Beyond Bookings: Turning Vacation Rentals into Success Stories with Dennis Goedheid, CEO of Casiola
In this week's episode of our CEO series, enjoy host Lee Murray's insightful conversation with Dennis Goedheid, CEO of Casiola, a full-service vacation home management company based in Central Florida. They discuss the evolution of the vacation rental market and how Casiola differentiates itself from giants like Airbnb by offering comprehensive services to homeowners. He emphasizes the importance of aligning the company's interests with those of homeowners and optimizing revenue through targeted booking channels.
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Connect on LinkedIn:
Lee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehmurray/
Dennis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisgoedheid/
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All right.
Welcome back to Exploring Growth.
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Today I have the privilege of
interviewing a local Central
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Florida CEO who started Casilla,
a vacation rental platform.
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Dennis, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you. Leah.
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So nice being here. Yeah.
So when I came across your website,
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I thought, there are more
platforms to book vacation rentals
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other than Airbnb and Vrbo, what is this, mad black magic?
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So I'm, I'm excited to have you
on the show and learn more about
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the niche you're carving out
here in the market.
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I'm really glad that you call us
vacation rentals, because a lot of
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people refer to our industry in
our sector just as Airbnbs, right?
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I stayed in an Airbnb instead of
I stayed in vacation rentals.
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So yes, that's really good.
Yeah, yeah.
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You know,
I want to be diplomatic.
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And I saw your website and
that's what your website says.
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So I want to, you know, speak the
terms that you guys are speaking.
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But I think Airbnb, to your point,
is really carved that niche like
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they've they've captured that name.
Kind of like I googled it that,
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you know,
people are saying I Airbnb, Airbnb.
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that's got to be just on the outset.
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It's got to be a little bit of a
barrier to, to,
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to cross for your business.
Well, they have been amazing in
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creating awareness,
for the space.
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So they were absolutely not the
first ones in the market.
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heard of HomeAway or verbal.
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I think ten,
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15 years before Airbnb came around.
But what Airbnb has accomplished in
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just the last few years has been,
a huge boost for, for our industry.
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So on one hand,
we don't like to be called Airbnb
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because it's so much more, Airbnb is one of the booking
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platforms that we also use.
But on the other hand,
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we're also very grateful,
that it had such an impact on
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our business and our industry.
So I'm fine with, with,
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with it anyway. I love it. Okay.
Well, then let's start with what
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is Castella and how did you come
up with this? Yeah.
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So Casilla is a full service,
vacation home management company.
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So, the booking part, that
you were referring to the the Airbnb
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and and booking your vacation is,
is one part of what we do. Okay.
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00:02:32,620 --> 00:02:36,700, but our target customers are
actually home owners, so,
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not so much the guests,
but home owners that that do have a
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vacation home or that are looking to
invest their money in short term
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rentals but that don't want to
deal with the 2 a.m. guest call to
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unclog the toilet or market their
home and and do the maintenance
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and clean the pool and and so on.
So we take all that off their plates.
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We do full service management
from paying your bills to,
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advertising the home,
scheduling photo shoots,
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providing 24 over seven guest
support, doing maintenance.
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We have built agreements,
for pool cleaning, for pest control,
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for for cable, all those things so
that they can just sit back, relax,
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use their home, maybe a few weeks,
a year when, when they're around,
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and they want to enjoy the area, and other than that, they,
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they just get a check every month.
So that's, that's the goal.
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I love it. It's.
It sounds so amazing.
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I kind of want to hire you just
for my own private,
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my own personal house.
But if you could just handle all
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that stuff for me. Yeah, absolutely, yeah. No, it is amazing.
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And it has, made vacation
rentals so much more accessible.
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00:03:50,220 --> 00:03:55,110, when I started ten years ago,
what we saw is that the biggest
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customer base of home owners,
that were in vacation rentals were
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like, really second home owners.
So they, bought a home for
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themselves, for their family because
they love the environment and loved
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coming to Disney, for example,
with the kids or the grandkids.
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And they didn't really care about, the revenue and the money.
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They were just happy that their home
was being taken care of and that
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they could cover their like fixed
expenses, like way fees and taxes
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and utilities and stuff like that.
But they were not really in it to to
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make a big profit, every month, but then as more and more
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companies like,
like ours came around and we,
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we took it to the next level and,
and did it in more professional way,
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you saw more and more investors,
entering this, this market segment,
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because there's a lot more money
to be made in short term rentals
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than there is in long term rentals,
for example,
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or multifamily or or retail and
especially office these days.
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So it can be very profitable,
but it's also very, intensive.
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It's it's hard. It's 24 over seven, if you have if you're making some
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nice money and you have a busy job,
you don't want to do this on the
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side.
I know there's a lot of of TikTok
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videos and Facebook gurus that claim
that, short term rentals is
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passive income, and that is easy
and easy all the way to everything.
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But we're in the hospitality
business. It's not easy.
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It's not,
you cannot automate everything.
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You just have to to provide good
old hospitality 24 over seven.
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And usually when people are on
vacation.
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So Saturday, Sunday nights when they
come back from the theme parks,
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that's when they know this,
like, oh, my AC is not working
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or the pool is not clean.
So it's definitely not a passive side
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hustle. It's a lot of hard work.
And that's where we add value.
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We we take that off your plate and we
do everything for you. I love it.
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So tell me about how you got
into this.
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And I know you said,
off camera that you're from Belgium,
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thus the accent. Yeah, tell me a little bit about
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your story.
So,
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I've always been an entrepreneur.
So, as you mentioned, I,
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was born and raised in, in Belgium.
I started my first company the
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week after I turned 18 years old,
which is like the minimum age to
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start a company in Belgium, and I actually started,
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as a supplier of all things for,
for events.
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So we, we provided DJs and light
and sound equipment, even.
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Yeah, food and beverages,
you name it. And and we we did it.
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And that was 2000, and one so the the times
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before online payments,
Facebook wasn't even around,
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I think in, in that year.
But we took like a new approach
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and I was bringing everything to
our website.
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So it was not really an online
shop yet.
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and we, we created like package
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standard packages for events.
So if you had like a wedding for
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50 people, you could get the,
the minimum, the, the medium,
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wedding package from us and it would
come with everything with a DJ,
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with light and sound equipment,
with, a couple of other things.
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And, and, yeah,
we would openly advertise our
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prices online, which was,
which was a very unique concept.
