We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lindsay Verwys. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lindsay below.
Lindsay , appreciate you joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?
Yes we take vacations as a couple and as a family. The key for us is to avoid taking the vacations in the extreme busy times. We shoot for the off season (October/Nov and April).
We have been able to step away more frequently during busy times with the support of our team. We started by going away for a night or two while still being close in case an issue arose. During the time away we trusted our management to a team member we were cultivating and training. Having them step into this role with us not being to far away helped create independence but also there was a safety net in case something happened. Because of this we’ve been able to be away for longer durations each time.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the owner of Boyneland Vacation Rentals. We’ve been managing vacation rentals for owners who typically live out of the area and have a second home in the Boyne Area. We are wrapping up our 5th year of management at the end of 2023. We started by renting our own home out on Airbnb in 2013. We had just finished off our walk out basement and could “live down there” while guests rented our main home. We had a great experience renting out to skiers on the weekends and the winter income helped pay off the renovations we had just finished. Fast forward to 2019 and had just had our 4th child. I was a stay at home mom who was craving a little creativity and “out of the home” fullfillment. A friend of ours cleaned a condo for a couple who was frustrated with their current management company and wanted someone who was more hands on and passionate about managing their second home. We got introduced to the couple and before we knew it Boyneland Vacation Rentals was born. We created an LLC, a business model and jumped in feet first with our first owners- we still manage their properties (now 4 of them) today. Since 2019 we have grown by word of mouth and manage about 20 properties around the greater Boyne area. We’ve added two of our own properties to the protfolio as well.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I am adverse to risk. I didn’t want to start a business that required a lot of capital. I told my husband who was constantly encouraging me to start something of my own that I would only do it if it cost next to nothing! Property management has allowed us to do just such a thing. We inherited one christmas $500 from a family members passing. I remember depositing that amount into our business bank account as our “initial investment” That $500 covered the up front costs of creating the LLC, and buying some stocking supplies for our condos, like toilet paper, and coffee. The first rental we had a guest stole a trash can. When I discovered this “loss” I thought there would be no way this business could make it…having to make such a costly purchase out of pocket ($5 from the dollar store) that I hunted the guest down and asked for a reimbursement. They obliged. We joke about this now!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I’m a big fan of audio books, podcasts and paperbacks. Some of my favorite podcasts in business are:
EntreLeadership (Dave Ramsey)
Bigger Pockets Real Estate
Thanks for Visiting
Books I’ve read:
Boostly: The Book Direct Playbook
Dave Ramsey: EntreLeadership
The Tax guide for Short term Rentals
Whenever I find myself stepping back into the roll to clean a condo I always have a podcast or audiobook going about Short Term Rental management or Leadership/Management. I really enjoy learning and implimenting new ideas.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boyneland.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boyneland/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boyneland/