āI was trying to find a second income source …ā
As a husband, father, and manager of his familyās lawn care business in Lexington, Kentucky, the last thing on Sethās mind 6 years ago was adding a second businessā¦
- āThe rate that we were going, adding more responsibility, like owning and operating Airbnbās, was not on my radar.ā
But Seth had heard of friends who rented out their homes to tourists during a local horse race event called āThe Breeders Cupā. And he wanted to give it a tryā¦
āBabe, we could make an extra $25,000 over this…ā
In just 1 weekend they made a couple thousand dollars. But was it luck?
The following Spring, another horse race came to town. And Seth wanted to put it to the test. Only this time it would be for several weekends in a rowā¦and theyād have to temporarily move out again.
āI just kept thinking if we made a few thousand in just that 1 weekend, how much we could make in 5? So I went to my wife and said babe, if we move out earlier, we can make an extra $25,000 over this 5-6 week period.ā
With a brand new baby, Sethās wife was reluctant. But she agreed that it was a sacrifice worth making to see if there was something to this whole vacation rental business.
āI actually fell in love with hospitality…ā
Sethās hunch was right. He made well over $25K in those few weekends alone.
But what surprised Seth the most wasnāt how much money he had made. But how much he fell in love with hospitality.
- āIt was exciting you know? To be able to show people our city, provide hospitality, and have people be so excited and passionate about the type of vacation rental service we offered. After that, we knew this was no longer an experiment and we were going to do this for real.ā
āThings started to unravel fast…ā
Airbnb working ok for the first few properties. He had happy guests and bookings. But by properties 8 & 9ā¦things started to go south quickly.
Guests wanted to book with Seth directly. But by taking things āofflineā it made it impossible to recreate that high quality guest experience.Ā
- āGuest communication is constant. You are messaging them before, during and after their stay. In order to have that level of communication processes in place, you need software. But anytime I booked someone direct, I lost those auto-triggers.ā
Relying on sticky notes and his memory started to cause a lot of stress. Seth constantly worried if he had missed or forgotten to book a guests stay. Until one day, he actually didā¦
āThey suspended my accountā¦ā
But a day Seth will never forget, the day thatĀ changed the trajectory of his business forever, was when he noticed a slow down in his Airbnb bookingsā¦
āI called them to find out why and they said ya it looks like your account is suspended. And I was like wait what? How? Did a party happen that I was unaware of? Like you have to tell me why.ā
And the reason made Seth realize he really had no control over his business at allā¦
āI needed to build something of my ownā¦ā
Although Seth was grateful to Airbnb for getting him started, he knew something had to change. He needed to level the playing field by getting direct bookingsā¦but he was going to need a website.
He considered hiring someone on Fiverr to build it for him, but he wasnāt comfortable with their pricing structureā¦
- āThey were all open ended contracts. They all knew code, but were gonna charge me like $80/hour. So I didnāt know if it would take them 10 hours OR 100 hours. So it just felt really unstable.ā
Seth even tried using a free 1 page direct booking website provided by his PMS. But it just fell flatā¦
- āI felt like I was just checking a box. Do I have a direct booking website? Checkā¦but I wasnāt proud of it. And my guests wouldnāt use it.ā
āThe Boostly websites looked immaculateā¦ā
Then one day while attending a STR conference, Seth heard Mark Simpson speak about direct bookings and his Boostly websites.Ā
- āI literally went back to my hotel room and checked out their website. And the websites were so professional looking, no different than a Four Seasons or a Marriott website. I just knew they were the solution I was looking for.ā
āI was worried about the cost at firstā¦ā
The higher price tag made Seth uneasy at first. But then he got to interact with real Boostly websites and he was hookedā¦
- āAny company can create a demo. But being able to go to real peopleās websites and play around with them. Thatās what got me past the sticker shock.ā
āHow involved do I have to be?ā
Seth loved the way Boostly websites looked and worked. But he still had concerns about the processā¦
- āFor me it was how involved am I going to have to be? How would they know what colors I wanted them to use? Are we gonna have to meet five, six, seven weeks to get all of it done? Iām not sure I had time for any of it.ā
But Boostly walked him through every step, to include a detailed questionnaire in order to gather all the information they needed for his website.
āI canāt believe this is my websiteā¦ā
After going through the questionnaire it wasnāt long before Boostly delivered the very first prototype of Sethās new direct booking website.
- āLike I knew we had photogenic properties. I knew we had a high quality guest experience. But I never knew the potential until the first time I laid eyes on what Boostly created. The way they designed it, the copy they wrote, how easy it was to useā¦it was so professional and on brand. It just blew me away.ā
Sethās Website:Ā sixgenrentals.com
āThere was doubt, especially from othersā¦ā
Seth didnāt see a ton of direct bookings right away. He knew direct bookings was all about patience and consistency before he started seeing results. Still, that self doubt was always inside making him wonder if heād made the right decision.Ā
But what was harder for him to deal with, was the doubt from others. Especially from those who were closest to himā¦
- āThere were a lot of arguments. With family, friends, even my wife. And rightly so, the risk was as much mine as it was hers.ā
If you asked Seth what the secret is to overcoming doubt? Heād tell you there is no secret. Just having tough conversations and laying out a plan.
āOur first true direct booking brought in $6,000…ā
By implementing email marketing and staying consistent, Seth saw his very first direct booking about 3 months after his site went live.Ā
And it covered the entire cost of the Boostly websiteā¦
- āOur first true direct booking, that we didnāt like solicit, was around $5K-$6K. And that was a huge moment because it covered the initial cost of the website itself. But it also made me realize I was regaining control of my business.ā
āIt allowed my wife to do what she truly wanted…ā
Before Boostly, Seth hoped his 2 properties would bring in an additional $100,000. Today, Six Gen Rentals has scaled to 15 properties earning 10X that amount.
But having a direct booking game has given Seth and his family so much more than additional income. Like his wife being able to stay at home to raise their childrenā¦
Seth believes success is a destination, not a mark. And heās excited for whatās to comeā¦
- āIām excited to continue to provide great hospitality. Iām excited to become less and less dependent on the OTAs. In the few short months weāve had our site live and working on our marketing, weāre already seen huge returns. So for me thatās exciting to watch that process work and feel like Iām in complete control.āĀ
But what he believes Boostly helped him achieve most, is a strong foundation that will support generations to comeā¦
āFear is always going to be there, sometimes you just gotta take the leap…ā
Sethās biggest fear in life is regret. Had he let fear win that day, when he debated purchasing a Boostly website, heās certain he wouldnāt be sitting where he is today.
If thereās one piece of advice Seth could give anyone who was like him, worrying about whether a Boostly website is the right decision, is to not let fear hold you back.
The best time to start was yesterdayā¦
Ā