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Concept at that time,
everything was still behind
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closed walls, and you had to, call and inquire for a quote
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and then wait a couple of days, and, and we wanted to streamline
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the process and just say, like,
hey, let us know which of those
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standard packages you want and
we will take care of everything.
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to lower our cost and make it more,
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for customers and, and,
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be able to scale that way.
So that's how I started,
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when I was 18 years old.
So, I was usually at parties
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from Wednesday through through
Sunday night.
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So I was the greatest job to
have as a student. Yeah.
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it also became really hard,
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because you always have to work
when everybody else is off. And.
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That's right.
After a few years,
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you've seen it all. That's right.
And we evolved a little bit more
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into the printing side.
So one of the products that we
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offered was, print products.
So like invitations and posters
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and flyers to.
Emotive event, and we saw more and
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more demand from from companies that
had nothing to do with events but are
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still one that are printing products.
Because again,
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we advertise prices openly.
We have standard formats on the
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website, so he didn't have to, inquire about the quote.
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You could just see, like, hey,
a thousand letter format brochures
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would be $150 delivered at your home.
So a lot of companies really
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love that.
So we we pivoted our business a
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little bit into that,
the printing business.
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And it's actually funny if you
think back about that.
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Then I came across an article in
a newspaper and they were talking
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about something new that was
upcoming back then in the US,
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but they were coming to Europe,
and there was a company called
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Google, and no one had ever
heard about Google, but they
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started to sell advertisements
on top of a search engine.
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And I was thinking, yeah, let's,
let's just try it.
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So I invested â¬50 back in the day
and, and didn't expect so much
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because all our advertising up until
that day was, was ads in newspapers.
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And I saw so much response,
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because of that $50 that I
invested so much more than, than
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the ads that we had in newspapers.
So we were one of the first
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printing companies, online printing
companies in, in Belgium or
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in even Europe that that started
using Google and that really,
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And, this growth was immense.
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And, now, of course,
everybody is doing it, but,
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I think our first, reason why my,
my first business was, was able
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to scale that much was because
of something new that I tried,
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which was Google back then and,
and, yeah, we kept increasing
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budgets and our revenues,
kept on following up to a point
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that we were doing, yeah,
$20 million in,
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in revenue, on a yearly basis.
We opened offices in seven
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countries all over Europe, in 2013, I sold the business.
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00:10:51,750 --> 00:10:55,950, wanted to do something else, I felt myself too young to to
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retire, and that's. That's not me.
I don't think that's ever going
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to happen, so I wanted to do something
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different.
I had a non-compete,
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so I couldn't do anything in the
print industry anymore.
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So, my first response was,
let's let's go somewhere else and,
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and see how things are going there
to get some inspiration and ideas.
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So I took a plane to,
to Silicon Valley.
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00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:25,140, back then it was the place to be.
Every big startup,
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was located in Silicon Valley.
So I took a plane there,
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really immersed myself in, in, the environment there.
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It's a couple of startup weekends, visited all those big companies.
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00:11:39,150 --> 00:11:43,740, and I came to realize that
that Silicon Valley is an amazing
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place with an amazing vibe.
Like, everybody was working on
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an idea or a startup or or just
join the startup.
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But I also realized pretty
quickly that it would be very
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hard to start a business there
because it was so expensive.
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getting office space, but also
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you're competing against Facebook
and Google and Apple and all those
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other big companies for, for talent.
And, I came to the conclusion
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that it would actually be a lot
cheaper to, to,
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start even a tech company in other
locations or in Belgium because of
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the salaries being so much lower, and I, I really made a decision
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for myself that I did not want to, raise a capital,
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to start my new business.
So I had done that with my, my,
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00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:37,080, printing business, we merged, we got investors,
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We, we raised, some money there,
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and it's a high speed train
that's hard to get off.
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00:12:44,100 --> 00:12:49,080, and I really enjoyed it,
and I could recommend it to everyone,
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but I was at a point in my life that
I wanted to slow down a little bit.
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00:12:54,060 --> 00:12:57,390, we were starting to think
about kids, moving to,
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to different countries.
So I didn't want to own the
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company 100% myself.
And that would have been very
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hard in that area.
So I drove down a little bit,
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to, to LA to see if there were
any ideas to, to, find there.
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And, and I was staying,
in a, in a small hotel around
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Disneyland in, in Anaheim.
And, that's how I came
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across vacation rentals,
which was something new for me.
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No experience whatsoever.
I've always been interested in
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real estate, but I didn't want to become
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a real estate. An agent.
So I thought vacation rentals.
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nice. People book them online.
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I can use my,
e-commerce background and all
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the experience that that we've
built over the 13 plus years.
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business and apply that to,
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to vacation rentals and then starting
to do some more market research.
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Came to find that Orlando,
is the number one market in the
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US for vacation rentals.
So, they, they even have have
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it trademarked, like the vacation
home capital of the world.
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So there's there's more than 100,000, vacation rentals in the area
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around, Disney.
So I thought even if I can get
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just a very, very small market
share in that area, I'm probably
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going to be still, doing okay.
So,
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that's that's how I arrived here, not knowing anything about
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00:14:29,020 --> 00:14:33,310
vacation rentals, I thought by
myself, like how hard can it be?
216
00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:39,370, myself, just sitting at the pool, here in sunny Florida with my
217
00:14:39,370 --> 00:14:43,150
laptop and a cocktail, waiting
until someone needed something.
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And so I started with purchasing
a small existing business.
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So I did not start from zero.
And the reason why I didn't want to
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do that is because, first of all,
a completely different country,
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literally 10,000 miles across
the pond, different culture,
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different language, everything.
I had to start from zero and no
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network whatsoever here.
So I thought, hey, let's let's start
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with an existing business and try
to grow it from there, which is,
225
00:15:14,350 --> 00:15:19,450, still a choice that I, yeah, don't regret doing.
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I bet me learning everything a lot, faster. So. Okay. Now what?
227
00:15:26,110 --> 00:15:30,190
What year was that when you
moved to Orlando, 2014.
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00:15:30,190 --> 00:15:33,010
Exactly three years ago.
So that's when I started this
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business.
In the beginning, it was just me and.
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And my wife doing everything.
So I did, like the whole office
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side and accounting and marketing.
And my wife took care of the,
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the home.
So she started checking housekeepers
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00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,420
and making sure that everything
was in good working order and
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clean for the guests to arrive.
So that's how we started thinking,
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to slow down and like,
semi-retired and have a passive,
236
00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:03,070, income or hobby. Yeah.
