Unlocked by Matt Landau

Latest Episodes:

EP51: The DNA of a Movement with Scott Shatford Nov 27, 2019

Show notes

Scott Shatford is the founder of Airdna, which is (by my estimates) the most cited resource in the short term rental industry. I have been virtual friends with Scott since about 5 years back when he and I were sort of dueling vacation rental experts.

But soon thereafter, Scott took the relatively simple idea of compiling all the data on Airbnb properties, and built it atop a fascinating business model. Lately, AirDNA is getting more and more into the general vacation rental space, so the conversation with Scott is about much more than just AirBNB.

He was at VRMA in New Orleans so I stole the opportunity to ask about how Scott started the company (and continues to run it) with his Dad!?!? How he and his wife book vacation rentals when they go on vacation. And how the seemingly rude idea of "scraping" is actually a best practice that can help every stakeholder of our movement.

I also gotta say, Scott is also just really cool guy -- it's been neat to watch him (like so many of our industry colleagues) building and evolving over the last 5 years. We all get to watch one another grow!

If you want to innovate like Scott, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page): https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links and people mentioned in the episode:

AirDNA: https://www.airdna.co

The Theory of Limited Edition: https://www.vrmb.com/ltd/

Future Stay: https://www.futurestay.com

EP50: Dirty Laundry with Elizabeth Maora Sickels Nov 20, 2019

Show notes

Elizabeth Maora Sickels is one of those people with infectious energy: she's one of those people who you can't help but want to listen to and hang out with. I first discovered Elizabeth on LinkedIn where she was posting a regular stream of videos titled "Dirty Laundry" in which she'd address one less-than-savory aspect of the short term rental business. The videos are as hilarious as they are true to the bone. So when I learned that Elizabeth was going to be attending the Streamline Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, I took the chance to get her into the roving podcast studio for an interview.

Elizabeth's Executive Goddess vacation rental work takes place in Indianapolis -- where she runs a fleet of short term rentals, in addition to providing rehab project management, design, furnishing, and property management services for others. She's one of those professionals who build trust through helping (not selling): who endears guests and clients with honest storytelling. This episode is worth a thousand laughs.

If you want to innovate like Elizabeth, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page): https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links and people mentioned in the episode:

Elizabeth Maora, LLC: https://elizabethmaorallc.com

Dirty Laundry (Elizabeth's Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-maora-sickels-8832605/

Rental Laws by State: https://www.landlordology.com/state-laws/

EP 49: The New Southern Hospitality with Corey Jones Nov 13, 2019

Show notes

Corey Jones is the creator of Lucky Savannah, which in my humble opinion is one of the most impressive boutique vacation rental companies in the world. Corey got started in short term rentals, like many people, by complete accident. A visiting French student was secretly renting out historic Savannah property, and when she disappeared, she left him a note: you should continue renting this property on VRBO.

Today, Corey owns and operates a veritable short term rental empire, but he's also stretching the definition of hospitality by purchasing and revamping a motel on nearby Tybee Island (complete with popsicle phone). The conversation takes place in downtown Savannah but represents some of the most comprehensive small business planning the hospitality world has ever seen.

If you want to innovate like Corey, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page): https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links and people mentioned in the episode:

Lucky Savanah: https://www.luckysavannah.com

Mrs. Wilkes: https://mrswilkes.com

Little Tybee Island: https://tybeeisland.com/site/little-tybee-island/

The Royal Palms Motel: https://www.theroyalpalmsmotel.com

EP 48: Made for This with Jodi Refosco Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

Jodi Refosco has built her Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations into a veritable empire in Deep Creek Maryland, but it wasn't an easy start. She grew up with vacation rentals as the family business, but restarted in the depths of the financial crisis with a single property.

From paying cleaning staff by taking on late night snow-plow work to dealing with competitors, owners, and guests - Jodi has invaluable knowledge to share about every facet of the vacation rental business. More recently, she has begun to do this through her work with VRMA, and now at the 2019 VRMA event, I got a chance to sit down with her and capture her story for this podcast.

If you want to innovate like Jodi, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page): https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links and people mentioned in the episode:

Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations: https://www.deepcreekvacations.com

Mike Copps Podcast Episode: https://www.vrmb.com/podcast/ep31-one-industry-voice-with-mike-copps-of-vrma/

VRMA: www.vrma.org

St. John Episode of the Vacation Rental Show: https://youtu.be/1-EZa7CH_ew

EP 47: The Forcefield with CJ Stam Oct 30, 2019

Show notes

CJ Stam is a vacation rental legend to many who know him. He has built Southern Comfort Cabin Rentals into one of the best cabins getaway fleets in the American South, and now he is focusing on new purpose-built cabins for his vacation rental fleet.

I was road tripping recently and decided to stop and do an in-depth podcast with CJ. In-depth podcasting with CJ may or may not involve real estate site visits, laundry facilities, moonshine, fish, strange appalachian mists...you get the idea. Much like our Blue Ridge Vacation Rental Show episode, it was truly a next level adventure.

