We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Montelongo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Many years ago, I was living in South Florida because I was in grad school studying to become a Biologist. I was in my very last year where your only responsibility is to write up all of the projects and work that you did from the 5 previous years to create a cohesive scientific dissertation. Because I did not need to be on campus anymore, my wife sold her business that she started in Florida and we used the money to buy our first townhome in our hometown of Houston. Although the home was paid off, it was small and old and not cute at all. But we were so excited to make it our own. Right around that time, Hurricane Harvey hit and devastated the entire city. We stayed up all night watching the water rise, not knowing what would happen to our new home. I don’t know how, but right when the water was 1cm from entering the lowest point of our home, the rain STOPPED! The roads were flooded for days, but our yard drained quickly and everything was fine. We couldn’t believe it! We were trapped for a few days with nothing to do, so we ended up binge watching all 5 seasons of Fixer Upper. I did not watch the show with the intention of learning anything, but subconsciously, I think this definitely put the bug in my head! After the storm cleared, and we all went back to business as usual, I went back to writing. I would wake up every day and write from 7am-noon, take a lunch break and get back to it until around 6pm when my wife got home. It was absolutely grueling! One day, I went downstairs to grab something to eat for lunch and I stared at the ugly orange oak builder grade cabinets. Why did they choose that hideous color? Why did they put SO many in such a small space? I hated them so much. While my food was heating in the microwave, I had a quick thought: “I wonder how hard these are to take off?”. I ran to the garage and grabbed my drill. I took 6 screws out of the cabinet and it came right off the wall. I couldn’t believe how easy it was! I continued and took the second, third and fourth down. If I could get those off so easily, I wondered how hard it would be to get the ugly formica countertops off. Boom! They popped right off. By the time I realized I was in too deep, my wife came home. She is dramatic by nature, so I was certain she was going to yell at me for destroying the kitchen. But she looked at it and said, “ew yeah I hated those too!” and I knew that I was now going to have to commit to renovating it all. For the next 3 months, I wrote my dissertation from 7am-2pm, and renovated my kitchen from 2-6pm. I had no experience and relied only on google, YouTube & reddit. I’m a researcher by nature, so my toxic trait is thinking that I can watch a video about anything and then do it myself. I remodeled the kitchen, painted every wall in the house, redid the bathroom vanities, and laundry area. I wasn’t far off because by the time I graduated, we sold our home for $35k more than we paid for it, and only paid for about $10k in materials. After we leveled up and bought our next house, we had a little money saved & decided to buy a small condo to flip. My daughter was about 6 months at the time & I had just started a brand new sales job for a finance company (HUGE pivot from my biology degree, but I needed money and a break from academia!). I dropped my daughter off at daycare, worked on my full time job from 7am-2pm and changed to my dirty renovation clothes and laid tile, painted, laid flooring in the evening. Mind you, my kid was not sleeping through the night yet at this point, so I don’t know how I found it in me to do it all. But, after 3 months and $4k in materials, we sold the condo and made $20k profit! We did this 2 more times before we finally had enough to hire a contractor. I took a step back and focused only on the design of the homes and let the contractor handle the heavy lifting. It opened up a lot of time for us, so we decided to celebrate the finalization of my daughter’s adoption by taking her to Disney World. Because of the baby, we didn’t want to stay in a hotel, so we took a chance renting our first Airbnb. My wife & I were so thrilled by the experience, that we toyed with the idea of owning our own. But, I didn’t know much about the market in Houston and didn’t feel comfortable owning one in a tourist destination where I couldn’t manage it myself. So we put the idea on the back burner. Then the pandemic happened and it was getting increasingly difficult to find good deals for home flips. We decided to try our hand at being a Landlord, and we bought a place and rented it out. We did it again and again and again, and we now own, rent & manage 12 units in Houston. Then in January 2022, I made the tough decision to leave my job. I tried to move up in the company multiple times, but was passed over for less qualified men because… they are men. It was not the healthiest place for me to be, so I left. I had no idea what my next move would be, but I saved a lot of money and was fully prepared to spend the next year figuring it out. We figured it was a good time for a change of scenery so we packed up and moved to Austin! From the second we decided to move, I remembered how the short term rental market was booming in Austin & I knew I would have