The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Living in a van down by the river

Sheens

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
240%
Jan 13, 2018
299
717
USA
Regarding cell service, have you heard about cell phone signal boosters ?

Yes, that might help in some areas! And if you find a spot it isn't working you can try another location or reach out to the company for assistance if it's not helping at all. I was reading the reviews and I would definitely look into different antenna options based on the model of van or rv.

Hey thats not a bad idea, buying a piece of cheap land, sort of like a base camp, and work from there while avoiding rent and property taxes.

This is definitely a twist on being nomadic! If you find land that is already hooked up with water/electrical/septic or sewer then it is considerably less hassle. On the other hand, there are still tanks, land upkeep, and applicable bills/taxes. Worth consideration of public v. private v. personal property if you continue to pursue this idea.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
G

GuestUser4aMPs1

Guest
FFS everyone's situation is different.

The leap from Employee -> Full Time Entrepreneur is one of the hardest thing you can do, and there's no magic bullet. Living in a Van, Househacking, 2nd Job, Move to Thailand, AirBnB, Living with Parents, Get a Roomate, Save up Cash, Disowning your Children, Selling your Organs...

Honestly there's so many options that it makes my head spin.

There's only two goals for this transition.
-Spend MORE time on the business (so you can focus on growing it)
-Spend LESS time working for someone who owns your time.

Expenses can be part of that equation, but it doesn't have to.

Sure if you're spending less money you won't have to work as much and that gives you the time freedom to focus on business. But what you decide to do is unique to each person, and each path has their own downsides.

-> Good RE market and credit? Househack or AirBnb
-> Love your parents as much as sliced bread? Live a couple months there.
-> Job demands 100% of your mental focus? Get a job with lots of downtime.
-> Live somewhere expensive? Move.

I did a combo of #2 and #3. Had a tech support job for a web dev company. When we didn't have tickets or calls coming in, I worked on my business and read. This was for a little over a year and worked well for me.

Sometimes the simplest answer is right in front of you, and is also likely the least romantic.

What can you do so you can spend MORE time on the business and spend LESS time working for someone who owns your time? Examine your own situation and answer.

You need a strategy and a plan.
If this van stuff makes sense, go for it.
But nothing is the end-all, be-all.
 

bdb

Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
73%
Nov 24, 2018
51
37
FFS everyone's situation is different.

The leap from Employee -> Full Time Entrepreneur is one of the hardest thing you can do, and there's no magic bullet. Living in a Van, Househacking, 2nd Job, Move to Thailand, AirBnB, Living with Parents, Get a Roomate, Save up Cash, Disowning your Children, Selling your Organs...

Honestly there's so many options that it makes my head spin.

There's only two goals for this transition.
-Spend MORE time on the business (so you can focus on growing it)
-Spend LESS time working for someone who owns your time.

Expenses can be part of that equation, but it doesn't have to.

Sure if you're spending less money you won't have to work as much and that gives you the time freedom to focus on business. But what you decide to do is unique to each person, and each path has their own downsides.

-> Good RE market and credit? Househack or AirBnb
-> Love your parents as much as sliced bread? Live a couple months there.
-> Job demands 100% of your mental focus? Get a job with lots of downtime.
-> Live somewhere expensive? Move.

I did a combo of #2 and #3. Had a tech support job for a web dev company. When we didn't have tickets or calls coming in, I worked on my business and read. This was for a little over a year and worked well for me.

Sometimes the simplest answer is right in front of you, and is also likely the least romantic.

What can you do so you can spend MORE time on the business and spend LESS time working for someone who owns your time? Examine your own situation and answer.

You need a strategy and a plan.
If this van stuff makes sense, go for it.
But nothing is the end-all, be-all.

You hit the nail on the head with those 2 goals, everyone's path is different but everyone tries to achieve those 2. It's interesting to see what kind of path other people have followed though.

