Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Erickson.
Hi Ashley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi! My name is Ashley Erickson and I am one of the owners of Little Lazy Lodge. I am the middle of 3 girls and grew up hunting the property that is now a wedding/event venue.
We had a small shack that we used to all pile into on the weekends and play cards, explore the woods, tell tall tales and learned our history (My great grandpa was a homesteader in the area back in the mid 1800’s.). We are a very close family and I attribute that to knowing all of the stories of the past and our heritage and what my ancestors went through for us to be in this exact spot we are now.
My sisters and I all moved away and got jobs in hospitality. We were in mountain towns running weddings for big corporations and getting experience in what it takes to really be good at hosting events.
We were all on a family vacation when we got a call that our favorite place, our tiny little hunting shack, was on fire. Everyone was pretty devastated. It was almost nothing to anyone driving by but to us, it was many cherished times spent together, as a family, in the middle of the woods.
We had just started our vacation and so as we told stories, of the old hunting shack, as we moved around Costa Rica to a few different rentals and then started getting inspired. We realized, when we build back, what if we did it with the intention to share this unique experience? Each place has beauty and something amazing to share and not a lot of people get to experience the Northern MN woods in luxury. (at that point, we were the only airbnb in the area. It made it hard to really have the freedom to feel right at home while breathing in the fresh air, the silence, the stillness.
We were simultaneously planning my older sisters wedding. Long story short, by the end of the vacation, we had been inspired to build Little Lazy Lodge where we could still go, as a family and enjoy, but could also host people that want to experience the Northwoods and also host a wedding on their own terms.
(A lot more to the story but that is how it came out when I’m typing it and trying to keep it from getting far too long:) I feel like I can tell this better in person or over the phone. There is a lot there and I am not sure what you wanted me to focus on- like me, the owner, or the business or the story?
I didn’t really touch on is how much going through this process “raised me”. It’s like, I grew up with this project and finally was doing what I loved, on my own terms and I didn’t mind giving up everything for it. I had a vision and a drive that I absolutely am ridiculously proud of. All of the people that took Lazy from a dream to a real life fairytale, just by following our drive and intuition and giving it everything we had.) Quite a few people ask me if they think they could quit their jobs and open a venue or quit their 9-5 and doing X… I often tell them if they can’t sleep at night, they daydream of it 24/7, if they are willing to risk it all and put 1000% in- they will be successful. It might not look like what you thought when you first started but it will be the best decision of your life. And if you aren’t that passionate about it- start something-find what excites you. What really DRIVES you, what would you do for free and then take a leap of faith in yourself and go for it! Don’t expect it to be easy and don’t expect it to be a success overnight… I think we are all sold that online. But if you expect to love it and work your butt off to make it something really special, you’ll be successful.
Another HUGE thing I want to say and I am not sure if this is the right section but I see all the time:
“BUILD TO SELL”. I don’t understand that. Maybe that is small thinking or maybe its that I love what I do, but this is a legacy project. The same way my grandparents worked to pass something down… – not money but more so a mission, a purpose, a desire to create and belong in the community and have something to offer and give back. Something to wake up for everyday. I truly feel that is where a lot of the loneliness and confusion in this world comes from- nothing to strive for everyday. If you have something to do and love and work on everyday- it’s hard to not be joyful about that.
That is why Little Lazy Lodge doesn’t have this grand exit strategy. We are here to offer something unique and to be a part of our little community for the long haul. Our next project and mission is offering purpose driven retreats to help those who are struggling or just wondering what the next step is.
Trees, silence, exercise, work and community has always helped me navigate my next step and I hope that these retreats will offer guidance to those who are in the season of wondering and exploring options or just in need of a pivot and revamp in life. Lazy got me out of that stage and I couldn’t be more excited to offer this beautiful property to help others do the same.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I mean, I would like to talk to any entrepreneur that said it felt like smooth sailing from A to Z. There are always bumps in the road, especially if you’re bootstrapping a project.
Everything costs so much more than anticipated: time and money.
Working with family is a blessing an a curse. When everyone has big and different opinions of what is the best vibe or build is, etc. (This was a true pain in the butt when building but looking back, I think this is what makes LLL so amazing. We took everyones top ideas and style and implemented a little of everything.)
We’ve been impressed with Little Lazy Lodge, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Little Lazy Lodge is a wedding/event venue where we offer the freedom, flexibility and time to put on a wedding that is authentic and exactly what the couple wants out of their wedding experience rather than forcing them to fit in a box that doesn’t feel like them. We attract the adventurers, the out of the box thinkers, the couples that want everything in one spot and they want their crew with them the whole weekend rather than divided and juggling logistics. We attract the dog lovers (yes- many couples bring their dogs and include them in the wedding fun.) We attract the couples that want to make their own rules and fully live this once in a lifetime experience.
We chose a remote location so we can offer this. Yup! you have to drive a little ways to find us, take some backroads and take the “slow down” part of life seriously when you’re on your way out to Lazy, but once you get there, it’s like nothing else. A private paradise.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I imagine some. I don’t think much of luck tho. We built right before building materials went sky high, we also were building and opening a wedding venue right as we were coming into COVID.
There have been alot of those things that feel like, “geez, we were lucky or unlucky in that situation” but I think everyone is going to have that. It’s not something you can plan or account for so I just pray luck is on our side and then continue working hard towards the things I do have control over.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.littlelazylodge.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlelazylodge
- Facebook: Little Lazy Lodge