And I have to say, I've never,
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00:16:03,070 --> 00:16:06,970
ever in my life worked as hard
as the first few years doing
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property management. Management.
I really underestimated it,
239
00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,950
I thought, because before I was
the CEO of a company that we were
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able to grow to, 150 employees,
offices all over Europe,
241
00:16:20,410 --> 00:16:24,070
production facility in Belgium and,
and in North Africa.
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00:16:24,070 --> 00:16:29,620
So pretty decent sized company, not
like major, but, pretty good.
243
00:16:29,620 --> 00:16:34,450, and like I said, I've never
worked as hard as the first few
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00:16:34,450 --> 00:16:36,430
years doing property management.
It's,
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00:16:36,430 --> 00:16:41,800
it's 24 over seven and never stops, you get phone calls at 2 a.m..
246
00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:44,860
At 4 a.m, AC is going down,
247
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toilets being clogged, yes.
Being locked out, you name it.
248
00:16:49,330 --> 00:16:53,620, so, yeah,
it it I definitely underestimated it.
249
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And it was hard in the beginning.
Wow. Yeah, that's quite the story.
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I, I, I appreciate you taking us
through that because, I mean,
251
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coming from Belgium, you know,
and a certain way of life, not even
252
00:17:04,750 --> 00:17:07,630
being able to start a company until
you're 18, which is kind of crazy.
253
00:17:07,930 --> 00:17:10,540, in the US, it's almost like
when you're born, they give you the
254
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entrepreneurial card and it's like,
oh, you're not going to you're
255
00:17:13,180 --> 00:17:15,880
not going to start a business.
Okay, well then you might as
256
00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:17,680
well move somewhere else.
So I thought that was kind of
257
00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,260
interesting to hear that, but,
258
00:17:20,260 --> 00:17:24,310
but now that you're here and you've,
you've been in the business,
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00:17:24,310 --> 00:17:28,450
take us through those first,
I don't know, 3 to 5 years, I'm.
260
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What I'm interested to know is,
when did you hit the point where you,
261
00:17:32,650 --> 00:17:35,290
you said, okay, maybe a tipping
point where you said, okay,
262
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this is going to be successful.
I can see the forest for the trees.
263
00:17:38,860 --> 00:17:41,470
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So,
264
00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:46,240
as I was mentioning in the beginning,
it wasn't I wasn't that sure it was
265
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even that bad that after six months I
sat down with my wife and I said,
266
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like, look, this is just too hard.
This is not what I want to do.
267
00:17:54,490 --> 00:17:57,910, you come here to be working
24 over seven?
268
00:17:58,450 --> 00:18:01,990, so we either sell the business
again and look for something else,
269
00:18:01,990 --> 00:18:06,400
or we, we grow it and scale it so
we can hire people, and we don't
270
00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:13,450
have to be working 24 seven anymore, so that was around the six month,
271
00:18:13,450 --> 00:18:18,880, time frame.
But I did see a lot of similarities
272
00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,060
of my previous business.
There was a lot of consolidation
273
00:18:22,060 --> 00:18:24,610
going on.
Things were really starting to
274
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be automated, more broad online.
So I saw a lot of potential,
275
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in this, industry. And.
And, so we decided to to grow
276
00:18:35,700 --> 00:18:39,960
the company and, and work hard a
few more years, but with the goal,
277
00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,460
of course, to to grow the team, then we came around,
278
00:18:44,460 --> 00:18:48,930
another new, tech company,
which was called Airbnb.
279
00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,830, now, of course,
it's obvious you call,
280
00:18:52,830 --> 00:18:55,770
vacation rentals, even Airbnbs.
But back then,
281
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no one really had heard of them, they it was not the first year,
282
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but it was a very niche product
that almost no one was using.
283
00:19:05,460 --> 00:19:08,850
But I thought, hey, let's let's
just try and see what it does.
284
00:19:08,850 --> 00:19:14,130
So we were one of the first few
companies on Airbnb in this area,
285
00:19:14,130 --> 00:19:17,940
and we really saw that market
share from Airbnb growing and
286
00:19:17,940 --> 00:19:22,200
growing year after year, and that has only accelerated.
287
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,800
There's there's a lot of property
management management companies,
288
00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:29,100
especially in the beginning years,
that were a little bit averse,
289
00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:33,180
of of Airbnb, for the reasons that
you mentioned in the beginning, like,
290
00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:37,350, yeah, they're such a big brand
and they call themselves Airbnbs
291
00:19:37,350 --> 00:19:41,730
and they control the guests and the
review system and they determine,
292
00:19:41,730 --> 00:19:45,000, how to refund guests.
So a lot of property property
293
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,900
managers didn't like,
Airbnb and did not have the
294
00:19:48,900 --> 00:19:51,570
listings on Airbnb either.
They were only on their own
295
00:19:51,570 --> 00:19:56,280
website and on the older,
sites like Furbo and HomeAway.
296
00:19:56,280 --> 00:20:01,350
So, that has really helped us
grow and scale and outperform,
297
00:20:01,350 --> 00:20:06,030, the market.
So, first few,
298
00:20:06,030 --> 00:20:10,380
years, as with any business,
it goes in like a wave form, right?
299
00:20:10,380 --> 00:20:14,460
So you, you work, you grow,
you make a nice amount of money,
300
00:20:14,460 --> 00:20:17,910
but then there's the time that
you have to hire, someone,
301
00:20:18,060 --> 00:20:20,130
and then all of a sudden,
you're you're working again,
302
00:20:20,130 --> 00:20:23,550
almost for free, because all the
money that you were making before,
303
00:20:23,550 --> 00:20:27,810
you're now spending on an employee.
But that that gives you the
304
00:20:27,810 --> 00:20:30,780
opportunity to,
to grow your business more.
305
00:20:30,780 --> 00:20:34,140
If you don't do that,
you can make a nice amount of money,
306
00:20:34,140 --> 00:20:38,040
but you will be working,
in the business and you don't have
307
00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,160
time to work on the business.
So I definitely did have that
308
00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:46,920
vision to to grow us.
So, we, we kept on on doing that.