For me, I need more time put into my fastlane projects and I just cannot seem to be able to do it having a while having a fulltime job as a developer. I mean I have tried (released a few apps out there) and while I have made passive income it just dried up after a year or so. In addition to that the less I spend (cheap car, no rent or very cheap rent etc) the more time I'll be able to put into projects

In an ideal world I wouldn't have to focus on reducing expenses, instead I can simply add passive income to my life but that is easier said than done. Expenses is the only variable that we can all control completely.

Wish I could get a job with a lot of downtime but that is not existent in the development world, unless you are dev ops or something like that.

Is your business eCommerce or digital service?

Thanks for the valuable input.
 

B. Cole

In thine hand is power and might.
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
328%
Mar 5, 2017
595
1,953
42
East Coast
I’m gonna say that all the things that come with living like that - hygiene, food, where to park, etc etc., are gonna be distracting and not conducive to focusing on a business. My biggest distraction would be the scenery and lifestyle itself - I’d be exploring, fishing or doing something besides sitting in my van on a laptop. Not to mention perception from other folks you’ll do business with - though that might be the case with what you’re doing, but my biggest bet is that you’ll get no more work done.

Why not drastically cut living expenses by renting a room somewhere, where you have amenities for hygiene, food prep, etc. on hand not requiring a lot of planning and distraction, and do freelance or part time work instead?

Let’s be honest about self discipline for a second - some of the folks on here executing the hardest and making the biggest strides, also have a 40 hour job.

Good luck!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

SteveO

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
456%
Jul 24, 2007
4,228
19,294
A small motorhome or travel trailer and a pickup. Set them up with a 250W or more solar panel system, good batteries, and a 1000W or larger invertor and you are set. There are plenty of free campgrounds. Stay at higher elevations in the summer and lower in the winter. You can't run air conditioning but there are thermostatically controlled fans you can install. You can buy signal boosters for your internet as well.

I do this a lot just for enjoyment. Love to travel the southwest. I have a great setup that allows me to get into the wide open areas of nature. Still have all the conveniences also.

I enjoy it so much that I just sold this trailer and bought a 39' diesel motorhome. Decked it out with 600W of solar. It even has a washer dryer combo unit.
20190502_190647 (1).jpg20190502_190855 (1).jpg20190502_190955 (1).jpg20190502_191217.jpg20190502_191352.jpg
 

Blackadder

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
163%
Sep 17, 2013
79
129
The Ozark Mountains
This is the only van I'd ever consider going the vanlife route in.

View: https://youtu.be/K-DblLmlOPM


View: https://youtu.be/U5_AZj1wrJ4


Mainly because it solves three pain points for me, I like a good long shower (endless shower) and I don't want to freeze to death in the winter (underfloor heating) And I hate beds by the back door (It's just lazy design that blocks the doors)
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Fox

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
Forum Sponsor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
690%
Aug 19, 2015
3,881
26,766
Europe
Ha love this thread and have a bit of experience with this.

I ran out of money before and lived in a car...

I had just moved to New Zealand when I was younger and I had been working in Christchurch for a while. I thought Queenstown seemed like a more fun place to be so I packed up everything and moved down there to get a job. One week in I had blown all my money partying and had no job.

I ended up sleeping in a car for about 2/3 weeks. I would go to the local hostel in the morning and walk in like I was a guest. I could use the kitchen and also raid the "left behind" freebie bin. At night I would drive the car into this campground with the lights off. The owner lived in a house nearby and would never notice.

The only money I spent in those 2/3 weeks was on a few loaves of bread, a massive tub of peanut butter and some bananas. I still didn't get a job (I was really young and no one would hire me) and had to drive back to Christchurch with just a few dollars for gas. I remember freewheeling down every hill and driving like 80km the whole way to keep the revs low. Not even using the air conditioning and keeping the windows up for maximum mileage haha. I was that broke.

