Community Forums

PaulAchuff · 01-27-2019, 04:01 PM

Hi Everyone
I am a website design developer and my business doesn't depend on where I am for the most part. My wife and I are getting ready to go on the road full time next year and I'm interested in what experiences any of you business owners have had living in your RVs on the road. We're actually going to be traveling within our inter-mountain region for the most part for the next few years so if we have to meet a client it won't be difficult getting to them with our car (or even the MH).

I don't want to cut off my income by going on the road but I think that I might even be able to attract a more lucrative customer base by doing so.

Tell me what you think.

HJLowell · 01-27-2019, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulAchuff

Hi Everyone
I am a website design developer and my business doesn't depend on where I am for the most part. My wife and I are getting ready to go on the road full time next year and I'm interested in what experiences any of you business owners have had living in your RVs on the road. We're actually going to be traveling within our inter-mountain region for the most part for the next few years so if we have to meet a client it won't be difficult getting to them with our car (or even the MH).

I don't want to cut off my income by going on the road but I think that I might even be able to attract a more lucrative customer base by doing so.

Tell me what you think.

Watch your expenses
Enjoy your experience.
Each person has a different perspective and experience. Different goals.

Better that you report to us after a year.
Of what you think.
What you have learned.
See if you last a year.

Not for the faint of heart.

Go for it.

wnytaxman · 01-28-2019, 08:44 AM

From a pure tax perspective, it is very difficult to take the cost of the RV or a portion of it as a business expense. There were several cases of folks who took the expenses who lost the deduction. One was an office in home deduction which the taxpayer lost because the area of his office was not exclusive business usage. The other was an insurance broker who specialized in RV insurance and used the rig to attend rallies and other RV functions. He also lost the deduction. Just a heads up about some issues you may encounter.

Jake21 · 01-28-2019, 09:01 AM

The biggest issue I had when starting on the road was decent internet. Att and the Mobley device changed my life for the better.

MapleKing · 01-28-2019, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake21

The biggest issue I had when starting on the road was decent internet. Att and the Mobley device changed my life for the better.

Verizon pre-paid as well.

Having Internet access is going to be your biggest issue for meetings with clients, updates, etc. I would take a look at the technology sub-forum. There's lots of info there:

Technology: Internet, TV, Satellite, Cell Phones, etc. - iRV2 Forums

And obviously the full time subforum. Good luck!

two-niner · 01-28-2019, 02:34 PM

NYtaxman is up on these things. Maybe claiming mileage but not sure how you would do that? You are heading for a slippery slope for sure. Good luck !

creativepart · 01-28-2019, 02:40 PM

I ran my internet business from the house, while on vacations and from our RV. Reliable consistent internet was the most difficult part. Well, that and being somewhere beautiful and having to work sometimes 6 or more hours a day.

When deciding where to go we were limited by internet availability.

Once we were in a great State Park and loved it but the nearest internet was 8 miles away at a Library that was closed on Saturdays. I remember spending 4 hours in the Library parking lot with the laptop on my lap.

Certainly things are MUCH better now. I sold the business, bought a new RV and now that I'm officially retired - friends thought I was retired all those years I was working - traveling much more.

PaulAchuff · 01-28-2019, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake21

The biggest issue I had when starting on the road was decent internet. Att and the Mobley device changed my life for the better.

I've never heard of the Mobley device. What is it?

PaulAchuff · 01-28-2019, 04:21 PM

I could be wrong here but I don't think that internet availability is going to be my biggest issue because I have a large data plan with my carrier and when I publish my sites they take very little time to publish for the most part unless I'm going live with a very large site.

We don't plan on being places that are out of cell coverage for that long so that part is a non-issue. The biggest issue I'm facing that I can see right now is my ability to get to my client in a timely manner if something goes wrong. Clients the self administrate sometimes mess things up badly, which often requires an on-site presence on my part. So far, thankfully, I've been able to talk most of these few through their messes over the phone though which is another reason that I haven't been so terribly concerned about it.

PaulAchuff · 01-28-2019, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MapleKing

Verizon pre-paid as well.

Having Internet access is going to be your biggest issue for meetings with clients, updates, etc. I would take a look at the technology sub-forum. There's lots of info there:

Technology: Internet, TV, Satellite, Cell Phones, etc. - iRV2 Forums

And obviously the full time subforum. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip! and the link.

spuds · 01-28-2019, 04:33 PM

Suggest the OP take a look at Xscapers (the still-working-ish subgroup of Escapees).

They offer a fair number of informational resources for folks looking to full or mostly-time while working on the road, many of whom have web-based employment.

skypilot_1 · 01-28-2019, 04:45 PM

Be careful using your RV as business based vehicle as your insurance coverage could change and state DMV may have drivers licence and registration requirements that you will have to comply with. Its not considered as only a domicile if your conducting commerce. There is no free lunch.

wnytaxman · 01-29-2019, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by two-niner

NYtaxman is up on these things. Maybe claiming mileage but not sure how you would do that? You are heading for a slippery slope for sure. Good luck !

The problem with the RV for business is that many try to take the full cost as being business with no personal use. We have an expression, pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered, which seems to fit in some of the RV as a business expense.

The mileage limit of $.58 a mile would hardly seem to be adequate for most RV's. I would consider taking a percentage of actual fuel costs and all other costs of the RV, other than 100% of the depreciation.

There are times we have been able to use RV's as business expenses. For example, we have had people working in the fracking industry that are required to stay in some very out of the way places. We have used their fifth wheels and pick ups as business expenses due to the fact there are literally no motels within reasonable driving distances from where they have to work. That is a rare situation and they did not use the fifth wheels personally for recreation so we did have a valid business use.