309
00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:51,630, we we had a good,
plan in place, did a lot of
310
00:20:51,630 --> 00:20:56,070
marketing, used all those online, and e-commerce tactics,
311
00:20:56,070 --> 00:21:00,390
which almost no one was, was really, doing because a lot of these
312
00:21:00,390 --> 00:21:04,350
property management companies
were doing it old school ways
313
00:21:04,350 --> 00:21:08,970
when I purchased the business, ten years ago, which, which,
314
00:21:09,690 --> 00:21:13,710, seems like a long time now,
but they were still using faxes,
315
00:21:13,710 --> 00:21:17,850
so guests had to,
fill out a word document and fax
316
00:21:17,850 --> 00:21:22,560
it back with their information.
And I hadn't seen a fax in in
317
00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:25,290
ten years. So.
Yeah, just to show or prove the
318
00:21:25,290 --> 00:21:28,500
point that a lot of these
companies were still operating the
319
00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:32,250
same way as they were operating
20 years ago or 30 years ago.
320
00:21:32,250 --> 00:21:36,090, so bringing that all online, implementing,
321
00:21:36,090 --> 00:21:40,110
software to work more efficiently, to be able to do more with,
322
00:21:40,110 --> 00:21:45,900
with less people, offering a
lower costs, no barriers.
323
00:21:45,900 --> 00:21:49,470
We we also removed all the barriers.
So if, if you join us,
324
00:21:49,470 --> 00:21:53,010
there's no setup cost.
A lot of companies were charging
325
00:21:53,010 --> 00:21:56,940
a setup cost.
Hey, if you join us, maybe $1,500 for
326
00:21:56,940 --> 00:22:01,110
the photoshoot and to get there.
Yeah, yeah, we removed that.
327
00:22:01,110 --> 00:22:04,380
We we said, hey, we're going to
invest in that for you because we
328
00:22:04,620 --> 00:22:08,970
really believe, that we can, do a great job for you.
329
00:22:08,970 --> 00:22:13,560
And then you got to stay with us and,
and, to, to prove it, we're
330
00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:17,250
going to take that investment on us, we also got rid of of
331
00:22:17,250 --> 00:22:19,440
management fees.
A lot of companies still,
332
00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,400
up until today,
charge a monthly management fee.
333
00:22:23,730 --> 00:22:28,230, even if they don't generate any
bookings or they don't do anything
334
00:22:28,230 --> 00:22:33,090
for you, you still pay them,
like 100 or $200 a month just to be,
335
00:22:33,090 --> 00:22:36,270, part of their program.
So got rid of that.
336
00:22:36,270 --> 00:22:40,290
So our, our cost model is very
simple now for owners.
337
00:22:40,290 --> 00:22:44,730
So we charge 20% commission on
all the bookings we bring in.
338
00:22:44,730 --> 00:22:48,840
And the reason why that was very
important for me to do with that way
339
00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:53,820
is, because our, our interest
would be aligned with the owners.
340
00:22:54,330 --> 00:22:58,110, and I'm never going to forget
I was one day sitting at the,
341
00:22:58,110 --> 00:23:01,590
at the competitors office,
and we were talking in his office,
342
00:23:01,590 --> 00:23:06,270
and all of a sudden the phone, rang and, and he told me,
343
00:23:06,270 --> 00:23:08,760
you know what this is?
I said, no, yeah,
344
00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:11,580
someone is calling you.
He said, this is the sound of money.
345
00:23:11,580 --> 00:23:15,780
Every time I get a phone call,
I know there's an issue, and I'm
346
00:23:15,780 --> 00:23:18,960
going to go there and I'm going to
charge the owner to fix the issue,
347
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,750
and I'm going to make money.
And I'm like.
348
00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:26,660
This is actually so wrong.
It shouldn't be that way.
349
00:23:26,660 --> 00:23:29,150
You should be making money for
the owner.
350
00:23:29,150 --> 00:23:31,790
And if you get a share of that,
that's that's fine.
351
00:23:31,790 --> 00:23:36,920
But you should not be making money, on the owner's, expense.
352
00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:42,170
So we, we got rid of, of up charges
on maintenance fees and bills.
353
00:23:42,170 --> 00:23:45,680
So if there is a bill,
it's it's unavoidable.
354
00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:47,870
At some point something's going
to break.
355
00:23:47,870 --> 00:23:52,400
But we don't want to have an
incentive of repairing things in your
356
00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:58,040
home when it's unnecessary or,
charging you for, maintenance
357
00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:01,550
services that are not absolutely
necessary because it's going to,
358
00:24:01,550 --> 00:24:05,900, influence your performance.
So we we just said, hey, we're going
359
00:24:05,900 --> 00:24:10,700
to do away with all, up charges, we only going to focus on on
360
00:24:10,700 --> 00:24:13,550
the commission on bookings.
So the more bookings we bring in,
361
00:24:13,550 --> 00:24:16,910
the more money we make.
If there are any expenses,
362
00:24:16,910 --> 00:24:20,720
we want to have it done as as quick
and efficient as possible because
363
00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,740
we're also losing money on it.
If we have to call a vendor and
364
00:24:24,740 --> 00:24:27,170
schedule them, we're losing money because
365
00:24:27,170 --> 00:24:30,620
we're not getting paid for that.
So we want to be preventive.
366
00:24:30,620 --> 00:24:33,530
We want to avoid things from
happening in the first place so
367
00:24:33,530 --> 00:24:36,860
that it doesn't cost us money.
And then it also doesn't cost
368
00:24:36,860 --> 00:24:38,930
the owner money.
So that's that's the concept
369
00:24:38,930 --> 00:24:44,450
which was, relatively new, it sounds all very logical,
370
00:24:44,450 --> 00:24:49,010
but, it was the exact opposite.
A lot of property management
371
00:24:49,010 --> 00:24:53,090
companies did bookings,
but still remember most home
372
00:24:53,090 --> 00:24:57,200
owners were second home owners,
so it wasn't their main priority.
373
00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,860
They were happy to get bookings,
but their main priority was that
374
00:25:00,860 --> 00:25:04,130
their home was taken care of.
And we switched that around and
375
00:25:04,130 --> 00:25:08,060
and really, yeah,
made a shift in, in this market.
376
00:25:08,060 --> 00:25:11,570
And that has helped us,
grow and become one of the biggest
377
00:25:11,570 --> 00:25:14,030
players in the area. Yeah.
It sounds like you, you,
378
00:25:14,030 --> 00:25:17,300
you did again. Now what?
Hindsight logically sounds like
379
00:25:17,300 --> 00:25:19,820
the right play, but you just aligned your
380
00:25:19,820 --> 00:25:22,370
interests with their interest
and and everyone wins.
