We Quit Our Jobs To Buy A Campground — Now It Brings In $1.2 Million
We Quit Our Jobs To Buy A Campground — Now It Brings In $1.2 Million
Mark Lemoine, 53, took a leap of faith in 2016 when he resigned from his government job to pursue his lifelong dream of owning a campground. Alongside his wife, Karla, also 53, they acquired the Coloma/St. Joseph KOA Campground located in southwest Michigan for $1.6 million. Since then, through numerous renovations, new additions, and dedicated care, their campground’s value has skyrocketed to an impressive $6 million.
Check out the Lemoine’s campground here: https://koa.com/campgrounds/coloma/
Correction: This story has been updated at 4:05 to correct that the campground was 42 years old at the time when it was purchased by the Lemoines.
Produced by: Lauren Shamo
Senior Managing Producer: Eric M. Clark
Supervising Producer: Jessica Leibowitz
Camera: Devin Lieberman
Editor: Marisa Forziati
Animator: Elham Ataeiazar
Reporter: Megan Sauer
Additional Footage: Mark & Karla Lemoine, Kampgrounds of America, Inc.
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We Quit Our Jobs To Buy A Campground — Now It Brings In $1.2 Million
Charge people $50 to pitch a tent for seven hours. What’s not to like? Unless you’re the camper.
How did they replace their home? Do they live at the campground?
A good friend of mine is building an RV / campground park near Tuscaloosa Alabama….he is projecting a total cost of 500,000 to build and his income estimate with bring him 25,000 to 50,000 a month depending on the seasons…..
lol … dude pulling $200,000 / YR from taxpayers … wow.. nothing to brag about
There it is! the American DREAM!
And they sit a foot apart.
so happy for these folks. I LOVE KOA. I’ve often driven far from home, pulling my Airstream and have always found a clean KOA to do laundry, take a break, fill my propane and so much more. I must say. by the looks of their camp in the video, I need to make this KOA a must stay.
That campground looks fabulous!
Seeing those before-and-after pics is like magic – you can really see just how aged and neglected the campsite was previously and how modern it looks now. It’s a whole new experience 🙂
Been to many KOAs on my motorcycle trips. Haven’t found a bad one yet. Everyone seems to be very happy working there.
What a great great come true! It’s in a great part of Michigan, I hope continued success.
How would this work ina more northern state? Say Washington. Thanks.
the store before and after is WOW!
A few observations:
1) They had very little equity/savings for such a large purchase; thus a risky big bank loan.
2) They built some of the games and did much of the rehab work themselves, which is wild on such a large property.
3) They knew themselves well. They knew what made a great camping experience. They knew they were hard workers. And they knew they could re-enter the workforce it it all fell apart.
Smells like a franchise infomercial to me.
They should do a winter wonderland special over the xmas holidays
Amazing story!
Debt slavery.
Y’all are completely nuts! I love it.
Going on the trip list for 2024!
Very nice land
LMAO now account for taxes, maintenance and cost of loan.. they dont make 1.2m a year lol
3:03 is the secret to life!
wooww, government jobs 200 k, still risk challenges . people with capabilities to be employers shouldn’t be employed. i really admire you sir.
I’m happy for both of you! When you’re doing something you love, it’s not work. I wish you every success……..
We need more campgrounds in Oregon. It’s insane. You have to book almost 1 year ahead for all campgrounds.
All I can say is, wow, that is truly amazing! I would absolutely love being blessed enough to do something like this!!❤❤❤❤❤
I love capitalism
So they were ALREADY rich to begin with then they bought a campground. Got it.
Yeah this is one of those feel good stories that really speaks to a broader issue in the Eastern half of the US..lack of public land for dispersed camping!
Glad it’s going well. But after the crazy rules in northern states, will not visit there.
That’s AWESOME!
Wow what a very inspirational and motivational video talk about going all in. Respect!
Campgrounds are a 2 fold investment. First is the land, second is the campground business. It obvious these folks put a huge amount of sweat equity into their ca o ground. Hard work! Great reward!
It’s truly inspiring to witness individuals turning their dreams into both financial success and reality through courage, diligent effort, and astute decision-making in their pursuits.
gotta be hands-on..congratulations!
I am currently staying at a campground in Ronan, Montana. I’m guessing the owners gross about $35k to $50k a month. The thing is this place is dying. There are RVs that can’t be moved along with old mobile homes in the back. They filled in the pool with dirt. It’s 60 miles from Kalispell and 60 miles from Missoula. It is ten miles from Flathead lake and near a reservation. To say this place is depressing is an understatement. This place was once someone’s dream and now it’s a nightmare.
Have hiker/biker sites available on first-come-first-served basis. We can’t make reservation weeks ahead when we don’t know what the road/trail brings, which might delay us by hours or even days.
Mom becomes ‘healthier’ as time goes. You can notice it through the clip
As a former now retired janitor , i am glad my sons are following my footsteps
What’s great place! I would definitely go there
you sure the bank doesn’t own it ? not trying to be disrespectful just tired of folks being duped into thinking they own something they don’t , love that your living your dream, thought about doing the same thing love the campground atmosphere
It’s wild in the US to pay 70$ in some campground for a spot for a tent. I ranted the whole villa with the swimming pool on Bali for ~76$ per night.
So inspiring! Loved the story of endurance and success
You certainly did it the right way, including taking a salary. I have seen many businesses fail that were prospering because the owners started skimming money, buying expensive toys, then cutting corners to cover it all and losing customers because of cutting corners and going under. Businesses that had a total monopoly, started off popular and busy and failed in a couple of years.
I could never talk my husband into this, but it’s a great idea and thing to do. It’s not only lucrative but it is delivering a great camping experience for people and that’s hard to find. They’re either glorified walmart parking lots, stacked like sardines, or often run down, poorly maintained washrooms and not much for kids for those with kids that are clean areas and a variety of things for them to do.
Why are Americans so out of shape ? It is monstruous. Can’t they see themselves in a mirror ? The whole world sees them in disgust.
I call BS. 20% Cap rate, sure. What BS.
Capitalism wins again….
1.2 million ??huh
I like these videos. However, find me someone who was only making $40k or less before starting their business or leveling up their life and then show us how they really “made” it.