue for multiple additional uses: weekend music festivals, celebrations of life events, pop-up weddings, food pop-ups, sport bangquets and more.
Year 2 – in addition to the above we built out a Sunday daytime event we call our TRUNK SHOWS. Inspired by UK Boot Sales – this Sunday flea market event operates in July x August. Vendors pay a fee to participate and patrons can tour the show for free. Vendor fees support the event operations and marketing. The markets also have musicians and other elements to draw in patrons while also supporting small businesses from the surrounding community. We also expanded to include Saturday music events a few times a summer during the day so we could sell tickets to daytime events while also still operating an evening event.
Year 3 – in addition to the above – our movie nights were Wednesday to Sunday (mid June until Sept 2/3 weekend) so we started promoting Monday, Tuesday and September rentals. Through this event promotion series we were able to add revenue via full bookouts (private and corporate).
Year 4 – in addition to the above we opted to remove the activities that didn’t serve us and really focus on the alternative revenue streams that did well and suited the business (TrunkShows and full bookouts) so we could personally spend more time enjoying the property and less time working
Next year – we are going to build an onscreen ad program for the 5min before movies as well as be proactive in trying to book bookouts and events. Previously these all came to us and we’d love to be able to offer more event / venue services for nostalgia hunters. We will also be aiming to add kitchen takeovers or chef features paired with movies.
After four seasons of operation we are not only profitable but we have built a business that sustains us (my partner and I) and our lifestyle all year round while only working 12 revenue generating weeks annually. While we do start work in mid / late May and finish mid/late September, we tend to work 24/7 through June / July / August to make the most of the season. We have been approached to take on business partners who are keen to operate the kitchen during the day for food pop-ups or possibly another daytime operation, but we have found we like to keep things simple as we don’t really need the additional revenue and prioritize our downtime together when we can so we don’t end up burning ourselves out again. Discovering a seasonal, lifestyle, business has truly been a game changer.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Awww … I like this question because it really wasn’t a straight forward “will you be my business partner sorta thing”. I met my now business partner in 2006. Little did I know that we would become life partners AND business partners. He had started a business with one of his close HS friends in 2005. As we started dating I spent a lot of my off time from work hanging out with my now partner as a friend – helping him package and prep orders and deal with customer service challenges and just be there for him as his young business grew.
When we first met, I was a biologist working for the Canadian Federal Government. I commuted 1.5 – 2hrs each way, each day, to work on public transit. During this time I would read, do work and and at one point I ended up going back to school (an MBA) and that commute allowed me to do 4-5hrs of homework everyday while also still working at a high level in the government AND coming home to help my partner with his business.
By 2015 I had fully quit my six figure, golden handcuff, government job with no real plan other than I’d volunteer and help my partner with his business for a weekend and that turned into an incredible test in our relationship and next phase as business partners. By 2017 we remortgaged our home, I pulled out as much of my retirement savings I could, and everything he and I owned was in one big ol’basket, betting on this tech /manufacturing venture in Toronto he had been building with his business partner since 2005. It wasn’t the healthiest time in our lives, or relationship, but somehow it made us grow stronger as people and partners. Being cash strapped, in debt, and risking every penny you have can put a strain on any relationship and I feel lucky that even in the darkest times we found opportunities to rise above it all.
Who else can you communicate better with than the person you love most in the world? It was scary at times because you do have to separate the people you are as a couple and the people you are as business owners. When everyone has skin in the game, and it’s not just money you can lose if things go south, the stakes feel that much higher.
This is what made our pivot and life changing decisions in 2019 so monumental. Could we be successful business partners just us? Previously my partner had his original partner, I was an add on … this time it would be just us. Could we do it? Could we be successful? Could we do this and not tank our romantic relationship in the process?
Turns out working with my life partner, and being business partners, has been one of the most rewarding relationships in my life. We have complementary strengths (and weaknesses) and we both get excited living with some risk. We are both inspired by creating, building and contributing something to our communities while also keeping life interesting. Over the last 17yrs we have learned that we both need better balance in our work, and love, life. It’s been a journey to find balance because we’re both pretty addicted to working, solving problems, and building but in the end this lifestyle / seasonal business thing has been life changing. Our new venture allows us a new work/life schedule where we work really hard for a few weeks/months then we have an off season to reconnect as a couple, regroup on our goals, and think up other fun business ideas / projects. Building a lifestyle business has truly been life changing.
It may sound cheesy – but I feel incredibly lucky to have found my partner in life and in business early in my professional career so we both have the opportunity to keep building, creating, and challenging ourselves for decades to come. I can’t wait to see what ridiculous adventure we have in-store next!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.themustangpec.ca
- Instagram: @loraxgirl @mustangdriveinpec @govantelope
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dawnlaing
- Other: https://www.thestar.com/real-estate/this-toronto-couple-is-selling-their-iconic-prince-edward-county-drive-in-movie-theatre-for/article_ca9260c9-77e2-535c-ad9a-dc2dc4edd7ee.html
Image Credits
All images are owned by The Mustang Drive-In PEC