381
00:25:22,370 --> 00:25:24,710
So the retention is going to be
there.
382
00:25:24,710 --> 00:25:29,390
So I'm curious, you know,
back in the early days of getting in
383
00:25:29,420 --> 00:25:32,660
there and kind of, you know,
writing the ship, you know, obviously
384
00:25:32,660 --> 00:25:37,160
not taking fax faxes anymore.
How did you go and find customers?
385
00:25:38,180 --> 00:25:46,010
So, I pretty quickly realized, that 80% of our bookings were
386
00:25:46,010 --> 00:25:50,630
coming from our top four channels.
So when I took over the existing
387
00:25:50,630 --> 00:25:53,510
business,
they were paying subscriptions,
388
00:25:53,510 --> 00:25:59,150, to, to 30, 40 websites that
you have probably never heard of
389
00:25:59,150 --> 00:26:04,190
and that are no longer around, but their, their idea was,
390
00:26:04,190 --> 00:26:08,120, the more eyes we can get on
our properties by being on all
391
00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:11,360
those different channels,
the more bookings we're going to get.
392
00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:15,890
Now it's it's a lot of work to
have your properties on all those
393
00:26:15,890 --> 00:26:19,940
different, websites because
you have to get into agreements
394
00:26:19,940 --> 00:26:22,220
with them and upload photos.
Back in the days,
395
00:26:22,220 --> 00:26:25,850
it wasn't that automated, so I did an analysis and I
396
00:26:25,850 --> 00:26:30,620
saw like, hey, if I focus on that
top four, the top four channels,
397
00:26:30,620 --> 00:26:34,040
and I do better on those channels
than what we're doing right now,
398
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:37,130
because the previous owner
didn't really have time to fully
399
00:26:37,130 --> 00:26:40,490
optimize those those channels
and really master them.
400
00:26:41,150 --> 00:26:44,810, I'm probably going to be able to
do a lot more business than, than
401
00:26:44,810 --> 00:26:48,860
being on on 40 different websites
that that no one has heard of.
402
00:26:48,860 --> 00:26:53,240
So what I did is I just canceled
all my subscriptions on all
403
00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:57,710
those websites and kept focusing
on the top four.
404
00:26:57,830 --> 00:27:00,290
And and that was the right thing
to do.
405
00:27:00,290 --> 00:27:03,260, we were able to optimize, things.
406
00:27:03,260 --> 00:27:08,180
Like I said, no one really understood
Airbnb very well that day.
407
00:27:08,180 --> 00:27:12,410
So I really dove into it and,
and and yeah, you saw the
408
00:27:12,410 --> 00:27:15,590
results right away. Booking.com.
Another thing,
409
00:27:15,590 --> 00:27:18,800
if you really understand the
type of customers that you have,
410
00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:22,520
how to use the software, how to
optimize your listings. That's right.
411
00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:26,870
You can do so much more with it.
And then instead of just placing them
412
00:27:26,870 --> 00:27:31,880
online and waiting for a booking.
So, that that is definitely one
413
00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:36,830
of the big shifts, that we've
done that were very successful.
414
00:27:37,250 --> 00:27:39,890
Yeah, it sounds like it that,
that, that sounds like it makes
415
00:27:39,890 --> 00:27:41,630
a lot of sense.
And, you know,
416
00:27:41,630 --> 00:27:45,560
speaking of knowing your customer,
who is your target audience?
417
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:47,480, because I,
I would assume that, you know,
418
00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,840
you can't really serve everyone, and I noticed that you have,
419
00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:54,080, a few locations listed on
your website if people were to
420
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:57,890
book through your website, so I'm curious who who do you
421
00:27:57,890 --> 00:28:01,040
specifically do you have, like a
niche? Do you go after? Yeah, yeah.
422
00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:08,690
So we are, managing homes right
now in Orlando, in Miami and Aruba,
423
00:28:08,690 --> 00:28:13,460
which are three completely different
types of, of destinations.
424
00:28:13,460 --> 00:28:16,910
So Orlando is what they call a
resort market.
425
00:28:16,910 --> 00:28:23,000, Miami is urban and then,
Aruba is, yeah.
426
00:28:23,030 --> 00:28:27,470
Beach destination.
So, but just to come back,
427
00:28:27,470 --> 00:28:31,580
our main customers are the owners,
the home owners,
428
00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:36,050
and a lot of people,
even in our industry get that wrong.
429
00:28:36,050 --> 00:28:39,500
They, they think like, oh, we need, we need guests,
430
00:28:39,500 --> 00:28:43,910
to grow our business, which is true,
of course, but we serve the owners
431
00:28:43,910 --> 00:28:48,050
to the guests to serve the owners.
The better job we do.
432
00:28:48,050 --> 00:28:50,930, for the guests, the higher
the reviews are going to be.
433
00:28:50,930 --> 00:28:54,200
The higher rate of charge so
that the owners get better.
434
00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:58,910
So, obviously each of those
three destinations has different
435
00:28:58,910 --> 00:29:01,040
demographics.
So in Orlando,
436
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:06,710
it's it's very family oriented,
but we also manage around 120 homes
437
00:29:06,710 --> 00:29:11,900
in, in a resort right next to the
convention center here in Orlando.
438
00:29:11,900 --> 00:29:14,180
And it's a completely different
market.
439
00:29:14,180 --> 00:29:17,510
It's still Orlando,
but there we target B2B travelers
440
00:29:17,510 --> 00:29:23,780
and it's doing very, very well.
Plus also, people visiting
441
00:29:23,780 --> 00:29:27,410
Universal Studios, which is again,
a different demographic than
442
00:29:27,410 --> 00:29:31,970
than people visiting Disney.
So it's really like laser
443
00:29:31,970 --> 00:29:36,200
targeted on. Yeah.
Depending on on the area, Miami,
444
00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:40,370
you have a little bit of a
combination of B2B travel,
445
00:29:40,370 --> 00:29:44,330
city trippers and, and,
just people that want to party.
446
00:29:44,750 --> 00:29:48,800, Uber is is usually an older
demographic,
447
00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:53,570
a lot of repeat business,
people that, want to,
448
00:29:53,810 --> 00:29:57,200
you know, snowbirds basically
that want to leave the, the,
449
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:02,000
the cold north northern states and, spend some time in,
450
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:07,850
in the tropical island of Aruba.
So, it's completely different.
451
00:30:07,940 --> 00:30:11,150, well,
we we don't have a specific niche.