While the idea of living in a van is romantic and appeals to my inner "wilderness man" it is pretty rough. Especially if you are living in a van to save money, as opposed to someone who can afford to live in a proper van ha. I think focus on learning how to make more (like @Kak and @Andy Black are saying). Once you have more get the van and take weekends off to go travel.

There is no shortage of money out there so don't live in a van because you think you have to. Live in a van cause you have a business making plenty of money and it is fun to do on the side.
 

amp0193

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
444%
May 27, 2013
3,639
16,159
United States
Here's my YT channel if anyone wants to see my build. I started in October 2018.

GB Adventures

Watched your 2018 recap... glad to see you guys enjoying life and getting out there!

The cargo trailer is sweet!

I have dreams of converting a sprinter van one day.
 

Roli

Platinum Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
160%
Jun 3, 2015
2,061
3,301
Similar related story, although this more so involves vagabonding.


Nice article. It has also made me realise that what Americans call vans, is very different to what the English do.

I like camping for a few days at a time, there is no way I would live like that full time. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

lunga ngcobo

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
147%
Mar 29, 2019
144
212
Hey guys,

I've been thinking about going full time with my business instead of dedicating my best hours to my slowlane job, but I need to pay for the roof over my head plus vehicle expenses and food every month. What do you guys think about living in a vehicle in order to quit my job, cut expenses and do actual work on the business every day?

I'm a developer and I'm finding it very hard to come home after a long day of work and start coding websites & apps for my business. I tried waking up earlier but again 3 hours a day (max I could do efficiently without it affecting my slowlane job) is not enough time to get some of these development projects to a MVP state. My biggest concern is not feeling comfortable in a vehicle, but then that might be an additional help in forcing me to put the long hours to get out of that self imposed homelessness.

I know this does not apply to those with families but has anyone done it in the past successfully ?
For those who have experience, Is it harder to get a business going if you are living in a vehicle ?
Is it nonsense ? would it be better to move to the cheapest apartment in the cheapest state instead ?
Im loving your spirit brother and most regular people will never understand your idea. I once moved into a new city with just bus money and 50 south african rands. ($4) in US money. My parents said i was crazy but then i survived and made more progress in one year than in my previous 25 years.

I had no vehicle so i sheltered myself in my cousins apartment, sleeping on the floor in an old mattress. My biggest wake up call was when he refused to give me food and from that time the race was on.

I managed to build 12 studio apartments from nothing... Knowing that it is not a millionaire business and certainly not a fast lane but it gives me enough passive income to have time to pursue my millionaire dream.

Now im at that FTE point again! I need to make a drastic move in order for my website to take off. Im about to go crazy again and relocate... :happy: :happy: :happy:
 
Last edited:

Champion

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
103%
Apr 12, 2019
682
701
Hamburg, Germany
Hey guys,

I've been thinking about going full time with my business instead of dedicating my best hours to my slowlane job, but I need to pay for the roof over my head plus vehicle expenses and food every month. What do you guys think about living in a vehicle in order to quit my job, cut expenses and do actual work on the business every day?

I'm a developer and I'm finding it very hard to come home after a long day of work and start coding websites & apps for my business. I tried waking up earlier but again 3 hours a day (max I could do efficiently without it affecting my slowlane job) is not enough time to get some of these development projects to a MVP state. My biggest concern is not feeling comfortable in a vehicle, but then that might be an additional help in forcing me to put the long hours to get out of that self imposed homelessness.

I know this does not apply to those with families but has anyone done it in the past successfully ?
For those who have experience, Is it harder to get a business going if you are living in a vehicle ?
Is it nonsense ? would it be better to move to the cheapest apartment in the cheapest state instead ?

Hey bdb, so I will share my experience about moving cities from a comfyy 48 m^2 appartment to a 16 m^2 room (with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen all in one).

I got to tell you: The first two weeks are tough, after that, you get used to it though!

