I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner [Paperback]

Michele VanOrt Cozzens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

Story of young couple who gave up their professional jobs in a major city to move to the woods in Wisconsin and run a resort and disc golf course.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A combination personal memoir and practical how-to guide for anyone seriously considering exodus from the urban jungle. If you've ever dreamed of a "simpler" life, then read this book.  --Midwest Book Review

A wonderful read, and a real page-turner. This book is informative, yet has humor, too. -- Kelly Meyers, June 12, 2002

I feel like I just got a tour of the back of a hotel. This was entertaining, yet educational. -- Tim Ryan, June 10, 2002

I loved publishing this book. Michele is a terrific writer, and the subject of resort ownership is fascinating. -- Eric Bollinger, McKenna Publishing Group

About the Author

Michele VanOrt Cozzens was a journalist working for San Francisco area newspapers. She and her husband, a former stock market trader, now own and operate the Sandy Point Resort and Disc Golf Ranch in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: McKenna Publishing Group (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971365903
• ISBN-13: 978-0971365902
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Six-word bio:
"Turned out better than anyone expected."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "So You'd Like To" Guide to resort ownership, July 9, 2005

By 

Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner (Paperback)

This book packs everything you always wanted to know about owning a resort (but were afraid to ask) into a compact easy-to-read package, sort of like a Cliffs Notes for Resort Management.

Dealing with everything from Attorneys to Zip codes, the author, Michele (with one "l"), tells her own story, laying bare both the pleasant and painful experiences of choosing, buying and managing a resort in northern Wisconsin, while raising a family with her extremely supportive (and judging from the photo, very handsome) husband Mike.

Moving from California and giving up their regular day jobs to combine their dream life with the sport of disc golf, Michele and Mike learned the business from the bottom up, refurbishing and improving the Sandy Point Resort & Disc Golf Ranch into a viable and profitable concern, even though the author cautions that this is not a get rich quick venture.

Never having heard of disc golf before, I was amazed to learn how far this little publicized sport has developed, and how expensive the equipment for the course is for those brave enough to develop and encourage the sport.

The book mixes stories about real people with tales of caterpillars, bats, mosquitoes, chores, boating, contractors, lawsuits, zoning restrictions, staffing woes, guests from Hell and lots more, but does it in a conversational and humorous style as if the author were sitting in your living room telling you the tale over coffee and doughnuts.

Running a resort may look like a dream job, but really is a Herculean task and not for the faint of heart or pocketbook. However, for the dedicated few it can be richly rewarding, and we the vacationing public should be very grateful to them.

An enjoyable read, even if you don't own or want to own a resort, and would be a very useful resort-etiquette guide for anyone considering being a guest in the future.

Amanda Richards, July 10, 2005

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well-Written, Interesting Memoir, January 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner (Paperback)

This book was recommended by a friend because of my interest in how people
come up with ideas for businesses. Happily, I found that I enjoyed every
aspect of the story and couldn't put it down. This is first and foremost a
memoir, a personal account of the author and her husband's attempt to find a
business in which they could work together and create a new life for
themselves. The first chapter is appropriately titled, "How Did We Do It?"
and it explains how they went from having occupations as a journalist and a
stockbroker in San Francisco, sold off their assets and purchased property
in Northern Wisconsin.

The book is not a how-to outline on creating a family resort or bed and
breakfast (there are plenty of books available like that) but rather a
simple and unique attempt to tell a story about the life of an innkeeper in
a humorous and straightforward manner. Some things they did expect, others
were a complete surprise. Dealing with the public is always, always a chore
and every business owner has a rich cache of stories to tell on this front.
This book is no exception. It made me laugh at myself since I know I've
asked some of the same questions at places where I've stayed on vacation.

Finally, as any innkeeper will tell you, being in the resort business is not
about striking it rich. It's important for all those who perceive their life
as a DREAM LIFE to understand that it takes years of hard work before the
investment pays off and that appropriate financial backing and understanding
the constant threat of litigation is crucial. I therefore think this book is
essential reading for anyone interested in owning and operating a
mom-and-pop business of any kind. Well done.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fast, Fun Read. Worth Your Time, October 13, 2004

By 

Jolene B. (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner (Paperback)

I'd like to start out by indicating, I have absolutely NO desire to become an innkeeper and I have never been to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. But it was a fun little trip to what the author paints as a beautiful part of the country and I can see how she and her husband fell in love with the area the first time they saw it.

As for the business, I don't think this book is meant to give advice necessarily, although she certainly does. I think it is simply a memoir and she tells her story in a funny, readable way.

This is the second book I have read by Michele Cozzens. I enjoyed the first one I read so much, I decided to give this a look, too. I wasn't disappointed. Contrary to what a reviewer wrote here that she is "grumpy" and hates people, I found the opposite to be true. She is clearly very intelligent and very funny. Sometimes people find this threatening. Don't make that mistake. She's a teriffic writer.