TEXAS, USA — With a chop saw in full swing and a measuring tape ready to make a vision come to life, one Texas woman has mastered a career in flipping RV's, installing luxurious features like flat-screen TV's and stainless steel appliances.
Cortni Armstrong, or as 60,000 Instagram followers call her, The Flipping Nomad, built her brand a few years ago. But, a lot of it started by accident.
"Most people have this very freeing experience of, you know, they sell everything and they buy their dream RV and they hit the road. And it's like a scene out of a movie, basically. And how I got into it was very opposite of that," said Armstrong.
She was in her early 20s trying to save her dad’s business after he suffered a stroke. There was almost no money left to pay herself, and the roommates she had didn’t want to renew their lease.
"It was a pretty dire situation. And I thought about, you know, well, maybe I could just live in the office or live in my car or something. I said, 'Well, let me at least try for something,'" said Armstrong.
Then, a friend offered her a job at a campground where she could work the front desk and pay off an RV.
"It was my rock bottom, like I was so embarrassed about it. I hated it. I try and keep it hidden. But the lifestyle then started to grow on me. A year went by and I was like, 'I love this. Like, I want to keep living this lifestyle, but I hate the interiors,'" said Armstrong.
So, she tried to change it.
"I took a cabinet door down from the fifth wheel. I took it into Home Depot and I put it on the paint counter and I said, 'How do I paint this?' And they walked me through how to paint it. And so I did my first renovation," said Armstrong.
She started posting photos of transformations on Instagram. Then, she saved up and spent some money on another RV. She changed the interior, sold it and people took notice.
And now, she has over 1,300 people on a waitlist to have their RV remodeled.
"People started responding to what we were doing with renovating these RV's. And so the account kept growing," said Armstrong.
It was a Cinderella story. Except instead of a glowing carriage, it was an RV.
"Keystone, who builds the Montana, found out about us and they started watching us online for several months. And then they reached out and they were like, 'Hey, what you're doing is super cool.' And they said, 'We would love to partner up with you guys. But, a partnership like this has never happened in the industry before. So, we have to make this up as we go.'" said Armstrong.
Keystone RV Company gave her a budget and said to make a stunning concept RV.
"Some of my absolute favorite highlights are it has ultrasonic water vapor fireplaces. So, what's cool is you can actually touch the flame and it's the steam kind of feels like fluffy air almost," said Armstrong.
"And then outside, it's got some insane features who like a custom 'kegerator.' It's got a margarita machine with three blenders and a pizza oven. And it's essentially a party on wheels," said Armstrong.
Also at the party, her mom, Patti, who has become a huge part of the business.
"I think it's been great. It's just like us against the men in the world," said Patti.
"And we work really well as a team with our personalities because I'm more of the big picture thinker and she's more of the detail thinker," said Cortni.
And as we watched them bond, this was more than just a story about a fun RV business. It was a story about women who came together to make something unimaginable.
"I always choke up whenever I talk about this. But, it just warms my heart just to watch her grow and to be a part of it. It's just been fabulous. I couldn't ask for anything more as a mother," said Patti.
And for Cortni, it really has been the ride of a lifetime.
"It's been so incredible watching The Flipping Nomad come to life and then also watching America in a sense come to life because people are prioritizing, they're downsizing, they're putting experiences over things and they're using RV's as the vessel that delivers them to that lifestyle," said Armstrong. "And it really touches us deeply knowing that we can be part of somebody else's journey."
For more details on The Flipping Nomad, how you can sign up for the waitlist to have your RV flipped and details on flipping an RV yourself, click here.
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