What emerged from all this isn't just a portrait of one of the world's leading vacation rental professionals -- its a veritable masterclass in a concept we're calling The Forcefield. CJ lays out practical, in-depth tips for fortifying your business against against anything that may come. The protection this forcefield provides is also crucial for supercharging the growth of your business.

Get some!

If you want to innovate like CJ, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page): https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links and people mentioned in the episode:

Southern Comfort Cabin Rentals: https://www.southerncomfortcabinrentals.com

Blue Ridge Georgia: https://www.blueridgemountains.com

The Appalachian Trail: https://www.blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/appalachian-trail/

Steve Milo: https://www.vrmintel.com/author/stevemilo/

VRMB: www.vrmb.com

EP 44: Finding Our Voice with Sarah Bradford Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

Sarah Bradford of Winter Park Lodging & Steamboat Lodging Company not only grew to 160 highly-respected properties from just a handful, she also has her own vacation rental-themed podcast and strong opinions about Norwegian-inspired design.

I had a chance to sit down with Sarah at the Streamline Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sarah is a regular on the conference circuit and has developed a 360-degree understanding of the industry. Above all else, Sarah has the attitude of a winner: her positivity is infectious and nothing -- not even a huge hotel room wall -- can bring her down.

If you want to innovate like Sarah, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page): https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links and people mentioned in the episode:

Sarah and T Podcast: https://sarahandt.com

Winter Park Lodging Company: https://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com

Steam Boat Lodging Company: https://www.steamboatlodgingcompany.com

The Phoenician Scottsdale: https://www.thephoenician.com

Streamline Summit: https://www.streamlinesummit.com

Mel Robbins: https://melrobbins.com

EP 45: The Advocate with Jennifer Frankenstein-Harris Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

Jennifer Frankenstein-Harris built her Great Ocean Condos business in New Smyrna Beach Florida into a 300+ property empire after being unable to find a technology-forward management company for a single property. Now the largest manager in her area, Jennifer has played an important role in raising the standards and holding colleagues accountable in her region.

I had a chance to sit down with Jennifer during the recent 2019 VRMA International Conference in New Orleans and talk about the industry, why we shouldn't call it an industry, advocacy and property rights, and growing up in New Jersey (for a whopping12 minutes!) Jennifer's attitude about the industry and business in general is upbeat and laser focused. She's fun to be around -- you can't help but want to join in.

If you want to innovate like Jennifer, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page): https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links and people mentioned in the episode:

Great Ocean Condos: https://www.greatoceancondos.com

New Symrna Beach: https://visitnsbfl.com

VRMA: http://www.vrma.org

Rental Network Software: https://www.rental-network.com

US Constitution: https://constitutionus.com

Florida State College of Music: https://music.fsu.edu/programs

EP 46: Industry Pulse with Amy Hinote Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

Amy Hinote is an industry legend and I finally managed to get her on a podcast prior to VRMA international in New Orleans, the first city she got drunk in as a teenager.

Amy rolled in with an entourage of vacation rental luminaries including Steve Milo, Simon Lehmann, and Heather Bayer, so the peanut gallery was intimidating...but that would not stop us.

In this interview, we learn the history of VRMIntel through Amy's personal growth from finance and political science to vacation rentals. We then dovetail into a discussion about the venture capital pouring into the industry and what it means for independent owners and managers.

We also play out the worst case scenario for the vacation rental industry with players like Vacasa wielding so much clout. This interview is as fun and delightful as it is informative. And leave it to Amy to only do podcast interviews when they're attached to cocktail parties.

If you want to innovate like Amy, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page):

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links and people mentioned in the episode:

VRM Intel: https://www.vrmintel.com

VRMB Inner Circle: https://bit.ly/2oVkOzr

VRMA: http://www.vrma.org

VTrips: www.vrtrips.com

Simon Lehmann: https://premium-speakers.com/en/speaker-presenter/simon-lehmann/

EP 43: VRMA Wrap-up with Terry Whyte Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

After an action packed VRMA week, I got the chance to sit down with Terry Whyte and talk about the conference as well as software and I wanted to share our conversation while VRMA is fresh in everyone's minds.

Please note that the 4th Season of Point Central sponsored Unlocked launches next Wednesday the 23rd of October!

Links mentioned in this episode:

www.vrma.org

www.vrmb.com/keystone-awards/

EP 42: Big Learnings and Takeaways [Season 3] Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

This episode takes a look back on Matt Landau's favorite lessons from the season.

Links:

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

https://www.vrmb.com/podcast/ep40-short-term-rent-long-term-win-with-matt-hoffman/

https://www.vrmb.com/podcast/ep36-a-theater-of-growth-with-cliff-johnson/

https://www.vrmb.com/podcast/ep-34-no-time-to-waste-with-megan-mccrea/