How to Run a Business from your RV as a Fulltimer
Living on the road full-time opens the doors to many opportunities and experiences, but is not quite as conducive when it comes to earning a steady income. Even so, mobile businesses aren’t a new concept and with today’s technology, it’s even easier to run a business out of your RV or van. Running a side business can nicely supplement existing income or make some travel expenses tax deductible. And of course, owning a business provides one more way to keep yourself busy while you travel.
So, here’s a few tips we’ve picked up that may help to get you started on that online thrift store idea that you haven’t been able to stop thinking about:
Make a dedicated ‘Work Space’
Although one of the points of living on the road as a fulltimer is mobility, having a dedicated ‘home’ office is an important aspect of running a business on the road. Dedicating a portion of your mobile home as your workspace will not only help you focus on work while you’re on the road but will allow you to conduct any meetings over Skype or Facetime with more semblance of professionalism.
Stay Organized (Work Smarter Not Harder)
As a full-time RVer, you are likely already organized out of necessity from living in close quarters. These skills should also be utilized when running a business on the road. But that doesn’t mean you have to be old-fashioned about it. Although originally developed to help students stay off Facebook while studying, apps like Freedom help you temporarily block distracting websites while you work. On the other hand, apps like Time Out and Pomodoro help with time management by organizing your time into chunks with built-in breaks. If you’re running your business out of your RV or van, you likely already rely heavily on your computer so taking advantage of some your computer’s applications will increase your productivity when it’s time to get to work.
Get Online
Because you likely don’t have a brick and mortar operation if you’re running a business from your RV or van, it’s important that your business still has a presence in the world. Today, with social media and all of the ways to build your own website, there’s no excuse for your business to not be extremely visible from the web, regardless of the kinds of services or goods you offer.
Do Your Research
Living the fulltimer lifestyle on the road means that you likely interact with many different states and jurisdictions. Even so, you are technically still considered a ‘resident’ of somewhere regardless of your nomadic lifestyle. Choosing where your business will technically ‘reside’ will depend on two things: 1) the state you choose to incorporate in and 2) your primary place of business. The second factor may get slightly trickier if you operate from your computer while on the road but the first factor is clear. Living on the road not only gives you flexibility when choosing where to live but also gives you flexibility when choosing where you will file taxes for your business, so do your research into the states that work best for you. At the same time, it also may be smart to call our office and learn about the ways a Montana LLC may save you on sales tax and vehicle registration fees. Although your Montana LLC likely won’t be the same company that you do business out of, it is likely to be a useful way to protect your assets and save you some extra cash (that you can put towards your growing business instead).