452
00:30:11,690 --> 00:30:16,250, what we,
what we target is as broad as a
453
00:30:16,250 --> 00:30:20,780
as a demographic as as possible.
So, we are not in the very,
454
00:30:20,780 --> 00:30:23,600
very high end,
multi-million dollar mansions.
455
00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:28,370
We're also not in the,
motel six low end market.
456
00:30:28,370 --> 00:30:33,380
And we're we're in the mid segment, affordable for most,
457
00:30:33,380 --> 00:30:38,420
and and good quality, but without
like, crazy, expensive.
458
00:30:38,420 --> 00:30:42,770
So we want to target as many
guests as, as we can,
459
00:30:42,770 --> 00:30:46,850
and optimize the revenue for
owners as much as possible.
460
00:30:47,090 --> 00:30:51,410
So it sounds like you are really
seeking to understand, you know what?
461
00:30:51,410 --> 00:30:55,850
Your, homeowners want to get out
of their property, first, and
462
00:30:55,850 --> 00:30:58,640
then you're going to the platforms
which you have a background in, and
463
00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:03,680
you've been able to apply that there, to optimize those listings,
464
00:31:03,830 --> 00:31:06,740, so that you can really
achieve what it is that the,
465
00:31:06,740 --> 00:31:10,250
the homeowners want through the
guests that they're booking through.
466
00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,130
Am I getting that right? Yeah. Yeah.
So a lot of owners,
467
00:31:13,130 --> 00:31:16,070
if they have kids themselves,
they're they're probably gonna
468
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:21,410
design and furnish their home.
They're a little bit more focused on
469
00:31:21,410 --> 00:31:24,980
on kids and that's that's great,
especially in the Orlando area.
470
00:31:24,980 --> 00:31:28,310
And we can also advise
homeowners what they should do
471
00:31:28,310 --> 00:31:33,680
where the the most demand is.
Now, if, if you, if you don't
472
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:38,270
have kids and you're more,
focused on, on your own enjoyment.
473
00:31:38,270 --> 00:31:42,110
Well, we have a lot of,
of golfers coming to the area to
474
00:31:42,110 --> 00:31:46,340
so you can focus your, your home
more on, on sports people and,
475
00:31:46,340 --> 00:31:51,650
and have a pool table and and and,
yeah. More and more games.
476
00:31:51,650 --> 00:31:55,430 in, in the,
in the property that are targeted to,
477
00:31:55,460 --> 00:31:58,100
to older people.
So, we,
478
00:31:58,100 --> 00:32:02,300
we can work with about whatever, the owner's preferences.
479
00:32:02,300 --> 00:32:06,380, of course, we, we can give them
advice because we have so much data.
480
00:32:06,380 --> 00:32:09,980, and, and we see what's,
what's going on in the market.
481
00:32:09,980 --> 00:32:13,880
An example here is like,
pet friendly homes.
482
00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,660, if you look in in Orlando,
like I mentioned, there's,
483
00:32:17,660 --> 00:32:22,190
there's 100,000 vacation homes, so if you have one home, you're
484
00:32:22,190 --> 00:32:26,510
in a list of 100,000 competitors.
But if you click the the box
485
00:32:26,510 --> 00:32:29,900
like pet friendly homes,
it goes down to 10,000.
486
00:32:29,900 --> 00:32:33,260
So all of a sudden you only have
10,000, competitors.
487
00:32:33,260 --> 00:32:37,490
So even though you may not have a
pet or not necessarily like,
488
00:32:37,670 --> 00:32:42,410, having dogs in your home from a
financial standpoint, and for an
489
00:32:42,410 --> 00:32:46,670
investor, it makes so much sense to
accept the pets in in your home.
490
00:32:46,670 --> 00:32:51,050
So and that's a great thing that we, seen the last, let's say,
491
00:32:51,050 --> 00:32:53,930
five years,
we really have seen that shift from
492
00:32:53,930 --> 00:32:57,890
second home owners to investors.
A lot of, of people,
493
00:32:57,890 --> 00:33:01,910
that we get as our customers now,
they, they just say like, hey,
494
00:33:01,940 --> 00:33:05,480
tell me exactly what I need to do and
I will do. The home is not for me.
495
00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:09,290
The home is just to get the return, it's an investment.
496
00:33:09,380 --> 00:33:13,820
So I do whatever you advise,
and and that works great, of course,
497
00:33:13,820 --> 00:33:17,570
because then we can can really
optimize those homes to,
498
00:33:17,570 --> 00:33:20,450
get the most revenue for them.
Yeah. That's amazing.
499
00:33:20,450 --> 00:33:23,780
That makes so much sense.
So now, current day,
500
00:33:23,780 --> 00:33:26,900
as you're growing your business,
how do you get in front of new
501
00:33:26,900 --> 00:33:33,590
homeowners to add to your your mix?
So, it's it's, yeah,
502
00:33:33,590 --> 00:33:37,220
that's marketing. Right?
There's a lot of different things,
503
00:33:37,220 --> 00:33:41,120, that we do maybe a couple of,
of highlights,
504
00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:45,260
or the things that, that generate
the most awareness for us.
505
00:33:45,410 --> 00:33:50,540, the good old direct mail, still works amazingly.
506
00:33:50,540 --> 00:33:55,850
I love that even in 2024,
printed, paper,
507
00:33:55,850 --> 00:34:01,460
it still works. It's it's funny.
Now, it's not like I think a lot
508
00:34:01,460 --> 00:34:04,250
of of business owners think, oh,
let's let's try it.
509
00:34:04,250 --> 00:34:07,220
And they do one, direct mail.
And then they're sitting there and
510
00:34:07,220 --> 00:34:11,990
waiting for all the calls to come in.
And that's not how it, that's not
511
00:34:11,990 --> 00:34:16,400
how it works to do it consistent
and do it over and over again.
512
00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:19,370
And it's funny,
sometimes we have owners walking
513
00:34:19,370 --> 00:34:23,420
into our office with a direct mail
in their hand from two years ago.
514
00:34:23,420 --> 00:34:26,870
So we've been mailing them like two,
two years in a row.
515
00:34:26,870 --> 00:34:29,690
They never responded,
they never showed any interest.
516
00:34:29,690 --> 00:34:33,800
But we were still like like,
yeah, in their mind.
517
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,200
But they may have been happy
with their current property
518
00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:39,260
management company at that time,
or there may have not been a need.
