Welcome to the new column, Feature Friday, where every week, I’ll introduce you to a Roadpreneur who is building a business that lets them RV more often (maybe even full-time). Through these stories, you’ll see sparks of inspiration that can be woven into your journey and go behind the scenes of other people’s businesses that are successfully growing from the road.
I met Jason and Abby Epperson at the RV Entrepreneur Roundtable in Montrose a few years ago. Since we were both speakers at the event, I was fortunate enough to hear them speak, camp a few spots away from them, talk to them at the roundtable sessions, and meet them in an intimate setting during a speaker’s lunch. In every interaction, they were humble, kind, generous with their knowledge, and HUMAN.
These two have done a tremendous job of highlighting the beauty of the RV lifestyle and even some of the “black tank” areas (as they refer to the not-so-great parts of RVing in their podcast). They’re a wealth of knowledge, both as RVers and as business owners.
And, above all else, they’re just really, really good people at heart.
I’ve loved hearing their story and learning more from them, especially as they’ve transitioned out of RVing full-time and into their new Mile Zero studio! You’ll get a teaser of who they are here, but if you’re not yet following them on their podcasts, you’ll get an even better feel for just how deep their knowledge is in each of these areas by following them on all their shows! Scroll to the bottom for those links, but first, meet Jason and Abby Epperson.
What is your name, and what do you do?
Abby and Jason Epperson. We are digital journalists and creators. We founded RVMiles.com in 2017 and are the editors and producers of the RV Miles Podcast, the RV Miles YouTube channel and the America’s National Parks Podcast along with several social media channels and a membership based group.
How do you seek adventure on the open road?
We were full-time RVers from 2016 - 2023, seeking adventure in our National Parks, public lands, big cities, and every space in between. Now, we are part-time RVers seeking the same adventures only in a more limited time frame.
What inspired you to start this business?
Our love for our public spaces and RVing, along with a desire to find a way to incorporate our theater and journalism backgrounds into our own small business.
What do you like most about your business?
The community. Building a brand that goes beyond Jason and Abby. Sharing a collective goal to build, dream, implement, and create a place where everyone knows they are welcomed around the campfire and empowers them to seek their adventure.
What’s going through your audience’s mind when they come to you for help?
Trust. We hope they know that when they come to our RV and Camping News Videos, they can trust that we will always do our best to provide factual information agenda-free.
When they come to the RV Miles Podcast - fun. We want that to be a place where, for an hour each week, we can all indulge in our love of RVing and have a good laugh while doing it.
How have you designed your business to run while you roam?
We started our business on the road and worked as digital nomads for almost seven years. Even though we are now creating the Mile Marker Studio here in our new hometown, we continue to ensure that we can answer the RV life call at any time and take RV Miles with us.
What challenges have you faced by running a business from the road?
Connectivity, division of time, and not letting work overshadow the adventure. When you live the RV life full-time and your job is all about the RV life, it’s easy to lose some of the wonder and joy that comes with travel. As your business grows, finding a balance to meet demands while trying to be present with your children is a challenge we faced daily.
As small business owners, if you don’t do it, who will? That’s a lot of pressure, and it is very easy to forgo exploring a new space because you have a deadline to meet.
If you had to start over again, what would you do differently?
I wouldn’t have broken our brands up as much as we did, but I looked for a more cohesive way to ensure people know that RV Miles is America’s National Parks and that America’s National Parks is RV Miles.
What’s the biggest compliment you’ve ever received?
The biggest compliment we’ve ever received is the gift of people’s time. That people decide each week to spend time with us on the podcasts or YouTube channel or attend one of our in-person events is incredibly humbling. Our Mile Marker Members believe so much in what we do that they give their time and support each week/month, which is amazing. The people, the community, drive us every day to reach higher and create a space they can feel good about being a part of.
What are you getting excited about right now?
Our studio. Building a studio where we can create audio and visual content for all our brands has been a dream of ours since day one. To see the Mile Zero Studio come to life and have a space to go to that isn’t our kitchen table is truly incredible.
Where can we connect with you?
You can find RV Miles on all the social media platforms, and we have an RV Miles Facebook Group.
We are at RVMiles.com.
Our RV Miles Podcast is available on any podcast app and on the RV Miles Podcast YouTube Channel.
Our weekly RV and Camping News Videos are available on the RV Miles YouTube Channel, and the America’s National Parks Podcast comes out every week on your favorite podcast app.
We also have our Mile Marker Members, a membership-based group that offers a more behind-the-scenes look at RV Miles and how we make it all work.