I have some cardboards that I use as a standing desk and during the day I split my work up into 2 sessions:

- Session 1: 4 hours at a university which is about 5 min walk from my place and where I can sit down and connect to their wifi for free
- Session 2: Another 4-5 hours where I go to a cafe also approx 5 min walk from home and I just buy one Americano for 2.4$ and sit and use their wifi the entire time.

For me, the move has been gold. No more distractions, no more excuses, was able to fully build up my habits just the way I wanted them. I also have to add though, that this strategy is probably only going to be suited to you if you are an introvert type or also an only child (in other words, you dont mind being alone a lot). Of course, you can start making friends with people at your regular spots, but I think if you do, then you will keep getting stuck in conversations and babble, so for me I decided to meet my friends on the weekend and theyre also not friends who work or go to any of the work spaces i mentioned above.

Regarding your question about the van, thats obviously more extreme what I did and I dont think I would do it myself... Have you thought it through with Internet, showering, etc...? If you want my advice, I would say move to a more cheaper city, however, move to the city centre where you also have a lot of stuff to do (thats what I did). Keep costs by renting a super small space (16 m^2 is perfect for me).

Good luck and hope to hear from you what you end up deciding!

Best,
Champion
 
Last edited:

Roadwind88

PARKED
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
0% - New User
Jul 17, 2019
1
0
Hey guys,

I've been thinking about going full time with my business instead of dedicating my best hours to my slowlane job, but I need to pay for the roof over my head plus vehicle expenses and food every month. What do you guys think about living in a vehicle in order to quit my job, cut expenses and do actual work on the business every day?

I'm a developer and I'm finding it very hard to come home after a long day of work and start coding websites & apps for my business. I tried waking up earlier but again 3 hours a day (max I could do efficiently without it affecting my slowlane job) is not enough time to get some of these development projects to a MVP state. My biggest concern is not feeling comfortable in a vehicle, but then that might be an additional help in forcing me to put the long hours to get out of that self imposed homelessness.

I know this does not apply to those with families but has anyone done it in the past successfully ?
For those who have experience, Is it harder to get a business going if you are living in a vehicle ?
Is it nonsense ? would it be better to move to the cheapest apartment in the cheapest state instead ?
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

bdb

Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
73%
Nov 24, 2018
51
37
Hey bdb, so I will share my experience about moving cities from a comfyy 48 m^2 appartment to a 16 m^2 room (with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen all in one).

I got to tell you: The first two weeks are tough, after that, you get used to it though!

I have some cardboards that I use as a standing desk and during the day I split my work up into 2 sessions:

- Session 1: 4 hours at a university which is about 5 min walk from my place and where I can sit down and connect to their wifi for free
- Session 2: Another 4-5 hours where I go to a cafe also approx 5 min walk from home and I just buy one Americano for 2.4$ and sit and use their wifi the entire time.

For me, the move has been gold. No more distractions, no more excuses, was able to fully build up my habits just the way I wanted them. I also have to add though, that this strategy is probably only going to be suited to you if you are an introvert type or also an only child (in other words, you dont mind being alone a lot). Of course, you can start making friends with people at your regular spots, but I think if you do, then you will keep getting stuck in conversations and babble, so for me I decided to meet my friends on the weekend and theyre also not friends who work or go to any of the work spaces i mentioned above.

Regarding your question about the van, thats obviously more extreme what I did and I dont think I would do it myself... Have you thought it through with Internet, showering, etc...? If you want my advice, I would say move to a more cheaper city, however, move to the city centre where you also have a lot of stuff to do (thats what I did). Keep costs by renting a super small space (16 m^2 is perfect for me).

Good luck and hope to hear from you what you end up deciding!

Best,
Champion

I'd love to be able to walk to uni or a cafe in under 5 mins lol
In Texas you need a car to do anything, there is no such thing as 'walking' here lol

It sounds like the move has worked for you congrats. Everyone has different needs when it comes to finding the right combination that will allow you focus and progress in your business.

