Why You Should Consider Owning a Wandervans Franchise

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opening a wandervans franchise location

The vanlife movement is booming, and Wandervans offers a unique opportunity to capitalize on this trend by opening your own campervan rental, campervan conversion, or auto-detailing franchise. Or maybe all three!

But why choose Wandervans? For all the same reasons that Explore VanX owner, Dave Lewis, chose to start his own franchise in Charleston, SC!

“I chose to get into business with Wandervans after talking to August over several months and kicking the idea around. The word franchise was terrifying at first. But with the right advisory, the process was simple and August and I were able to come to terms that worked for me and my vision of my location.

It also made more sense to work with Wandervans and August because of their knowledge of the industry, the simplicity of the vehicles, and being able to bring consignment vans on. I knew I wanted a tangible business that could be run in conjunction and built over time with my other businesses. With my background in automotive, marketing, and vanlife it made perfect sense.”
“I chose to get into business with Wandervans after talking to August over several months and kicking the idea around. The word franchise was terrifying at first. But with the right advisory, the process was simple and August and I were able to come to terms that worked for me and my vision of my location.

It also made more sense to work with Wandervans and August because of their knowledge of the industry, the simplicity of the vehicles, and being able to bring consignment vans on. I knew I wanted a tangible business that could be run in conjunction and built over time with my other businesses. With my background in automotive, marketing, and vanlife it made perfect sense.”

The Wandervans Advantage - Key Benefits

  • Rapid Scalability: Their system allows you to grow quickly, thanks to their support and proven business model.
  • Ongoing Training and Support: They don’t leave you hanging. Wandervans offers continuous training and assistance to ensure your success.
  • Emerging Franchise Opportunity: Be part of a growing industry with a brand at the forefront.
  • Powerful Technology: Manage your fleet and rentals efficiently with their cloud-based software.
  • Flexible Operations: Operate from home initially and scale up when needed.
  • Multiple Revenue Streams: You can rent vans you own, manage rentals for third-party van owners, and add detailing and conversion services.
wandervans franchise vans

About Wandervans

Wandervans was founded by August and Mackenzie Johnson in 2015/2016 with the goal of making outdoor adventures accessible through affordable campervan rentals. Initially based in Boise and later expanding to Salt Lake City, the company grew rapidly, driven by a passion for nature and exploration. August, with a background in metal fabrication and design, created a tested and proven modular conversion kit for the vans. 

Despite challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wandervans expanded through franchising, enabling more families to experience the joy of van life and outdoor adventures.

Training and Support

Wandervans emphasizes their commitment to franchisee success. They provide ongoing training to get you started and support you throughout your journey. This includes:

  • Helping you source vans at good prices.
  • Getting your location listed on their website well before opening to generate early bookings.
  • Continuous guidance and support from the Wandervans team.
  • Van conversion training; manual, full conversions, or pre-fab component installation.

Investment and Cost

As with most startups, this type of business requires capital. However, now is an ideal time to invest in new opportunities and growth markets where returns will outperform more traditional investment opportunities. 

If you want to grow your fleet quickly over 2-3 years, you must either have borrowing power, access to capital to purchase vans, or both. It’s recommended that you maintain a balance between the two and keep your debt at a more manageable level, especially if you are in a market with seasonality.

So how much capital do you actually need? 

Typically, franchisees purchase 1-2 vans with cash and secure loans for an additional 2-3 vans. The mix of new and used vans impacts the initial investment. For example, two used vans might cost around $40,000 each, while new vans might cost around $50,000 each. Additionally, franchisees can attract small investors to fund vans. Continued growth requires further personal investment or loans, with potential investor funding after demonstrating initial success.

For more information about capital required, investment opportunities, and how Wandervans can help you kickstart your franchise, check out their FAQ page

Wandervans rentals franchise

Ideal Candidates

A Wandervans franchise is perfect for you if you are: 

  • Passionate about the outdoor adventure lifestyle.
  • Customer-focused and enjoy providing excellent service.
  • Business-minded and have a strong work ethic.
  • Have some form of capital to invest in your business. 
wandervans campervan on a roadtrip
group of friends adventuring in wandervans camper

Franchise Opportunities

Wandervans is known for their campervan rental business, but your franchise can include other business routes as well! It’s all about flexibility and giving you multiple ways to generate income. 

Campervan Rental

Wandervans offers a lucrative campervan rental franchise opportunity with a proven operational model designed for success. 

Franchisees benefit from powerful technology and SEO tools, ensuring they can start generating revenue from day one. The company provides a comprehensive reservation and booking system, advanced marketing strategies, and a robust support network to help manage and grow the business. 

With over 23,000 monthly website visitors and a solid booking pipeline, new franchise locations can achieve significant bookings even before launching, making it a promising venture for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Third-Party (Consignment) Campervan Rentals

Not ready to purchase your own vans yet? Wandervans offers a unique consignment program, enabling franchisees to list and manage vans owned by third parties, significantly expanding their rental fleet. 

This model allows for rapid growth without the necessity of owning all vans, reducing financial risk. Franchisees can offer three levels of management: listing-only, partial management, and full management, each with respective fees. 

This approach not only diversifies the fleet but also maximizes income potential, making it an attractive option for those looking to enter the campervan rental market with lower overhead.

wandervans franchise locations

Campervan Conversions

More of a hands-on entrepreneur? Wandervans offers a compelling franchise opportunity in campervan conversions, catering to the high demand for customized vans. 

