Leslee Schlader was a stay at home mom and wife before she embarked on her glamping tent business journey. As her children started school full-time and her family responsibilities decreased, she started working on her business plans and eventually found her niche in the glamping and decorating business. This paved the way to create Perfectly Pitched Idaho, Leslee’s very own glamping tent company in Nampa, Idaho. We had the opportunity to speak with Leslee about her line of work and get some advice for up and coming glamping businesses that are trying to make a mark by renting out luxury tents for glamping enthusiasts. Read below to find out more about how Leslee runs Perfectly Pitched Idaho, from how she got starting with her canvas glamping tents to how she attracts guests and continues to build a brand.
What’s the business about?
Perfectly Pitched Idaho is a relatively smaller-scale operation and currently employs fewer than 10 people. They plan decorative events for clients, which are either pop-up events at various locations or regular outdoor gatherings. These can range from: lunch and dinner parties, music and game nights to movie nights, date nights, birthday parties, weddings, and even wine tasting events – it just has to be an outdoor celebration. All you need to do is give Leslee an idea about the glamping style and decorations you have in mind for your glamping tent rental and she’ll execute your vision and give it some glam. Leslee’s business can set up more than ten tents for an event, which is ideal if you have a large gathering in mind. She offers bell tents in various sizes and other tiny tents for smaller and intimate events. As any business owner would, Leslee buys from multiple vendors but definitely has her own set of preferences.Apart from tents, she provides various other items to make your glamping experience more personalized and homely. Overnight packages come with bedding, linen and pillows. You can also get outside furniture to soak up the sun when the weather allows it. A supply of electricity, music, and games are also services that you can add on to make your glamping experience elite.
What’s the most important thing for a glamping business?
For Leslee, the most important thing is the client’s happiness. Her goal at the end of the day is to plan an event that will simply make her client happy and “put a smile” on their face. According to her, these special occasions have to be memorable, and you as a business owner can help create a memory worth treasuring.What should we keep in mind before starting a glamping business?
For Leslee, the hardest part of the job is working on days and hours when most people aren’t. She finds herself working through important holidays, weekends and many evenings – moments that are usually spent with family and close friends. She misses her children and husband on these big days when she’s out working but,sometimes you have to sacrifice a bit of your own family time to create something for another group of family and friends.“It’s important to know that your success is based on availability. You will typically work when others don’t, i.e. evenings, weekends and holidays.”For this reason, being more flexible with your work schedule means you’ll be able to get more done, since you never know when things might pop up or you have to work overtime.
Amenities and services to offer with the glamping tents
Leslee and her team have a fairly extensive range of amenities and services that they offer with their glamping tents. For example, when you’re renting a glamping tent, you can probably expect meals, music nights, game nights or even wine tastings, depending on the kind of experience you’re looking for. They’re also clever about how they go about this.“We partner with multiple vendors to ensure the glamping experience is top notch and nothing is left out.”As for amenities, along with your luxury tent, you’ll find bedding and linens, outdoor furniture and electricity access. The best part is that all of these can be combined into experiences, like a date night, where games are provided as well.
