Taking Life on The Road - Entrepreneurship, Minimalism & a Skoolie Lifestyle with Sabrina Bosserman

Do you dream of travelling full time? Living a debt-free life? And living off grid?

Do you dream of travelling full time? Living a debt-free life? And living off grid? This week’s guest Sabrina Bosserman shares how she went from Navy nuclear engineer to renovating school bus homes and living the “skoolie” lifestyle! Sabrina shares how business is not always easy. That there is fear, anxiety and sleepless nights, but how a skoolie can create a life led by your passions and not feeling stuck by debt and commitment.


In this episode we chat about:

What Sabrina saw in her niche industry that inspired her to create a business based on certified quality work and stellar customer service

How living a minimalist, debt-free lifestyle is for everybody at every point in their life

Prioritizing what matters the most to you

The realities of entrepreneurship

And so much more!

After 6 years of working as a navy nuclear engineer, Sabrina Bosserman decided to pursue her true passion of building skoolies and tiny homes. As a certified NOAH builder and tiny house expert, she has worked with over 16 clients to help them fulfill their dream of traveling the world. She has been featured on many tiny home platforms like Bus Life Adventure and National Skoolie Association, as well as a guest speaker at the Great American Tiny House Show.

Connect with Sabrina!

https://www.instagram.com/phoenixskoolbuses/

https://www.facebook.com/phoenixskoolbuses

www.phoenixskoolbuses.com


Timestamps:


(03:15) Sabrina introduces what a “skoolie” is versus an RV.

(05:32) How Sabrina transitioned from being in the military to converting school buses for off-grid living with her husband.

(10:51) How the “skoolie lifestyle” can solve family housing problems.

(12:58) Shifting the American dream.

(14:08) How you can downsize and minimise your life without sacrificing your comfort.

(17:15) How a skoolie can create the opportunity for you to follow your dreams.

(19:37) Taking your pets on the road with you.

(24:45) Sabrina’s journey from unhappy in the Navy to business owner. Overcoming the fear and anxiety.

(29:44) The mental and emotional toll of being an entrepreneur.

(32:35) How you can be blinded by the dream and investing in the wrong people and the red flags you might come across on your skoolie journey.

Transcript:

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

people, work, home, building, builder, bus, tiny, school, travel, military, lifestyle, live, business, possibility, life, sabrina, bit, stay, house, space

SPEAKERS

Sabrina Bosserman, Paula Shepherd

Paula Shepherd 00:01

Hi, I'm Paula Shepherd, I went to college to get a good job and make a lot of money. Back then, no one talked about doing what you love. And while I successfully climbed the corporate ladder, I felt like there was something missing. So I left the seemingly comfortable corporate world at 40 years old for the freedom of full time entrepreneurship. Today, I get to help ambitious women go from entrepreneur to competent CEO of their lives and businesses. I created this podcast to share what I've learned with you to make your journey just a little easier, and to connect you with other incredible business owners who took a chance on themselves and who they are becoming. So whether you're just getting started, are all in or just when you hear friendly voice. Come on in and sit with us. Now, let's dive in.

Paula Shepherd 01:04

Welcome back to another episode of The confidence sessions. You guys, I have the most incredible guests with me today with a product that you have, and I'm gonna even call it a service that you have never seen before. I mean, I was completely blown away. And she and her husband actually run this business out of Texas, which I mean, I'm in Texas too. So it's, it's always amazing to see business owners, female business owners too, that are just kicking ass and taking names. So today I have with me Sabrina bossman of Phoenix school buses and that school spelled s K O L. And after six years of working as a Navy nuclear engineer, she decided it was time for her to pursue her passion of building Schoolies and tiny homes and she's going to tell us in a minute what a school is. So hang on a second. She is a certified know a builder, a tiny house expert and she has worked with over 16 clients to help them fulfil their dream of travelling the world. And if that's you, you are going to want to stay tuned and she has been featured in tonnes of tiny home platforms like bus life adventure and national schooling Association as well as being a guest speaker at the Great American tiny house show. Welcome to the competence session. Sabrina.

