Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Nicholas.
Hi Shawn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I worked as an RN for nearly 7 years. I really enjoyed helping others and I learned a great deal in that time. However, I was rarely comfortable in that role, and I always felt like I was meant to do something else. During this time my wife Lisa and I started traveling. During one of our trips to a national park, I saw a rented campervan for the first time. Almost immediately I fell in love with the idea and envisioned epic cross-country road trips in a self-sufficient campervan. However, it would take several years of this idea festering in my head before I could manage to get it out.
I eventually landed a fabled 9-5, Monday-Friday clinic position. Yet still, I wasn’t happy. Then COVID hit. Most non-essential clinics were temporarily shut down, so I was sent home indefinitely. No idea when I would go back to work. Like most people, I was terrified, but I was also relieved. I welcomed the break from work, from life. It gave me time to reflect and reassess. One day I stumbled across a conversion van that was for sale. We were living in crazy times. Crazy times call for crazy ideas. But this idea came with many questions like, how does one build a campervan? Is it the best time to take on a project like this? Will we ever be able to travel again? How can I convince Lisa? Truth be told, I don’t think I had a brilliant idea. It’s more likely Lisa was simply sick of hearing about campervans 24/7 for the past few years, and she had a moment of weakness. I did have one compelling idea that really helped my case. We could build the campervan for ourselves and rent it out to others when we aren’t using it. So that’s what we did.
Spring-Summer 2020. We bought that van and completed the build start to finish in our driveway, learning a lot along the way. After a couple of months we went back to work and soon after, we were able to take our first trip with our new campervan. Almost instantly, we both fell in love and I know this started us on a new path. Fast forward to spring/summer 2021 and we bought another van (after selling our first van) and converted it again to another campervan. We start renting it straight away and also took it on a few trips of our own. It didn’t take long before we realized there was a strong market for campervan rentals in our area. People always came back smiling and telling us of the great adventures they had. That is after all what I wanted, to share my love for travel with others. COVID brought on a lot of changes and a lot of challenges. Eventually, It made my decision to leave nursing a little easier. Call it the final straw, the final push. Even still, it was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. Luckily I have an amazing wife who has always encouraged me to follow my dreams. And trust me when I say, I’ve had a lot of dreams. The decision was made for me to leave my nursing job and to concentrate on building and renting campervans full time. Fast forward to today, I’ve now built 3 campervans, and I’m starting a 4th camper project, this time from a toy hauler travel trailer. I’m no longer renting our campervan but I hope to continue to build campervans and travel trailers and campers for others as well as uplift and repair all manner of RVs.
Like most small businesses, I started with a dream with a vision, and it has evolved into something a little different. It’s still maturing, still evolving. I’m not sure where it’s going, or if it’s going continue anywhere at all, but I’m going to see it through. I love to travel, to explore, to be out in nature, and I hope to continue this journey and hope to share my passion with others for years to come.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Leaving a stable, well-paying job during a pandemic to start a new business…Not the easiest transition. COVID brought on many challenges but it also brought on opportunities that made this new business possible. Also, our first van was purchased and built with intention to rent. Sadly it had a bad title that prevented us from renting it through outdoorsy.com. Lesson learned, always get a carfax. It was a setback to say the least. However, we loved our trips with this van and without it, we never would have caught the bug that started us down this new path.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m that DIY guy that builds things or fixes things myself. Broken fridge? Leaking plumbing? Brakes are squeaking? Not a problem, I usually can figure it out for myself. I’m also known for being that creative, artistic friend that’s always working on something interesting. What most people don’t understand is this creativity comes at a cost, I call it a curse. So many ideas, not enough time and/or money to get them out. That’s what makes me so proud of the campervans that I’ve built. So many ideas, so many talents coming together, finally coming to fruition. But the curse continues. Now that I’ve built one, I can’t help but think of all the things I would do differently on the next build. I don’t know many other people that struggle with this. And that’s ok, but maybe that’s what sets me apart from others. The artist’s curse.
How do you think about luck?
I feel lucky to have made it as far as I have with my business. Problem is, I could use a fair bit more of good luck to make it all the way. Truth be told, I don’t like the idea of good luck and bad luck. Sometimes what we call bad luck is actually a blind spot. There’s so much to learn when you’re first starting out and you don’t know until you do! And conversely, good luck is actually the result of good research/knowledge/practices. I like to think we make our own luck. If you have a good business idea and don’t compromise, you will succeed.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getawayvanmn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetawayvanMN
Image Credits
Shawn Nicholas
