Every venture starts with a handful of people who believe it can work and grows from there. Often, you need some who’ll commit early and pay in advance, and others willing to invest serious amounts of money so the whole venture can scale.

When Philippa Girling and her co-founders, Leah Lykins and Lynda Coleman, set out to turn an historic château in southwest France into Camp Château, a summer camp for women, she didn’t rely on luck or a single type of backer. Instead, she built two parallel waitlists: one for future guests and one for equity investors. 

Part of why this was so successful was because they treated each group differently from day one… Read on for more on the approach they used – and how you can adapt it for your own business.

1. The founding member waitlist

The goal: cover early costs by inviting future guests to pre‑purchase their stays.

What they offered:

• Up to five summers at Camp Château guaranteed.
• A full refund after five years if they chose not to return.
• 5% interest on their €8,500 commitment, compounded annually.

How they filled the founding member waitlist: Philippa exported her entire LinkedIn network into a spreadsheet, sorted the names by when she’d connected with them, and set herself a rule: reach out to 300 people every week. About one in ten responded. Every response led to a conversation; walking through the pitch deck, explaining how the model worked, and answering questions about becoming a founding member.

Those early supporters didn’t just pay; they shared their enthusiasm for the venture and their decision to join the waitlist publicly and within their personal networks. That social proof drew in more names, and within a few months the original 60 founding members had turned into several hundred.

Why this worked so well: She committed to reaching out personally to 300 contacts a week. That one-to-one persistence paid off with an unusually high 10% response rate, proving that personal effort can outperform automation when trust matters most.

2. The equity investor waitlist

The goal: bring in larger investments for future growth – buying another château or building an online community around the camps.

What they offered:

“The equity side is a much bigger investment, minimum €80,000. For that, you get two free spots at camp every year, for you and a friend. We’re explained that we’re aiming for an 8% dividend. But don’t invest if you’re looking for an exit. We’re never exiting. We’re never selling to Marriott. We’re never becoming Disney.” 

Equity investors received two free places at camp each year and a targeted 8% return, but Philippa was clear from the outset: this was a long‑term commitment. Shares could be sold privately if needed, but the project would never be built around a quick return.

For many, it was an emotional investment as well as a financial one.. Camp Château was financed by women, for women. The satisfaction of building something that gave back to their own community meant that, sure, the financial return mattered, but the deeper return was a sense of ownership and pride in what they were creating together.

Why this worked so well: Equity investors weren’t just financiers. By giving each of them two camp spots every year, Philippa made them part of the experience. That shifted their role from outside backers to active participants in the community they were helping to build.

Why it was important to build a list beyond the original investment

Both waitlists gave Camp Château far more than money in the bank. The founding member list proved there was genuine demand and created buzz, as early supporters proudly shared their involvement. That visibility built trust with future guests and made it easier to keep filling camps.

The investor list added a different kind of weight. Knowing that equity sold out in days gave Philippa and her team credibility in the press and with partners, and it reassured guests that the venture had staying power. Beyond validation, the investor waitlist gave them options. It meant there was already capital available when they wanted to make improvements to the property, invest in new facilities, or even consider expansion into a second château.

Together, the two lists became engines of growth. They financed operations, attracted attention, and created a sense of momentum that no marketing campaign could have achieved alone. Just as importantly, they gave the founders room to make strategic choices — scaling in line with their mission, rather than scrambling to raise money under pressure.

The approach paid off quickly. When she opened equity slots for a second property – 150 founding memberships at €8,500 plus an additional €1 million in equity investors – the allocation sold out in seven days, creating a €2.5 million investor waitlist almost immediately.

Keeping both lists engaged

Philippa built two separate sign‑up flows: one for Founding Members to secure their spot at Camp Château and the other encouraging equity investors to explore investment opportunities. Each group received its own updates. Founding members got stories from camp and Q&As. Investors saw quarterly reports, invitations to site visits, and dividend forecasts.

And throughout, she made sure everyone understood the same thing:

“The business side of it was so we could deliver on the mission, not the other way round.”

Lessons to apply to your own waitlists

1. Define two offers. Individual supporters and equity investors have different needs – craft unique value propositions for each.
   
   
2. Be methodical. A rule such as 300  LinkedIn outreaches per week keeps momentum up, even if the response rate is modest.
   
   
3. Lead with generosity. Philippa’s five‑year, full‑refund model shows genuine commitment to the mission, and to her supporters.
   
   
4. Plan for scale. Philippa strongly advises that you think about what success means and you make sure that it doesn’t catch you off-guard
   
   
5. Keep your mission front and centre. Every financial structure should reinforce the reason you started, not undermine it.
   
   

Camp Château’s dual‑waitlist strategy turned their bold idea into a community and a sustainable business. By applying the same principles: clear offers, disciplined outreach and unwavering mission focus – you can launch your own waitlists and watch genuine support transform into long-lasting success.

Discover more about digital nomadism and many more topics. Take inspiration from our network of Founders and become a part of a supportive and welcoming community by joining Follow the Founder. You can also find us on Instagram @followthefounder.