How Better Books Can Unlock Growth, Maximize Revenue, and Future-Proof Your Park

Let’s be real—accounting isn’t sexy. But for RV park owners and operators, it’s the difference between staying stuck and scaling up. That’s why we brought together three heavy hitters at the FL/AL Outdoor Hospitality Conference for a no-fluff, all-practical session: “Demystifying RV Park Accounting: Best Practices & Setup.”

Featuring:
Nick Garmstad, Director of Sales at Staylist (and avid pickleballer)
Clyde Yelverton, COO of Staylist and real estate finance pro
Amir Harpaz, VP of Harp Development and longtime operator/investor

Why We Hosted This Session

At Staylist, we talk to hundreds of park owners every year. And one topic keeps coming up: accounting is a pain point.

Messy financials don’t just cause tax headaches—they block growth, kill deals, and put your revenue at risk. So we built this webinar to break things down and help you take action. No jargon. Just smart systems and honest advice from people who’ve been there.

Top Takeaways

1. Accounting is the bedrock of your business.

You need rock-solid numbers to make smart decisions, reinvest confidently, or attract buyers. In Clyde’s words:

“If you’re looking to sell or refinance and your financials aren’t clean, you’re shrinking your buyer pool and probably leaving money on the table.”

2. Know your accounting method—and why it matters.

Cash accounting might seem simpler, but accrual accounting tells the real story.
With accrual, you recognize revenue when the guest stays, not when they book. This gives a clearer view of income, tax liability, and long-term performance.
Amir put it best:

“Your property management system should know how to recognize revenue. QuickBooks just keeps the books—it doesn’t understand your business logic.”

3. You wear a lot of hats. Add ‘CFO’ to the list.

From clearing land to hosting guests to handling payroll, you do it all. But understanding your business through the lens of a CFO—valuation, cash flow, taxes, and growth—gives you a roadmap, not just a task list.

Questions You Should Be Asking

• Is my chart of accounts structured for clarity—or chaos?

• Does my PMS integrate cleanly with my accounting platform?

• Can I pull accurate financials in under 48 hours?

• Is my deposit and cancellation policy aligned with how I recognize revenue?

• Am I using my revenue reports to drive decisions—or just collect dust?

How Staylist Helps

We’ve worked hand-in-hand with park operators and CPAs to build smarter accounting into the bones of our platform.
✅ Built-in journal entries
✅ Clean ledger exports for QuickBooks
✅ Transparent audit logs
✅ Accrual-based logic
✅ Integrated point-of-sale with RFID through Cinchio

If your tech stack isn’t helping you get confident with your numbers, it’s time to rethink it.

Final Word:

You don’t have to become an accountant—but you do need to understand the story your numbers are telling.

“The smartest thing you can do after this session? Ask your CPA why you’re using cash or accrual—and make sure that answer aligns with your goals.”
— Amir Harpaz

Ready to get your numbers right?

Let’s talk.
👉 Schedule a Staylist demo and see how we make accounting (and everything else) just work.

View the full presentation here.