519
00:34:39,260 --> 00:34:43,250
But then something happens and
as long as you stay top of mind,
520
00:34:43,250 --> 00:34:46,280
they can say, oh, yeah,
that company that sent me all
521
00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,580
those direct mail.
So let's see if they would be an
522
00:34:49,580 --> 00:34:52,670
option.
So repeating repeating that
523
00:34:52,670 --> 00:34:56,180
that's the the key here.
So direct mail works very well.
524
00:34:56,180 --> 00:35:02,960
We are also scoring really well, on the SEO side for Airbnb
525
00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:07,160
management in Orlando where
number one search results on
526
00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:10,280
vacation home management.
So we invest a lot in that.
527
00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:14,450
We have ads, and,
probably the most business we,
528
00:35:14,450 --> 00:35:18,200
we get from referrals.
So we try to partner up with
529
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:22,550
real estate professionals, real estate agents,
530
00:35:22,550 --> 00:35:27,560
but also pool cleaning companies, interior design companies,
531
00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:33,080, accounting, sure.
So those people all get to the
532
00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:36,830
owners, a lot of times
before we even get to them or
533
00:35:36,830 --> 00:35:40,490
they know them and, and,
they refer business to, to them.
534
00:35:40,490 --> 00:35:45,140
So we, we pay, referral fees
for anyone that brings us a home
535
00:35:45,230 --> 00:35:48,830
that signs up to the program, and, yeah,
536
00:35:48,830 --> 00:35:52,610
that works really well.
Building those relationships is,
537
00:35:52,610 --> 00:35:57,500
I think, the most important. Sure.
How is it on the paid ads side?
538
00:35:57,500 --> 00:36:00,260
I know you're doing direct mail,
but are you running Google ads?
539
00:36:00,260 --> 00:36:02,750
Facebook ads?
You know, have you experimented
540
00:36:02,750 --> 00:36:05,870
with that? So yeah, we.
We definitely have done that.
541
00:36:06,140 --> 00:36:09,920
Of course, that was the first thing
I've done after my experience
542
00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:14,270
with my previous business,
which grew so much thanks to Google.
543
00:36:14,270 --> 00:36:20,120
But what we pretty quickly
realized is that Orlando is
544
00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:25,100
probably the most competitive
market in the whole country for,
545
00:36:25,310 --> 00:36:29,210, for Google and Facebook ads,
you you don't only have every
546
00:36:29,210 --> 00:36:33,860
single hotel chain in the world
that has has some hotels here,
547
00:36:33,860 --> 00:36:36,530
usually more than one.
But you're also competing
548
00:36:36,530 --> 00:36:40,520
against Disney,
against universal itself,
549
00:36:41,090 --> 00:36:47,090
and 100,000 other vacation rentals.
So we realized that Google ads,
550
00:36:47,090 --> 00:36:52,220
here do not really work, for us.
So we're really focusing on the
551
00:36:52,220 --> 00:36:55,220
booking channels like Booking.com,
Airbnb.
552
00:36:55,340 --> 00:37:00,620
They usually charge an average
around 15 to to 18% commission
553
00:37:00,620 --> 00:37:03,380
on the bookings that they,
bring in to us.
554
00:37:03,950 --> 00:37:08,570, and we've done our numbers
and that's cheaper than what we
555
00:37:08,570 --> 00:37:12,530
would invest in, in, SEO.
So that's why we,
556
00:37:12,530 --> 00:37:16,700
we decided to focus for,
for guests at least, on, on the
557
00:37:16,700 --> 00:37:20,180
booking channels that are out there, we do SEO,
558
00:37:20,180 --> 00:37:24,140
but we don't do paid advertising, and, for owners,
559
00:37:24,140 --> 00:37:27,080
we do a little bit of both.
We do remarketing.
560
00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:31,910, we do paid advertising based
on very specific, keywords.
561
00:37:32,510 --> 00:37:36,260, and yeah, that works.
So that works well too. Yeah.
562
00:37:36,260 --> 00:37:40,130
I, I would imagine you have to have, almost kind of an Omni
563
00:37:40,130 --> 00:37:43,970
campaign going where you have
all the different layers,
564
00:37:43,970 --> 00:37:47,390
you know, coordinated and not,
as you said, use direct mail.
565
00:37:47,390 --> 00:37:49,160
It makes a lot of sense.
You have to have online and
566
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,680
offline working and it's great.
Do you have the background in print,
567
00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:55,010
too? So you know. Yeah, you know, how to not get taken on
568
00:37:55,010 --> 00:37:59,570
that. So as we move forward, as.
Is, like all our homeowners have
569
00:37:59,570 --> 00:38:02,450
a home here,
but they live all around the world.
570
00:38:02,450 --> 00:38:06,110
So you cannot really say, like,
hey, let's target the Orlando area.
571
00:38:06,110 --> 00:38:08,780
That's right. They're not here.
That's why they need us.
572
00:38:08,780 --> 00:38:11,510
If they would live down the street,
they could manage the property
573
00:38:11,510 --> 00:38:15,140
themselves if they wanted to.
But they live in Brazil. In Europe?
574
00:38:15,140 --> 00:38:17,960
Yes, in, northern side of,
of the US.
575
00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:21,560
So, yeah, we really need to work
very targeted and.
576
00:38:21,660 --> 00:38:26,670
Direct mail is ideal, there, because we can get those
577
00:38:26,670 --> 00:38:30,240
records from the the property
appraisers website and target them.
578
00:38:30,240 --> 00:38:34,080
We don't get a phone number or an
email address in most counties, but
579
00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:38,520
we do have a mailing address. Yeah.
So then as you look forward to
580
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:43,350
growing this business,
what are your plans in 2024, 25,
581
00:38:43,350 --> 00:38:47,760
26, and you know what?
What does it look like for,
582
00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:51,180
Casella? Yeah. So.
Yeah, over the years,
583
00:38:51,180 --> 00:38:55,980
we expanded into a few different,
destinations, especially after Covid.
584
00:38:55,980 --> 00:38:59,400
We saw how important it was to
diversify.
585
00:38:59,430 --> 00:39:03,240
Orlando got hit, like,
really hard because of Covid.
586
00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:07,020, even when, like,
travel restarted and and
587
00:39:07,170 --> 00:39:11,400
vacation homes were killing it, Orlando was was as good as,
588
00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:13,980
as that, still, because everybody
589
00:39:13,980 --> 00:39:17,910
wanted to go to the mountains or
to coastal area away from other
590
00:39:17,910 --> 00:39:22,320
people no one really wanted to spend
time with, with 80,000 other people
591
00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:26,130
in a theme park back in the day.