I have definitely thought about renting an apartment. Ideally I'd like to have a month to month agreement with a landlord but it's hard to find those! The majority want year long leases.

The only downside to leasing an apartment, even if cheap, is that the apartment forces you to be in a single spot for months (years). The landlord doesn't care about you losing your job or that your business is not generating enough income.

I have lost countless job opportunities in the past because I was stuck in a different state paying for a year long lease.

Thanks for the feedback.
 

lewj24

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
369%
May 12, 2016
432
1,593
28
St. Louis, MO
Just saw this and thought of this thread.

 

Alxander

Bronze Contributor
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
174%
Mar 5, 2015
228
397
26
I was living in a van for the past year after I graduated college.
It began as a roadtrip from NY to CA and I ended up in San Diego, San Fransisco and lastly Los Angeles.

I just got my own place cause I have to incorporate my company and I needed more time.

Vanlife will take quite some time from you, first you have to buy a nice van, build it out (or buy an expensive campervan/RV).

I would REALLY recommend getting a tall van (keep it stealthy though), I had a short Ford E350 but I couldn't really work in it.

Get a roof fan, get enough solar so you can always work in the van. Build a cheap sink with a foot pump for water.

Another thing is location, if you got solar + fan you can probably stay anywhere, but if you don't I would really recommend you going to California as you won't freeze to death in the winter.
But even then you need to go to libraries/coffeeshops to work at and they aren't always the best places to do some deep work at.

I always drove almost 1-2 hours a day in LA, first to the Planet Fitness to workout and shower (I just switched to Golds gym but have 0 regrets going to PF as it's cheap and you can go to any location with a black membership) and then I would drive to the library. Good camping spots are hard to find sometimes, find places where other vans or RV's are, or check the iOverlander app out.


All in all it was super fun and I learned a lot about myself and the US, but next time I'm going to bootstrap a business I'm probably just going to Bali haha

Oh I forgot the most important part: get a good bottle you can pee in
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Blackadder

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
163%
Sep 17, 2013
79
129
The Ozark Mountains
Just saw this and thought of this thread.

It’s like the old saying, Santa loves rich kids more. People with money have nicer vans and a more fun and relaxed time. Most of the kids in this video were either forced into it (It was better than sleeping in a car) or kind of fell into it. It takes money to make Instagram worthy shots. Listening to a group of hippies grouse about how it’s unrealistic is no different than listening to people in low income housing gripe about how the homes in better homes and gardens are unrealistic. People paying 10k for a class B RV of course are going to have a different experience than people spending 120k on a custom campervan.
 

ChrisV

Legendary Contributor
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
225%
May 10, 2015
3,141
7,055
Islands of Calleja
Last edited:

YoungPadawan

Miles to go before I sleep
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
280%
Nov 7, 2015
498
1,392
30
Last edited:

Runum

Legendary Contributor
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
101%
Aug 8, 2007
6,221
6,298
DFW, Texas
We don't do a van but we do a small cargo trailer by the ocean. We also traveled over 8500 miles in 2019, border to border. We chose that over a van because of mobility. We like making a base camp wherever we are and then being able to explore out. With a van, you have to pack up and secure all items before going to the store for groceries or going to Planet Fitness for a workout and shower. We enjoy putting our trailer in secluded spots and connecting with nature. To each his own. Happy trails.

Welcome Happy 2020
 
Last edited:

MattR82

Gold Contributor
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
178%
Oct 4, 2015
1,394
2,480
41
Brisbane
I'll admit it's something I thought of. But I think @Kak is right.

If you are doing it for fun that's a different story, but to save money so you can do more, faster with your side hustle - it's not the best solution.

Plus - I like to take a shit and have a shower whenever I feel like it haha.

Just downsize where you live and what your bills are, work hard at finding a part time job that will cover that. It's not that hard.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top