Sabrina Bosserman 02:30

Hi, thank you for having me.

Paula Shepherd 02:33

All right. So the burning question that we have here is what the heck is a Schooley?

Sabrina Bosserman 02:39

It's a fair question. It's not a widely used term. So a school II is a school bus that has been converted into a tiny home. And that's a very broad definition. There are lots of definitions of a school but essentially, it's like an RV tiny home crossover, and it's a tiny home that you travel in.

Paula Shepherd 02:59

So kind of like an RV. I'm gonna, but I'm imagining like a big bus. What's the difference? What's it? What is the primary difference between a Skoolie and a big gigantic RV bus that we would see I'm thinking tour bus.

Sabrina Bosserman 03:15

Yeah, so school these come in all shapes and sizes, you know, they we've converted buses that range from 22 feet to our next project is going to be 45 feet actually, they're converting it or we're converting it out of a coach bus. And the big difference is that the RVs haven't really started or the RV manufacturing companies haven't really made RVs that are off grid capable. So the Schoolies can have like extensive solar system so you can travel into the desert for two weeks, or composting toilets, or a really large water tank so that you can live off grid without having to plug into an RV park. And they're also just completely customizable. So a lot of people when they think of Arby's, I'm not sure if you do but I think of like the really outdated like wood laminate, you know, like carpeted floors and everything like that. So they're completely customizable.

Paula Shepherd 04:14

Oh my gosh, okay, so for someone though, that is looking at this as an option for more than more than just a vacation. Many people are living in these.

Sabrina Bosserman 04:27

Oh, yeah, absolutely. That's a majority of our clients are living full time. They're taking their kids and homeschooling them and just travelling around the world and there are clients that you know, just either use it as like an Airbnb or they even sit in one place and they kind of use it as a replacement for the what are those called like the not the tiny homes but the trailer homes, so they'll use it as like a replacement for a trailer home or something like that. But a majority of our clients are travelling the road Full Time.

Paula Shepherd 05:02

Oh my gosh, what I mean, really what inspired you to do this? Because clearly, this is not what you were doing before you were in the Navy, you were a nuclear engineer, which, holy cow. I love seeing women in positions like that, and doing those things and having those skills. But what, what was it? What was that transition like? And why did you take the leap from that career path to what you're doing now? Which is incredible.

Sabrina Bosserman 05:33

Thank you. Yeah, there, there are really a few different milestones, I would say, I guess in my life, one of one of the ones being that when I was in the military, I had to live on the ship in a very small space. Actually, when I got home from my seven month deployment, and I kind of regret this a little bit, I just like, loaded up storage containers and gave them away to what are they called the Goodwill stores, or sometimes I would just throw them in the dumpster. And I'm pretty sure that's how I lost a pair of my favourite cowboy boots, because I didn't even like look through the boxes before I tossed them out. But I learned kind of what tiny living was while I was on deployment. And I fell in love with it. Just I really love the minimalist attitude. I've never really been someone that needs a lot of stuff other than books, I could have tonnes of books. But so that was one major thing. And then I ended up moving into a Skoolie that I had found in Washington DC. Instead of living on the ship, my boyfriend at the time husband now he went to Washington DC with me. And we drove it back from Washington DC, which was terrifying. But he did a great job. And so I lived in that for about a year. And when I left the military, my or my husband left the military about seven months before me. And so while I was still in the military, he was kind of like working on it and converting it and everything. And then we ended up ultimately selling it so that we could finance a two month trip to Europe. So that was kind of where we fell in love with the whole Skoolie lifestyle. And then of course there was my dad was building out his own school and my sister was living in a bluebird wonder Lodge, which is a factory converted school, Schooley, basically. So there was that too. But ultimately, when it came down to it, we were just kind of doing some research into the schooling market. And we had found that there were a lot of people that wanted to live this lifestyle, even though it's not very well known to a lot of people on the school platforms on Facebook, it's pretty well known there. But there were a lot of people that wanted to live this lifestyle. And they were willing to accept subpar builders basically. So they were, you know, sometimes pouring their life savings into this venture. And what they were getting returned to them was poor quality work. So like poor electrical systems, you know, that were catching on fire or leaky plumbing systems or something like that. So we basically decided that we could build a company that was known for a good reputation providing quality work, stellar customer service. And that was what we wanted to create to set ourselves apart from the other companies. There were also companies that didn't have like, websites, they had basically a Facebook page, but nothing really fancy, which surprised me, if you were you know, I feel like that's one of the first steps to being a business. And there's, there's not a correct way to do it. But for me, you know, kind of building a website, and everything seems like an important step to make to kind of set you apart from the competition. So that that was the final step was just discovering that in the school lifestyle, there were a lot of reputable builders.

