I Found the NEXT Big Stars in Short-Term Rentals

[00:00:00] Mark: Welcome back Bruce Lee family. It's been a while. I'll been doing well. We are coming into Q2 of 2025 and a couple of months ago I put out a podcast to let you know of the content creators that I'm, we are paying attention to in 2025 while I'm back with another edition because. There are lots of content creators that are on my radar at the moment and ones that I wanna share with you to follow along.

[00:00:24] Mark: Last time I did this in January, it was very US heavy, so I have on purposely gone and looked further afield and brought more to you. And again, these content creators aren't the big ones that you are all more aware of, like the Sean JE issues or the Rob Abba Solos, or Danny Stein or the Robinsons or X or Y or Z.

[00:00:47] Mark: These are ones that are probably up and coming. Some you will have heard of, some you haven't. Some are on platforms that you probably aren't using. But again, I recommend that you do go and do so and again, if you want to find out who they are, make sure you check the description because I'll make sure I include all the links onto the platforms that I think they're the best.

[00:01:07] Mark: In there and do reach out and say, Hey, I discovered you on the Brucely. Uh, because it is always cool to see who goes and follows who from this. Um, when I did this in January, I didn't expect it to get as much traction as it did. Um, it was funny because in the comments there were other content creators saying, Hey, why are I on this list?

[00:01:28] Mark: And so this is why I wanted to do another one because I think I only put five or six in the last one. And you know, there are a ton of people out there who are doing good work and. One content creator who's talking about their journey in this world of Airbnb and short-term rentals is gonna be so different to what other people are.

[00:01:45] Mark: And again, this isn't like the, the ones that everybody knows about. This could be people that you have never heard of. These I, I've on purposely gone into the world that I feel are like on the up and coming and ones that everybody should be paying attention to. And there are loads more that are on the, on the draft list that didn't make this cut.

[00:02:00] Mark: So again, I'll probably do another one of these, who knows in the summer, maybe at the back end of this year. So first and foremost, the first one on our list is Taylor Jones. Um, now I have been aware of Taylor for a long while. Um, uh, he is part of the brucely world in some way, shape or form, but he posts some of the most engaging content on LinkedIn that I have seen.

[00:02:29] Mark: So make sure you go and check him out. Um. One post that he did recently, which he was just stating facts and stats, was talking about how Airbnb released numbers that the majority of hosts, so the host profile, the profile picture that you see on Airbnb is of a female. And this, he talked about the psychological aspect of that where, um.

[00:02:54] Mark: People like to communicate more with females than they do with males. It was very polarizing. Obviously the comments were spicy. Uh, but this is the sort of, uh, awareness that he, he gets and he doesn't talk about spicy or disruptive stuff or political stuff all the time. He's got some really truly quality content in there.

[00:03:13] Mark: And on my LinkedIn feed. I would say that his is one of the first that I go and check out whenever, if I'm having a little update or a little scrolly scroll on a, on LinkedIn, on, on a, on a daily basis. So Taylor Jones, definitely go check out. The next up is somebody that if you look on their Instagram or on their TikTok, you'd be like, why haven't they got more followers?

[00:03:36] Mark: Go over to their YouTube channel. And again, they've got a lot of followers and subscribers on there. And it's a couple who have been documenting their journey in Joshua Tree since day one. Like the, the pros of it, the cons of it, the struggles of it, and how their storytelling is phenomenal. I think that Kristen and, and Michael, and again, I'll make sure I link it up properly, um, they're somebody that.

[00:04:03] Mark: Again, I, when they put a, a new video out as they document their journey, it's like a, it's like a vlog style, but obviously they vlogging about their journey in and around short term rentals. Airbnb, again, I think it's been going for a couple of years now, and I had the pleasure of chatting to them on, on a Zoom call and just sort of had a very little brief chat about direct bookings.

[00:04:25] Mark: And again, I think at the time it was just way over their head. But recently they've been putting more content out about direct bookings. They use Lofi, which is obviously a brucely partner, and I couldn't be more happy of them. They don't even have a brucely website that I've probably got no interest in working with Brucely, but I am definitely giving them the, the, the love behind the scenes as I, as I see their content.

[00:04:47] Mark: Uh, talk more about marketing because they are very good at creating content. They are very good at documenting and. I said this to quite a lot of people that just by posting on social media your journey, when you document over create, you'd be amazed at how many people will follow along. And what will even a, uh, amaze you even more is that even if you are followed by just other hosts, how they could also turn into potential guests, which.

