One of my readers today asked me if this business that Mark is preparing for will be one where we stay put or where we move about.  My mom also asked that a week or so ago, so I guess there might be others wondering as well.  Here is what I wrote in response:

These courses Mark is taking are through Workamper.com…or rather, I should say that there are two separate entities established under the umbrella of Workamper.com.

1.  One is the NRVIA (National RV Inspectors Association) which sets the standards for RV inspections.  This is akin to the Home Inspectors Association which was born out of a need to set standards in that industry because of the shoddy inspections some inspectors gave.  They learned from their mistakes, and when they heard that Steve and Terry were planning to start the NRVIA, they advised them on everything they learned by trial and error so that the NRVIA wouldn’t have to re-invent the wheel.  Pretty cool, huh?  And the NRVIA is the only organization of this kind in the US.  Others tried and failed, but the NRVIA is already having success in the year or so that it’s been going.
2. The other is RVIC (RV Inspection Connection).  This is what Mark is jumping through all these hoops to try to get into.  He could hang his own shingle out with just what he learned in the NRVIA course he took, but if he can get into the RVIC they will refer work to him wherever he is.  Of course, they also encourage him to find work on his own, but their dream is to have potential customers call their office and ask, “Can someone come and do an inspection for me in such-and-such a location?” and they can look at those who are registered with RVIC and say, “Of course!  We have someone within 30 minutes (or however long or far) from your location.”  Right now they are still building so there are vast areas of the US that aren’t covered, but as they keep offering these courses they hope to set up a network of people to whom they can refer work.

And because it is through Workamper.com, they understand that their inspectors will be moving around.  It will be our responsibility to keep them posted as to our whereabouts.  Getting in on the ground floor of something like this is an opportunity with a lot of growth potential!

For my part, I’ve signed up for a webinar on QuickBooks so that I can help Mark with the bookwork for his business.  I had my first class tonight.  The class is every Thursday evening this month, and all of us students will get a free thirty day trial membership to QuickBooks so that we can complete our homework assignments.  Tonight was kind of an introduction to the instructor and an overview of what we’ll be learning.  I’m excited to get started on the assignments and apply them to what we want to do!