Paula Shepherd 09:10

So and I agree with you, I think quality is one of the best things, but there's this. I think when people see something new that they haven't seen before, like I've never seen this before. So if I if I were if there was someone else who maybe wasn't doing quality work, I wouldn't think to go search them necessarily online. I'd be like, This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Wow, how innovative? Yes, I'll take it. And I think that there are people I do a little bit more research, but I think that there are people that maybe aren't doing research, but it's interesting because I have had so many friends and also heard. I mean it's been the last couple of years in the pandemic. People cannot find a home to live in and they are selling their homes and then not it's still happening around us. It's particularly here in Texas, people are trying to sell their homes, they're selling them within hours or within a day. And then they have no place to live. And they're having to almost there's having to spend way more money than they thought that they were ever going to have to spend before on a home, just so that they can get themselves and their family into something that feels like home. But many of them are settling and paying a high price for it. Where do you feel like you're Do you feel like having a Schooley having your this business where you're supplying people with this new and innovative way of living, is helping people in that situation?

Sabrina Bosserman 10:51

Yeah, so that's, um, I actually have a great example for that one of the families that were going to be the 45 foot bus, they sold their home, they're also in Texas, they're actually about two hours away from us, which is really weird, but they sold their home basically, or they're going to be selling their home right now they took out equity on the house, and they're using that to pay us and then whenever their bus is done, they're going to be selling their house and living a debt free lifestyle. And then like you mentioned, they also have a place to go when they sell their home. Because, you know, the housing market right now, if you can sell your home, that's great, you know, you can make a lot of money, you can sell it really quickly. But like you were saying, Where are you going to go after that, then you have to begin the house on and from what I've been hearing, there are a lot of people that are making offers on houses for like $100,000 More than the asking price and still losing out on it. It I mean, it is insane. And as especially as you mentioned, in Texas, it's really crazy to so we're blessed enough to live out in the country, so but they're still putting up like hundreds of houses around us and a population of like 16,000. So we've we've seen the effects of the effects of it even out here.

Paula Shepherd 12:08

The minimalist lifestyle, I think is becoming a bit more of it, at least for the people that I spend a lot of time with more of the rage, it's less of the I need the gigantic house to Well, I'm not here that often. And what I really want to do is travel and what I really want to do is spend my money living and doing things that bring me joy, versus living in a mansion with a pool and a jacuzzi, that I never spend my time and because I want to travel to Europe, with my family or Hawaii, with my family or whatever it is. And this is really offering them that opportunity.

Sabrina Bosserman 12:49

Yeah, I think it's I think it's funny, because I really feel like the American Dream has changed so much within the last 10 or 15 years, you know, the American Dream used to be, you know, buy the perfect house with the picket fence outside and you know, have have your kids move in find a stable job, which is fine. You know, that's, that's totally fine, if that's what someone wants to do. But I don't think that is what the majority wants to do anymore. I think they found that there are other things that are just as valuable in life as you know, finding a perfect home and, and moving in and settling down.