[00:05:20] Mark: Is epic. And that's the beauty of social media. And I feel there's a, there's a story to be told there, and Kristen and Michael are probably two of the, that are best at it, is that you use social media to be social. Okay. And when you do it that way, um, you'd be amazed at the results that come on the back of it.

[00:05:37] Mark: So Kristen and Michael are amazing. Next up we've got somebody who is in the uk, so we're bringing it to the uk. Uh, and again, this chap, as far as I'm aware, is only on LinkedIn, is the only place that I see his posts. He's a Northerner. Uh, they used to have a, a, a website with, with Bruce Lee. We put it together for them and now they've gone off onto their own or they've improved it and all that good stuff.

[00:05:58] Mark: It's Matthew Robson. So Matthew Robson, uh, again. Doesn't, uh, shirk his words, so to speak. He says it as it is, and his content, again, goes down really well on LinkedIn. Again, just documenting the, the, the process talks about how they do things, lays it all out. And on the back of it, he, he's shown this how many leads that he gets on LinkedIn when he, when he posts again, uh.

[00:06:27] Mark: He's probably, when I open up LinkedIn, whether it's in the morning or, or whenever, and I'm having just a little luck, his posts are always right there at the top because he's the ones that I read, uh, read in full. And again, he's, he's in an area of the uk, which is the Northeast Middlesborough. Um, some of it's close to, close to home 'cause we used to live up that way.

[00:06:45] Mark: And again, on LinkedIn, Matthew Robson, I'll make sure I link him up, go and check him out and go drop a follow. Next up, I was debating whether to put this chap's name in because, uh, I feel like a lot of people may know who he is, but I know that a, a lot of people still won't know who he is. And this is Ben Wolf.

[00:07:03] Mark: And, um, we did a episode of the STR collab. I think in the backend of 2024, um, mad brought IBE and just super down to earth guy. Really, really nice. But the way that he talks about social media, the way that he talks about Instagram and how I. His views and his theories on how one of these OTAs is gonna become the, so one of these social media apps is gonna become the next OTA is fascinating to me.

[00:07:35] Mark: He's got the numbers, he's got the stats to back it up. Um, he's a prime example of utilizing social media, uh, to, to get bookings. And again, his brand has grown massively because of it. He now travels, travels around speaking at events, talking about this, and again, um, somebody that I always go to sort of read his LinkedIn posts to try and figure out what he's thinking and the way that he views things.

[00:08:02] Mark: Smart App, very, very talented. Very, very clever. And you know, this is what I love about reading his, his post on LinkedIn and what I'm realizing here is that Taylor, Matthew, Ben. I'm checking them out on LinkedIn, which again is fascinating to see like where my social media learning is pivoting to in 2025, which again, I've just realized that by reading this out.

[00:08:28] Mark: Next up is, um, Gareth Brown bringing it back to Instagram. So Gar is the new, I would say, short-term rental go-to on BiggerPockets. Um, he has got a podcast channel up called Bigger Stays, I believe, and his content and what he's putting out with obviously BiggerPockets is, is really fascinating to me. I, I love the angle that they're going down that route of where you could argue that BiggerPockets used to be all in on short term rentals.

[00:08:56] Mark: Obviously that's where Rob Abba Solo and David Green used to host it and, uh, they've gone on their separate ways, et cetera. But Garrett has come in and he's, he's doing a really, really good job. Creating content that I find is fascinating. And, uh, the, the latest one that I saw where he went and, um, interviewed, uh, an oh, a host at the property, um, talking to them, I feel like is a, is a great way to go, sort of taking a leaf out of, um.

[00:09:24] Mark: What others are, are, are definitely doing like Zach Bookie Cruz, et cetera, and I feel like it is one to watch the biggest stays channel, which is part of BiggerPockets, which is obviously huge, but the bigger stays is a very small YouTube channel that I recommend everybody do go and check out and put it as part of their subs.

[00:09:39] Mark: But on Instagram, again, I. Post really good content has got some fantastic stories. Uh, and I feel like guest horror stories, that content just always works on Instagram 'cause everybody's got a story to tell. There's a story behind every booking. It's why hospitable hosts became so popular. Next up is somebody that I am now working closely with is Emily Leko.

[00:10:04] Mark: Emily is going to be speaking very soon at the Boost Your Bookings Bootcamp as our social media expert. And I've seen the work that she's been doing with Level Up Legal listing, uh, hospitality fm. She works behind the scenes, the her team on the socials for that. And I've brought her in to be helping Brucely, uh, as well because I feel like it's fascinating to see.

