A US real estate investor has built a successful outdoor hospitality business on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, after buying a 10-acre residential property with an upfront payment of just $12,000 (£9,200).
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investor → build → 12,000
Garrett Brown has a full-time job and also teaches through the property education platform BiggerPockets.
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Brown → have → platform
He used a strategy he calls "land hacking" to build Cameron Ranch Glamping.
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he → use → Glamping
According to an industry report published by Modern Campground, the business now earns more than $100,000 a year in gross revenue, without Brown having to leave his main job.
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Brown → accord → job
By choosing residential property instead of undeveloped rural land, Brown avoided the long process of installing utilities and dealing with complex local planning rules.
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Brown → choose → rules
These challenges often delay new outdoor accommodation projects.
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challenges → delay → projects
To start the business, Brown bought a house on 10 acres of unrestricted land for $550,000.
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Brown → start → 550,000
Instead of making a standard down payment, he negotiated concessions with the seller and secured the property with a down payment of just 2 per cent.
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he → make → cent
The land already had utility connections, enough septic system capacity, and road access through the main house.
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land → have → house
This meant he avoided spending years trying to get infrastructure and approvals in place for undeveloped land.
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infrastructure → mean → land
He added his first accommodation unit to the property, a geodome made by Pacific Domes, which cost about $13,000.
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which → add → 13,000
After adding the costs of clearing the ground, connecting utilities, and building an access path, his total start-up costs came to around $32,000.
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costs → add → 32,000
In its second full year of operation, the single dome charged an average of $422 per night and had an 88 per cent occupancy rate.
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dome → charge → rate
According to figures shared by Modern Campground, the unit earned $95,000 in gross revenue and made $60,000 in net profit after the mortgage payments for the entire property were covered.
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payments → accord → property
Expanding without upfront capital
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Expanding → expand → capital
After the first dome proved successful, Brown expanded the business through revenue-sharing deals.
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Brown → prove → deals
This allowed him to grow the site while reducing his financial risk.
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him → allow → risk
He reached an agreement with OOD, an Estonian modular construction company, to install a mirrored glass cabin worth $129,000 on the property.
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He → reach → property
OOD provided the cabin without requiring Brown to pay anything upfront.
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OOD → provide → anything
In return, the company receives 30 per cent of the gross revenue from bookings.
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company → receive → bookings
During its first year on the property, the mirrored cabin reached a 90 per cent occupancy rate and earned $115,000 in gross revenue.
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cabin → reach → revenue
To attract guests, Brown avoided relying too much on third-party booking platforms such as Airbnb.
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Brown → attract → Airbnb
Research by business platform Side Hustle Nation shows that around 80 per cent of Cameron Ranch Glamping's bookings now come directly through its own website.
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cent → show → website
This direct traffic mainly comes from targeted social media marketing.
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traffic → come → marketing
One short video featuring a galvanized "cowboy pool" on the property went viral and attracted more than 20 million views online.
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video → feature → views
Although Brown runs a busy glamping business while keeping his full-time job, he manages daily operations using automated property management software.
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he → run → software
The business uses Lodgify to manage reservations in one place, PriceLabs to change nightly rates automatically based on local demand, and Turno to organize cleaning schedules and staff changeovers.
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Turno → use → schedules
According to Side Hustle Nation, Brown pays local cleaners more than the usual market rate.
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Brown → accord → rate
They also handle maintenance tasks, such as replacing propane tanks for guest fire pits and outdoor heaters.
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They → handle → pits
Speaking on an episode of the industry podcast MC Fireside Chats, Brown explained that expert help was important when dealing with local regulations.
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help → speak → regulations
He worked with a local architect and chose building designs that came with engineering documents already approved for use.
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that → work → use
This helped him secure commercial permits in an area where officials were not familiar with glamping projects.
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officials → help → projects
Named in memory
The property also has personal meaning for its founder.
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property → name → founder
Brown named the business Cameron Ranch Glamping in memory of his late brother.
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Brown → name → brother
The name reflects the brand's tagline, "disconnect to reconnect."
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name → reflect → tagline
Most guests are couples who book short weekend stays or visit to celebrate special occasions.
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who → book → occasions
They choose the site for its mix of private rural surroundings and high-end facilities.
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They → choose → surroundings
Brown has since shared his experience in a book called The Glamping Investor, published through BiggerPockets.
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Brown → share → BiggerPockets
The book covers five years of business data and offers advice on financing for people who want to start their own outdoor hospitality businesses.
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who → cover → businesses
The Aporia