Paula Shepherd 13:26

Wow. So when you have and I'm curious, just want to dig in a little bit more into this lifestyle. And then I'd like to shift to your story. And you know a little bit more about the challenges that you've been through. But I mean, I can just imagine my family, piling into a bus and 45 feet sounds like a lot. But how are these? Are they broken up into rooms? Are you do people have private space to go to? And are we when we're downsizing and creating this minimalist lifestyle, essentially, are we sacrificing comfort too.

Sabrina Bosserman 14:08

That's one of the reasons why I love Schoolies is because they're made more like a tiny home. They're made with better quality materials, it feels more like a home. But it really depends on and this is what I tell all potential clients. When you're coming up with a layout, you have to prioritise what you know what matters most to you and your layout. So for some people that might be a huge kitchen, and then kind of like shrinking the bathroom space a little bit more for other people that might be you know, having a little bit more privacy. And that's not to say that you can you can't have like one to two major things inside your layout. It's just to say that you kind of have to compromise a little bit, you know, but as far as the privacy that really just depends on how your buses laid out. The bus that we're doing currently, it's a family of four, and the kids bunk room is in the back. And then the parents are actually going to be sleeping on a Murphy bed that folds out in the living room, and they're not going to be travelling full time. So I think that if they were, they might have chosen a different layout. But a lot of the times, the layout, especially if there's with kids is like, the master bedroom in the back, and then a wall and then the bunk space, and then a wall, and then kind of like the rest of the bus. So, but the big thing is that, with these Schoolies, you're meant to live life outside of this space, right? Like, you're meant to go and park somewhere, and then tell the kids like, Alright, get out of here, you know, go play in the creek or the pond, and, you know, go, go pile some rocks up, or something, I don't know. But you're really supposed to get outside and make the world your living space. And then you know, the school is just kind of there for convenience, you go ahead and you cook meals, and then you go to sleep. But the rest of the time should really be spent living life outside.

Paula Shepherd 16:07

Oh my gosh, which is completely different than the world that we've known the last several years. And everyone's become very comfortable with just being inside and staying inside and not interacting. And what you're offering is so much more than a tiny home, you're offering an opportunity for people to reacquaint themselves with their surroundings, their environment, to connect with people to connect with nature to connect with each other in ways that they haven't done before. And I think too, when you have these gigantic spaces that allow for people to be so separated, you lose the ability to pass each other in the hallway. Right? You, you forget that how it feels to pile everybody on a couch in a living room and do something together. And we've lost a lot of that along the way. I think I keep trying to integrate that into my life with my kids. But teenagers like to stay in their rooms. So the privacy thing is important. But I just really love this, I think it's it's really opening my mind to well, all of these other possibilities and opportunities for people, particularly people that want to get out of their job, let's just say, and they can't imagine what are they going to do because they've got this house and they can't afford to move anywhere because they'd have to pay more money? Well, here's another opportunity for them, that might actually even suit their, their values in their desired lifestyle so much more. And it's like, you're just you and your husband are creating so much possibility for people. And I love that you're doing it.

Sabrina Bosserman 17:52

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it, it's so cool. Because it's just, I mean, that that person that does feel like they're stuck inside their nine to five job, you know, it can be scary to change your life in such a radical way. But it's possible, people are doing it, there's an entire community out there of people that are living this lifestyle. And the best part is that, you know, you don't have to limit yourself to pursuing just one dream. Like there are a lot of people that take their, their passion of, you know, leather work or you know, artwork or something like that. They take it on their road. And their expenses are so small, I mean, there's a cost of gas, basically, and then groceries and everything, and then possibly electrical if you don't have solar, but anyways, their expenses are so small compared to what they were paying for rent or mortgage or whatever, that they can afford to chase their passions, you know, and maybe even thrive with their passions. So it's really interesting on the Schooley platform, seeing how many people have managed to earn an income while on the road, even if that's just you know, whether it's artwork or coaching or or whatever it is, people are out there doing it, it is possible. It's very possible.