So we we saw the need, like, hey,
592
00:39:26,130 --> 00:39:29,340
we need to diversify into different, areas.
593
00:39:29,340 --> 00:39:34,230
And that's also, our strategy, moving forward for the future.
594
00:39:34,230 --> 00:39:39,030
So we want to expand the reach into, more destinations.
595
00:39:39,030 --> 00:39:43,950
Now, we also realized that,
running operations, local operations
596
00:39:43,950 --> 00:39:48,240
is really, really hard, especially
if you're not, there.
597
00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:52,590
So, doing it all from
Orlando and opening up,
598
00:39:52,590 --> 00:39:56,640
destination across the country is,
is going to be as good as, as
599
00:39:56,640 --> 00:40:02,040
impossible or very, very expensive.
So, last year we decided to
600
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:07,110
go the franchise route.
So where we started the franchise.
601
00:40:07,110 --> 00:40:09,210
So that's that's what we're
doing now.
602
00:40:09,210 --> 00:40:14,070
So we're looking for like minded
entrepreneurs that that love the
603
00:40:14,070 --> 00:40:17,910
industry, that have a feeling, for, for hospitality.
604
00:40:17,910 --> 00:40:21,270
And I love that personal contact
with the owners and with guests.
605
00:40:21,420 --> 00:40:24,960
But I don't necessarily want to
do all the marketing and the
606
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:28,380
revenue management and the
distribution and the accounting.
607
00:40:28,380 --> 00:40:32,100
So that's where we come in.
So we want to do everything that
608
00:40:32,100 --> 00:40:35,730
we can do, centralize to just
streamline it, make it more
609
00:40:35,730 --> 00:40:39,510
efficient and and cheaper.
And then having like a local
610
00:40:39,510 --> 00:40:44,940
business owner in each area,
with a team of course, as they grow,
611
00:40:44,940 --> 00:40:50,190, taking care of the home owners,
the, the guests and the homes itself.
612
00:40:50,190 --> 00:40:54,690
So that's that's our strategy now, for the next few years.
613
00:40:55,170 --> 00:40:57,330
I like that a lot.
And it makes perfect sense when you
614
00:40:57,330 --> 00:40:59,820
say it, because I'm sitting here
listening to your story and I'm
615
00:40:59,820 --> 00:41:05,820
thinking, wow, you have now these
banks of knowledge and experience and
616
00:41:05,820 --> 00:41:12,150
information and, data points
and you have you have more data and
617
00:41:12,150 --> 00:41:16,440
Intel now that can be leveraged, but I'm, I'm trying to
618
00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:20,040
connect the dots on how to how to
leverage it without getting into
619
00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:22,380
a completely other bit, you know,
new business, like, for example,
620
00:41:22,380 --> 00:41:25,620
you know, a lot about how to reach
guests and reach homeowners,
621
00:41:25,620 --> 00:41:28,890
which is a very tricky,
very complicated thing to do,
622
00:41:29,250 --> 00:41:31,650, since they don't live
necessarily in those homes.
623
00:41:31,650 --> 00:41:35,310
And so knowing how to do that and
do it well and have it optimized,
624
00:41:35,310 --> 00:41:38,790, for return is valuable.
But I, I'm as you're talking,
625
00:41:38,790 --> 00:41:41,550
I'm thinking, well,
then where where do you apply that.
626
00:41:41,550 --> 00:41:44,400
So the franchise model makes
perfect sense because it allows
627
00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:48,420
you to stay in your business,
and share that with, with new
628
00:41:48,420 --> 00:41:52,260
people who also have a passion for
hospitality. So I love that idea.
629
00:41:52,650 --> 00:41:55,980
Yeah. No, absolutely, we are our first venture
630
00:41:55,980 --> 00:41:59,880
outside of Orlando was Aruba, and we partner up there with,
631
00:41:59,880 --> 00:42:02,520
with local,
small property manager.
632
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:07,680
They were managing around 12 to
to to 15 homes and they were
633
00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:10,770
like stuck at that level.
They, they grew a little bit, but
634
00:42:10,770 --> 00:42:15,810
then it became too much and they had
to scale down because they couldn't
635
00:42:15,810 --> 00:42:18,870
really handle it anymore because
they didn't have the processes
636
00:42:18,870 --> 00:42:23,100
in place to, to really scale.
But now we partner up,
637
00:42:23,100 --> 00:42:27,210
we did exactly what I just explained
and with our branding and, and,
638
00:42:27,210 --> 00:42:30,660
and, knowledge and, and team
that we have here in Orlando,
639
00:42:30,660 --> 00:42:36,060
we were able to scale them from
those, 12 to 15 properties
640
00:42:36,060 --> 00:42:39,810
all the way to 100 properties in,
in less than two years.
641
00:42:39,810 --> 00:42:42,300
And they're now one of the
premier property management
642
00:42:42,300 --> 00:42:46,080
companies in Aruba.
That would have taken them probably a
643
00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:50,160
few more years doing it on their own.
So it it really works.
644
00:42:50,250 --> 00:42:53,430
Well, they're we're doing the
same in Miami now.
645
00:42:53,430 --> 00:42:57,390
And we think we can help a lot
of other, business owners
646
00:42:57,390 --> 00:43:02,400
and Airbnb hosts, to do the
same in their area. I love it.
647
00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:06,120
Well, hey, this has been,
very exciting for me to learn
648
00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:08,340
about your whole story and how
this came together.
649
00:43:08,340 --> 00:43:11,850
Congrats on all the success and what
you have planned for the future.
650
00:43:12,270 --> 00:43:14,610, if I,
if we put in the description
651
00:43:14,610 --> 00:43:18,360
information for people to reach you,
how can they reach you? Yeah.
652
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:21,390
Know they can reach out to me by
by email with.
653
00:43:21,490 --> 00:43:25,750
Will at my email address,
in the description and by LinkedIn.
654
00:43:25,750 --> 00:43:29,440
If you want to know more about
vacation rentals and everything
655
00:43:29,440 --> 00:43:33,430
that that's going on, feel
free to to follow me on LinkedIn.
656
00:43:34,550 --> 00:43:37,340
All right. That sounds good.
Thanks. Thanks again, Dennis.
657
00:43:37,340 --> 00:43:41,360
And. We'll talk to you soon.
Thank you. Pleasure being here.