Franchisees can choose to build the vans themselves or utilize pre-fabricated components provided by Wandervans. The company supplies durable, functional, and easy-to-assemble conversion kits, which can be installed by the franchisee or their trained staff. 

This business model not only provides a steady revenue stream but also maximizes income potential by capturing market demand for van conversions, especially during slower rental seasons.

Campervan and RV Detailing

Are you a clean freak? Through their Wash and Wander brand, franchisees can offer specialized detailing for campervans, RVs, camp trailers, trucks, SUVs, and UTVs. This venture allows for additional revenue streams, especially during slower rental seasons, and can be operated from home or as a mobile service. 

By leveraging existing investments in cleaning supplies and equipment, franchisees can expand their services to third-party vehicles, enhancing business stability and growth potential.

start a wandervans franchise today

Frequently Asked Questions

Seeking a quick overview? Browse frequently asked questions regarding Wandervans Franchising Program!

Not initially no, we do not require that you rent space or open an office if you only start out with 5 vans or less. The first phase of your business can optionally be operated from your home or existing business location (if you have another business). You can work from a home office with a computer, printer and internet access. In some markets, our licensees simply rented a small parking lot and brought in a mobile storage shed, or shipping container for equipment and camping gear. Once you grow you fleet up to 6 vans or more, we suggest you lease commercial lot with small office or shop space. Our goal is to get you up to 10+ vans within the first 12 months of business.

Wandervans has a robust website and strong online presence and SEO so that your vans are found by customers in your area and rented on a regular basis. Six months prior to your ever opening your doors, we will add your location to our website to allow customers to begin booking vans for the upcoming rental season. We are often able to book up 50% of your available vans prior to you having your first customer actually drives away in a van. This helps ensure you have plenty of momentum going into your first year of business. We also provide training on Google ads and run social media campaigns that help maximize reservations.

No, but it doesn’t hurt. All of our current locations have 2 or more partners. The ideal situation is to bring on partners that have different core skill sets to provide a well rounded team to operate the business. For example, 1 partner may be in charge of the rental operation and the other would be in charge of the van conversion operation. This allows partners to each take on specific tasks and segments of the business to effectively split up responsibilities as needed. In addition, with two or more partners, you’ll have a combined strength with regards to investment capital and borrowing power. Meaning each partner can contribute capital and leverage the borrowing power of 2 separate individuals.

No. Our proven business model is designed to take the stress away from the Franchisee. We help you streamline the marketing, van maintenance, backend support, reservations, technology and customer service, to allowing you to focus on growing your business even without previous experience in the industry.

The pace at which you can grow this business is strictly dependent on your access to capital. Our ideal candidates have both cash and borrowing power to purchase vans. Typically, we see our partners purchase 1 or 2 vans with cash, and then take out personal loans on an additional 2-3 vans. The amount of cash needed depends on whether you buy used vans or new vans. Our partners often elect to purchase a mix of new and used vans when just starting out. Therefore, you may purchase 2 used vans, at approximately $40,000 each, and get loans for an additional 2 vans, which cost new at approximately $50,000 each. We also have some tactics to attract small investors to this program, which you can use to get friends and family to potentially help you fund vans when you are first getting started.

To continue your growth from the initial 5 or so vans, you’ll need to continue to invest your personal funds into the business, or have the borrowing power to personally obtain bank loans for additional vehicles. Lastly, you can also optionally raise funds from an investor, who would provide capital for you to purchase vans. Our partners have had good luck with this after they’ve been in business for 6-8 months and are able to show the success and revenue generated from their first rental season.

We make it easy for anyone to build a successful van rental business. A background in sales, networking, marketing or any other sales related industry may be well-suited to opening a Wandervans location. In addition, if you’re interested in also opening up a van conversion business, prior experience in construction, woodworking, metal fabrication, or automotive repair would come in very handy.

Wandervans is offering all the support and strength of an experienced company to our Licensees. No matter how small or big a market your location serves, you will have all the best possible tools and training to succeed and grow your business. We feel that our unique approach to building vans allows for steady and more efficient growth that will help conserve capital and allow you to become profitable much faster than other models.

No, you won’t need any specific certifications for this type of business. We will teach you everything you need to know.

The revenue growth that your business will achieve is ultimately dependent on how quickly you can grow your rental fleet. Each market is different with regards to real estate costs, and operations costs, but we typically expect that you can break even with 4 vans with minimal overhead, and you can become relatively profitable once you’ve scaled up to 10+ vans. Overall, our goal will be to help you grow up to 20+ vans at your location, which will allow you to be very profitable, hire and retain great staff, and lease a commercial location where you business can be very successful over the long run.

In addition, should you elect to also open a conversion business with Wandervans, the additional revenue from that operation will help you achieve profitability even faster and grow your top line revenues even higher over time. We don’t recommend that you take on the conversion business in the first year, but rather suggest you add that business component in year 2 or 3, after you’ve mastered the rental side of the operation.

Start Your Own Wandervans Franchise Today!

Does a Wandervans franchise align with your goals and entrepreneurial spirit? If you’re interested in learning more about Wandervans and starting your own campervan rental business, fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you with more information that is specific to your inquiry. 

In the meantime, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us about any vanlife questions, and check out our blog full of information about how to get out there and Find Your Outside™!

READY TO BUILD YOUR CAMPERVAN RENTAL FLEET AND A VAN CONVERSION BUSINESS ALL IN ONE?

Ready to build your rental fleet and a van conversion business all in one?

Complete this form and receive the Franchisee Information Kit to learn more about the Wandervans Franchise opportunities!​

Complete this form and receive the Franchisee Information Kit!

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