Paula Shepherd 19:11

I can completely see the possibility I'm My mind is blown, because there are so many people saying I can't, but you can if you look for the ways, and this is just one way for them to be able to make their dreams a possibility, especially if they want to travel who wants a big house that you have to take care of and you have to have somebody take care of it for you. Do you have any any clients that you've worked with that have pets that are also living on school lease?

Sabrina Bosserman 19:39

Yeah, a lot of the clients that we've had have had pets, and I actually one couple comes to mind they weren't our clients but they're on Instagram, they travel with their two. Oh, what are those called not the Dobermans, but the grey hounds or something like I don't know. They're really huge. Dogs are ones that look like horses basically. So they are Oh, Great Danes, that's what they are. So they travel with two Great Danes, and the two of them so and they've built like this, you know, this little space underneath their bed for their, for their cubby area. We've had people travel with cats. And we've actually integrated like catwalks into the school bus for the cats and everything. So a lot of the couple that were were working on their bus now, I think they're going to be bringing like, four dogs with them. I think three of them are smaller, but they're bringing four dogs, two kids and two adults. So

Paula Shepherd 20:36

okay, I just wanted people that are what are listening here to know that this isn't just for a single person or a couple with no kids, that your clients are all across the board? Is this possible for everybody? Like you said, you're not trying to all sit in one little space? What do you actually I mean, it really brings to light like, what do you actually need to live? And what actually brings you joy? Is it the thing that you bought that you loved for 20 minutes, like the, you know, the toy that my kid had to have? And, you know, throw it away or loved the box more? Right? And so what you're doing is, if this is for everybody, this is for everybody, it's providing comfort for them, it's providing possibility for them. It is not just this space, how long does it take to make one just in general, I know you're building custom, I know that you're building, you know, 22 foot 45 foot, there's so much variety, what would be the average time for a custom build,

Sabrina Bosserman 21:35

I would say the average time right now is about four months. And then there's all the also people that DIY these things do you know, that is also completely a possibility, I'm not not going to sit here and say like, oh, you should definitely go to a builder, you know, there are things to consider when you're trying to decide if you want to have a builder build it out. Or if you want to build it out yourself. Like if you have the skills or the time, you know, this is our full time job. This is what we do nine to five every day. So we we make the time for you know, some people don't have that time. But there are people that DIY it too. And that's a huge community as well of just having that pride of having built your own home, basically. And those, those can range from six months to three years, you know, so I've seen tonnes of different ranges of of how long it takes people.

Paula Shepherd 22:28

Where are people living in the Schoolies I mean, RV parks, or

Sabrina Bosserman 22:34

a lot of people I think, are wanting to live off grid that is a main thing within the school community as they're wanting to drive out into the desert and live for, you know, two weeks without having to see a soul or they're wanting to live on BLM land, or some people are plugging into RV parks, some people are spending the night in WalMart parking lots, you know, like, there are a lot of apps available for that too. If you're if you're trying to figure out where to go next. There's there's this company called Harvest host where you can actually stay at a winery for a night or a farm or a brewery or something like that you could stay there and kind of experience you know, the local area. So there's tonnes of different possibilities. It does take a little bit of planning on on the school, the owners part, you know, because sometimes it's not as easy as just finding in an RV park and plugging in, but there are tonnes of possibilities.