[00:10:27] Mark: And I'm excited to see and document how Emily and her company help Brucely and our social medias behind the scenes. Uh, obviously I'll still be posting and doing all those things, but, um. It's, it is really interesting to work with Emily and her team and I look at what she's doing and how she creates content, but now, most importantly, because it's easy to create content for yourself, but how do you then do that for others, not just hospitality people, but vendors as well.

[00:10:53] Mark: And I feel like Emily's gonna be one that's just gonna blow up and you're gonna see more and more. It's got this lovely Tennessee accent. Um, and again, a really, really good follow. Please make sure you go check, check out her channel. And I'll link up to Instagram. So, as you will know, this year, the last sort of eight months, I've spent a lot of time in Dubai and, and speaking a lot about Dubai because I think it's a fascinating place.

[00:11:17] Mark: Um, and everybody who is in Dubai will know about this chap. And, uh, this chap is called Berger Four Paulson, um, otherwise known as sublease in Dubai. His channel has blown up over the last year 'cause he's been very transparent and he's documented his journey from zero units to a hundred units while doing subleasing.

[00:11:37] Mark: Now those of you in Dubai, you'll obviously subleasing is very Marmite. It's uh, you either hate it or you, you love it or you use it or you don't lose it. There's a lot of opinions on it. But Berg for has documented his journey. He's absolutely blown up. And again, I've had the pleasure of meeting him very briefly.

[00:11:54] Mark: I think we're gonna hopefully do some work together in, in, in the future. But he is so transparent. He puts his numbers out there, whether he is had a good month or a bad month, and now his model, other people are replicating. Um, so many people in Dubai follow the model. I now see people in the states follow his model as well as how he does this.

[00:12:13] Mark: Uh, and again, very transparent, but because of that, because of him blowing up, he literally now doesn't have to scrap the deals. People are literally giving him the deals and he's obviously started up a management. Company brand on the back of it. And his YouTube channel just goes from strength to strength.

[00:12:28] Mark: So again, go check out Berg for sublease in Dubai, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube is there and the final one, bringing it back to America. And again, um, I. Somebody may use his tool BB calc, some people may use him. People may uh, follow him already. People may pass his mastermind. I know we've got Ryan who is a, a part of his mastermind who is a, a Team Brucely member, but it's just somebody that is just started up a YouTube channel.

[00:12:56] Mark: Um, I'm, I'm sort of using us as a barometer as we grow in 2025. And he's, what I'm trying to keep up with is Jeremy Ver, um, really nice guy. Very funny. Uh, I've had the pleasure of meeting him a number of times over in Nashville at STI Wealth and hopefully gonna do more and more over the future with, uh, with Jeremy.

[00:13:17] Mark: But, uh, again, he's just, he's got a fantastic new YouTube channel. Um, he, he's creating great content and he's definitely won that. I think everybody should be following in 2025. Okay, that was the wife calling. I hope that didn't get picked up on the channel, uh, on the recording. But I will make sure that we record and we document and we place down all the links for all of our content creators.

[00:13:42] Mark: Please do go and check 'em out. And if you are not on this list and you're going, mark, I want to be on this list, then let me know. Stand up, start doing really cool stuff, and who knows, I may show you at some point this year. Thank you very much for tuning into the Boost Lee Podcast. We are closing in fast on 800 episodes.

[00:13:59] Mark: Uh, who knows what happens when we get to 800. Um, I definitely want to start writing this book that I've been planning for a while. Uh, the finale in the book direct series where I document all the people that we've interviewed, all the hosts that we've interviewed, and take down their stories and put it into like a book that's like the tools of Titan, like Tim Ferris.

[00:14:16] Mark: And I feel like when I get to episode 800 up, I've been the perfect time to maybe pause this. Get down the stories and turn it into a book. 'cause 800, it just seems like a lot one that I don't think anybody else who's gonna get close to in this, in this, in this industry. Um, 'cause it is unbelievably hard to get to 800 episodes.

[00:14:35] Mark: It's even hard to get to a hundred episodes, nevermind. 800. Um. But with that being said, thank you very much. Please, if you've enjoyed this, share it around and post it in groups, grab it, share it, tell everybody about it. Um, we're, we're so close to, to getting to that number mark, and I'd love to do a, a really cool 800 episode to celebrate.

[00:14:53] Mark: So with that being said, thank you very much for tuning in. Thank you very much to Liam, who is a fantastic co-host, and I'll see you all very soon.