Kerry Roy: The Dream VS The Reality

My work is dreamy and desirable – especially to my guests. They enjoy their holidays in the Italian sunshine and imagine I have the perfect life. While I present a calm and serene exterior, inside my nerves are stretched and my brain is racing through my “to do” list.

If this sounds familiar to you, it could be that you are in danger of falling out of love with the very things that drew you into running a glamping site in the first place. It may be that with a few adjustments you can reignite the passion and start living the dream again; at least some of the time!

I have run glamping sites in both the UK and in Italy and, for those of you who have followed my journey in A New Life in the Sun on TV, you will know that there has been no shortage of stressful moments. Thankfully the experience has taught me a few things about managing the downs, so that I can make the most of the ups!

Take it with a pinch of salt

I have found there are two sides to running a business: the lighter side, and the darker side. It’s often easier for many of us to shout about the highs that give us that feel-good factor (especially on social media) but few of us really ever share the darker side – when we feel overwhelmed and frustrated. So, don’t get into the mindset of thinking it’s just you and everyone else is managing better and never be too proud to ask for help.

Don’t leave work/life in the balance

The dream is usually to quit the day job in order to spend more quality time with those we love, in a place we love. The reality is that you may not be constrained to set working hours or an office cubicle – but you are actually always ‘on duty’.

This reality can soon overshadow the dream if you, as the owner, are not able to run the business effectively, efficiently and without you always being “in it”. Hospitality – especially accommodation – is a potentially 24/7 business.

Your guests may need assistance at any hour of any day and the situation could be even worse if you live on site. Make sure you get cover from time to time to babysit your business, so that you can occasionally go out and enjoy social time yourself, or you may resent the missed nights out or feel bad about letting friends down if you can’t join them! Consider the option of living off site if possible – this is something I have now done, to get some physical as well as mental distance for some of the time.

Find a fixer!

Don’t be fooled that once you’ve found your idyllic plot of land, installed some wonderful accommodation, and set up the booking systems – Hey presto! The work is done. In actuality, the maintenance is constant, with relatively high costs compared to other industries. Even when you think you’re on top of it all, your glamping accommodation, land, and dealing with nature’s natural forces will ensure you are never stood twiddling your thumbs for too long. It’s well worth employing a part-time fixer, gardener, and handy person all in one – there will be days when things break, and trying to check in guests while fixing a broken heater can be challenging.

Don’t do everything!

We’ve all been there – spinning plates and juggling balls and trying to do everything ourselves. Just because we can get away with it some of the time, doesn’t mean we should. Trying to be everything to everyone at once will start to take its toll on your wellbeing and passions, while slowly holding back what the business could become. If you work with your family, it can even put pressure on your most important relationships.

We can all be guilty of thinking that we can do these jobs better than anyone else, or that by the time we show others how to do them, we could have already done them ourselves. It may also be that we feel we cannot afford to get more help.

However, can you afford not to get help? It may be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make, going from one employee to a full team – giving you the headspace required to grow the business and time to work ON it, not always IN it.

About Kerry Roy

Solo female glamptrepreneur Kerry Roy founded her first multi award-winning glamping site in the UK, Camp Katur, in 2012. She has since diversified into many different areas, including festivals, weddings and wellness retreats – whilst establishing a second successful award-winning glamping retreat, Cerchio Del Desiderio in Italy in 2019. Not one to stay still for long, she also joined forces with Glamping Innovations to distribute innovative and sustainable glamping structures throughout Italy.

Kerry has also been fortunate enough to take part in several TV programmes focusing on her businesses’ success and ever developing knowledge within the industry, inspiring others to run their own business in various sectors. You can follow her new Italian business adventures on the latest series of Channel 4’s A New Life In The Sun, for which she continues to film for the 4th year.

Kerry Roy