Paula Shepherd 23:35

Wow, way more possibilities than just pulling up into your driveway and walking into your house and then hoping you can go somewhere and hoping you can see, see something you get the comfort of your home. But the experience of a new environment, right. That is insane. Insane. Oh my gosh. Okay, so we've talked a lot about pricing. We've talked a lot about the Schooley lifestyle, and I know that you love talking about that. And I'm really curious, I feel like Google is going to be my friend this afternoon. Like, already have your website over here looking at it looking at the school lease that that you have Schoolies for sale, and just oh my gosh, you guys are gonna have to check out her website. I'm gonna have all of her links in the show notes for you. But when you left your we're going back to you're in the Navy. And you you said in your early 20s You were really unhappy with what you were doing. You're had a lot of work related anxiety, you were searching for fulfilment and a lot of ways what were where were you looking for that fulfilment?

Sabrina Bosserman 24:44

Yeah, it was. It was a really difficult time being in the military. It was still to this day, probably one of the best decisions that I ever could have made in my life, because it taught me a lot that has been useful. Still to being a business owner, like resilience and working really hard and working really late, you know, and showing up and everything. So it's taught me a lot. But the job that I was in I was not passionate about, I didn't enjoy it, I enjoyed the friends that I made, that was the best part about the military, I made some lifelong friends. But I really was, I mean, I was, I remember, there were a lot of days that I would get home from work, and I would just lay on the floor and just gotta, like, you know, sit there and absorb everything that had happened that day and try to understand it, basically. So I, I guess I wasn't really actively searching this, this business was, I don't want to say a spur of the moment thing. But I hadn't really known what I wanted to do with my life at all, until we had come up with this business idea. Like, the reason why I joined the military was because I was, you know, graduating from high school, and I didn't really have a clear idea of what I wanted to do with my life. And I think a lot of people at 18 can kind of relate to that, you know, it's, it's crazy to me that 18 year olds are choosing what they're going to be doing for the rest of their lives at 18, you know, choosing a major and a minor, it's insane to me, and I have a lot of friends that have changed their major. So I didn't want to be one of those people that was like having to change my major because I wasn't passionate about it, or whatever. So that's why I joined the military. And then even as I was exiting the military, I had still really no idea what I wanted to do. I just knew that I didn't want to be in the nuclear engineering world anymore, basically, and I had this pool, this feeling that I wanted to be a business owner, I've always been someone that, you know, can work really, really hard. And I go after challenges that might possibly be too challenging for me, but I do them anyways. So I had felt this attraction towards being a business owner. But it wasn't until, I mean, like the last couple of months of my time being in the Navy, that we really decided that being a school, a building company could be something that we could pursue.

Paula Shepherd 27:26

Did it feel scary to to start this business?

Sabrina Bosserman 27:29

Yeah, it did. I mean, it's so weird, it did feel scary. But at the same time, I don't really think that I was thinking about the consequences of everything. I don't think I weighed the pros and the cons at all. It was just I had set my mind on it. And I was like, This is what I want to do. And you know, I've been asked before, like, what would you do if your company had failed? I was like, I don't even think about it. It's not even a possibility in my mind right now. Like, there is no, I mean, there's backup plans in place, but it's just not even on my radar. I, I can't imagine this business failing, basically. So. But I also am still I have that anxiety and that fear, you know, every day that a small something goes wrong, or we get behind on schedule of just like, is this gonna work? You know? So it's, it's a little bit of, of both, I would say,

Paula Shepherd 28:23

Yeah, I just really want people to understand, because when we listen to people, like you or others in business, it's really easy to create this perception that you went from this job. And this is how amazing it was. And now look at what you're doing. And you have the pretty website, and you're never upset and you're never stressed out and you're never frustrated. And you're not human, you're superhuman. And I think knowing that ambitious people actually probably have more of an opportunity to burn out because we are very driven. And we want what we want. And and we always want to be a little strong, so that people don't see the hard parts. But knowing that you have had this transition and that there are tough days, right? There are days where it's like, oh my gosh, how am I going to keep going? Okay, wait a minute, I am going to keep going because I'm not in this to to not allow it to succeed. So at all costs, it's it's going to work. I think it's really important for people to hear that because there's this perception of over and overnight success.

