Are you feeling isolated or lonely as a small business owner in a niche industry?
Many property managers are drawn to the vacation rental industry out of a passion for hospitality, some to mix a lifestyle of business and leisure, and others purely for investment purposes. Whatever inspired you to build or buy a vacation rental management company, the chances are the reality of the day-to-day operations do not meet the expectations you imagined when venturing into the leisure and hospitality industry.
The phenomenon of isolation is a reality for many property managers. Building, managing, and leading a successful business and team isn’t easy, the day to day operations of property management are seemingly endless, the ever changing technology available is overwhelming, and every single crisis comes calling on you, the business owner. At the end of the day, you may be thinking that entrepreneurship is lonely.
It’s easy (and common!) to be left feeling alone like nobody else understands your plight. If the phenomenon of isolation is a reality for you and you’re left feeling lonely at the top, there’s no need to ride the rollercoaster of highs and lows and carry the weighty burden of running a business alone. The vacation rental industry is a tightly woven community of passionate and inspired vacation rental professionals and there’s always a place to plug in.
Here are 6 easy steps from the team at Casago to stop isolation and entrepreneur loneliness and move into a space of inspiration, motivation, and a future of success as a small business owner.
1. Focus On Company Culture
Feeling isolated is both personally and professionally challenging, so create a work environment with a rock solid team that makes it easy to rise each day! Start with defining your in-house company culture and hand picking the right team to interact and work with day in and day out. Support and inspire your team and, in turn, they will support and inspire you as a leader.
2. Stay Connected
The phenomenon of isolation is on the increase as the hybrid work model becomes the new norm. This new norm, well it’s not normal! We’ve gone from a world of sharing welcoming stories and greeting guests face to face to contactless check-in, staff meetings around the table to zoom calls, and virtual concierges are fast replacing our guest interactions. We are being naturally disconnected from personal, face to face social contact so staying connected with your team, guests, and industry peers is vital to stepping away from isolation.
3. Make Friends With Your Competition
Do not be afraid of local competition, they are rowing a similar boat! Thanks to data analytics and competitive analysis tools, they probably already know everything about your business anyway. Whether you’re trying to tap into the same niche market as the property manager down the street or are exploring uncharted waters and building your own niche market – when you work together within your local community building bridges, not walls, everyone wins!
4. Join or Create a Local Advocacy Group
It’s hard to feel lonely and isolated when you join forces and build relationships with a group of inspired and like-minded industry partners with the same motivation to grow and protect your destination market. Get plugged in to a local STR advocacy group or, if you’re in an emerging travel destination with no existing advocacy groups, start a movement of your own.
5. Attend an Industry Conference or Event
After a couple years of virtual living, in-person conferences are back! Attending vacation rental industry events and conferences can be a game changer for you and your business. If cost is a consideration, the ROI of attending the right conference is high. Industry events offer an interactive hands-on learning environment to develop new skills, brainstorm and share ideas, stay current with the latest industry news and trends, connect with professionals and industry leaders, and have fun!
Contact us today to learn about our conferences and appearances!
Upcoming Vacation Rental Industry Conferences & Events:
- Steamline Summit 22 | September 7-9, 2022 | Scottsdale, AZ
- Vacation Rental World Summit | September 15-16, 2022 | Portugal
- VRM Xtravaganza | September 19-21 | Orlando, FL
- Book Direct Show | October 18-19, 2022 | The Book Direct Show – Miami, FL
- VRMA International Conference | October 23-26, 2022 | Las Vegas, NV
- VRM Intel Live | November 3, 2022 | South Lake Tahoe, CA
- The Phocuswright Conference | November 14-17, 2022 | Phoenix, AZ
- VRM Intel Live | November 30, 2022 | SW Florida
- Expo Renta Vacacional 2022 | November 30-December 3, 2022 | Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico
- Vacation Rental Women’s Summit | TBA
6. Collaborate with Other Professionals
Collaborate with a team of industry professionals that are on your side, invested in your success, and face the same employee, homeowner, and guest dynamics in their day to day operations. Casago’s franchise structure is a groundswell of vacation rental diehards who love what we do and love to share and grow best practices and innovations. It’s great to be the owner of your own company and still have a group of peers that are invested in your success and building a solid foundation for the future.
The Casago franchise system appeals to motivated, qualified vacation rental professionals around the world who want to deliver unforgettable service and results to their clients and transform the “lonely at the top” syndrome into a “mentorship of peers” that exchange ideas, inspire, and win together.
To learn more about Casago (or even just to say hi!) contact our team online or give us a call at (877) 276-5745 or (638) 383-0700 for Mexico.