Sabrina Bosserman 29:33

Mm hmm. Yeah. And that's, I mean, this is the largest mental toll that I have ever had to be honest. Like, I thought when I was in the military, when I was in the nuclear engineering programme, I was like, this is the most stress that I've I'm ever going to experience in my life. Like, at least I'm getting that out of the way. You know, like, I was so tired all the time. And I think in my mind, I had thought Maybe just a little bit that starting a business was going to be easier, or at least, and, and in some ways, you know, I'm, at least I'm putting this on myself, you know, like, I'm doing this to myself at the very least, and what I put into it, I'm going to get out of it. But this has definitely been, I've had some of the most stressful times in my entire life, and like you were saying it is. Sometimes it is kind of like putting on a facade, I guess, of just wanting to be really strong. And when people are like, how's the business going? Your family? It's like, Oh, it's great. You know, like, I'm, I'm dying a little bit busy. Yeah, it's super busy. You know, which, of course is great thing, but also means it's super stressful, and you're staying at work until nine o'clock at night, you know? So, no, this is I do not want to create the impression at all that it has been an easy journey. For me, I do feel like this is kind of like my calling, and it has been my passion. But that doesn't mean that it's easy at all, I just, I feel happy running a business.

Paula Shepherd 31:06

Yeah, running a business is definitely not for the faint of heart, I think there's so many things you get to, you know, you get the reward of the doing for you. It's the building and the you know, presenting this beautiful home to someone. But that only happens as a result of all the other things that you're kind of doing in the background that have nothing to do with anything that we wanted to do, right, like marketing and sales. And all of that becomes a requirement. And the prize is what you actually get and love doing, which is not something that people think about when they drive in your passion, I think it takes a special kind of person to continue to remain optimistic and resilient, like you have over the course of, hey, I don't even really know what I want to do. But I know I don't want to do that anymore. And oh, look, there's a gap here. And I really like doing these kinds of things. Let's try it. And the fact that you've done it in a way that sets yourself apart because of quality. I mean, knowing that you got certified when there are people out there that aren't certified, that are still building these and legitimately building them, right. But those things that people should be looking for when they are working with someone like you are just I feel like it with any business in general, really looking at their credentials is so important. And not just the cost, but the credentials and the and the quality. So

Sabrina Bosserman 32:35

like, like you were saying, I do want to, like you're kind of talking about there, this is such a niche market. So I do understand why people would go with the first person available, or why they might ignore those red flags, because they really have this dream that they've been dreaming for so long. And sometimes people don't want to wait, you know, the year that it will take to get it built out. Or they don't want to pay that little bit of extra money because they just, they want to follow their heart and they want to follow it now. So I do understand why why people can and have ignored those red flags. It's completely understandable to me. But yeah, we do our best to set ourselves apart by getting those certifications and, you know, providing good customer service and all that.

Paula Shepherd 33:25

Okay, so you just brought up a point. And as we're kind of wrapping things up, I would love for you to tell us what are a few red flags that people should be looking for, or things that people should consider. Let's just say, if they decide, ooh, this whole school thing is pretty awesome. Maybe I'm gonna jump into this what what things should they be considering that maybe are being blocked by the shiny objects?

Sabrina Bosserman 33:51

Yeah, I would say one major thing that someone should consider when they're wanting to get a school built by a company is if the company promises you that they can do every single thing that you ask them, it's probably not the best company to go with. It's, it's one thing if you're asking for, you know, something that can reasonably be done, and I'm not putting this on the customer at all, it's kind of hard to know, what can be done with the school if you don't really know exactly what a school he is. But if the builder is telling you that, you know, they can instal all of these things, make all of these things possible that you've never seen in a school before. It's kind of hard to think of something off the top of my head. But if a builder is saying yes, yes, yes to every single thing that you're asking without any sort of discussion, or even just sort of, hey, do you maybe want to consider this instead of this? I would say that's a huge red flag personally, not like I said in the beginning. When you live this lifestyle, there has to be compromise. Basically, you can't you can't have ever thing and I'm going to be completely open and honest about that. Because if that is what someone wants, and this is not the lifestyle for you, it is about compromise. Another large red flag would be if the company said that they could do it in like four weeks. And there are companies out there that are saying that they can do it in four weeks. And I've, I've seen, you know, reputable builders do build and even like 30 days, or Yeah, I guess four weeks. And they came out really nicely. I don't know everything that they installed if it was just on grid capable, but basically, but if more than likely, if the company is promising that they can do if they can build a house for you, essentially, from the ground up. And for weeks, I would say that's a big red flag, too. Like I said, there are companies out there that can do it. But I would say that's a huge red flag. And then also, this one's difficult, because it's kind of hard to know what the pricing should be. But if it seems extremely reasonable, or even cheap, I would say don't go with that builder. Because if you want to have a quality conversion, it's not going to be cheap. If they're going to use quality materials, and quality hands, it's not going to be cheap. So, and there are people out there, I've talked to them quite a bit that have had, you know, a really low quote and didn't trust their gut. And they went with this builder. And in the end, their bus ended up sitting there at the shop for a really long time not being worked on, but they had already taken their money. So I would say those are the three main red flags.

Paula Shepherd 36:42

Hmm. Okay. And you told us before that around between the 40, depending on what you're getting, but anywhere between 40 to? I don't know, 7080 $70? Yeah. Okay, depending on what you're looking for. So if somebody comes back to you, and they say, Oh, I can do that for $15,000, you should probably look into that.

Sabrina Bosserman 37:04

Yeah, and I would say, you know, it is possible to build these for $15,000. As a DIY builder, for sure. You know, if you're, especially if you're recycling things, you know, if you're getting cabinets from Habitat for Humanity, and everything, I would say, for a DIY person, it's definitely possible to build it for 15,000. But that's not accounting for the labour that you're putting into it, I would say, you know, the cost of materials alone on these things can range anywhere from 30 to 60,000. So if you're getting a quote for 15,000, I would say run personally. But it also depends on the scope of the work that you're looking for, if you're just wanting to get the electrical system installed, or just plumbing installed, and then that would be more of a reasonable price.

Paula Shepherd 37:53

Oh, my gosh, okay, so everyone is now going to run to your website to go check out Schoolies. Because the link is in the show notes. And it's probably now going to be looking at the school lifestyle, because we all see in the tiny homes, we all know what that's about. And I'm not trying to climb up steps and have my head, five inches from the ceiling. So the tiny home is not for me, and definitely not for my son who is six foot two. But this is such a cool alternative. And I think for people who are thinking about do I really even need all this crap anymore? What do I really want in my life? Do what do I how do I really truly want to live? What if What would I do if I didn't if I could just pick up and go. I mean, it's so many people, this is the most amazing option. And I just see so much possibility in the future for you, Sabrina and husband as you grow in this business. Everybody go check out Sabrina's website and her husband to we're going to add him in there to go to Phoenix school buses.com and school is with a que. And Sabrina, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for one, share your story, being vulnerable, brave and courageous and doing that. And also for telling us all about this amazing new lifestyle that we did not know anything about.

Sabrina Bosserman 39:20

Yeah, thank you so much for having me, Paul. It was a pleasure chatting with you.

Paula Shepherd 39:25

All right, everybody. I will see you next week on another episode of The confidence sessions. Thank you for listening to this episode of The confidence sessions. I know there are hundreds of 1000s of podcasts and I'm so grateful that you chose to spend your time today with me. Head on over to the courage blueprint.com forward slash podcast to check out the show notes from today's episode, and grab links to all the amazing goodies mentioned today. If you love this episode, as much as I love making it, make sure you don't miss out on any future ones by hitting the subscribe button right now. I'll see you next time


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