to get in somehow. I naively looked up real estate prices thinking that we could use the money from the sale of our Houston home to buy a home to Airbnb in Austin…LOL!!! The prices in Austin were astronomical in comparison, so my dream was pretty much squashed immediately. I was getting antsy, so I decided to apply for some jobs in a bunch of new fields. I applied as an interior designer, a construction project manager, an interior designer for Starbucks locations, and a manager for my dream company, Magnolia. I was denied for ALL of them. Although I had designed and successfully flipped 14 homes at this point, I did not “have enough experience” to be an interior designer or a construction project manager. The companies that did call me also had poor employee reviews and I just could not allow myself to get into another company that did not value their female employees. I was stuck and demoralized. I remember crying one night asking the universe how I could use all of my skills in a way that makes sense…in a way that makes money, makes people happy, and makes me happy? Everyone tells me I’m not experienced or qualified enough. HOW will I do it?!! Then in the shower one night, I thought,” I can’t afford a property to Airbnb, so how can I get into Airbnbs without having to actually own the properties?” I remembered this management company from Los Angeles that I have been following on social media for years. I have no idea why I started following them, but I loved their approach to management and I guess I saved their info thinking that I could use some of their tips when I have my own Airbnb one day. I reached out to them asking if they had any jobs in Austin. They manage in California, but have some properties sprinkled throughout the US. They said they might have one coming up, but they would let me know. I never heard back. But a couple of months later, the idea came back. I wondered if a service like theirs would even be in demand here in Austin. I was already part of all of the Austin Airbnb Facebook groups at this point, and I saw there were a couple of big-time management companies, but I had never seen anyone with a grassroots, personal one on one approach. I had no idea if it was something anyone would even be interested in, so I wanted to test the waters. I posted this in one of the Austin Airbnb groups on Thursday June 15, 2022: “Hi everyone! I just moved to Austin and I am looking to co-host for someone. I currently own 6 LTRs in Houston (where I am originally from), so I’m super interested in breaking into STRs now that I am in a city that supports the industry. I’m also in the residential renovation business, so I am extremely handy & have an eye for design. If anyone is in need of a responsible, professional and loyal partner, please email me. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of magic we can make together!”

By Friday I had 6 messages in my inbox. I was on the phone with 3 of them on Monday morning. I was hired to manage my first house by the end of the week. My first full month, I hosted and managed 2 houses, and was a property manager for 7 others. Two months in, I got my first design contract and ended up meeting the woman I chose to become my business partner on that project (she is my right-hand woman today!). Six months in, I was hosting 8 houses (plus the 7 PM houses) with 2 full time employees. Today, over a year in, we have hosted over 20 short and mid-term rentals, have finished 6 major design projects, including renovation of an entire community glamping area with 3 cabins, and we host an 80ft luxury houseboat on Lake Travis that previously hosted Snoop Dog! It has grown beyond my wildest dreams! When I look back at myself crying asking the universe HOW could I use all my “random” skills when the entire world was telling me that I wasn’t experienced enough, I feel pure gratitude, because THIS is how.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m self-proclaimed “nerd” with a PhD in Science, a past career in sales and a small but mighty real estate portfolio. While in grad school, I renovated my entire house on my own, out of pure necessity because I couldn’t afford a contractor. I always joke and say that I graduated with a PhD from Florida International University, and a Masters from YouTube University! I have always been intrigued by how you could change the entire vibe of a space by making the smallest changes in art, paint, or furniture. I have had an eye for it since I was a kid, but I never really considered it a passion or anything that would be a significant part of my life until we started our house flipping journey. That is when I realized that the changes that I thought were small were really eye-catching from the perspective of our buyers…and they did not cost any more than the standard builder-grade materials everyone else was using! When we started renting our units instead of selling them, we got consistent feedback from all of our tenants that they adored the kitchen or the wallpaper accent wall or the custom built-ins. I wanted to recreate that feeling for even MORE people, so short-term rentals were a natural next step for me. When I started in this business, I was mostly managing units that were already functioning as Airbnbs, but with struggling reviews. I spent a lot of time in each unit, organizing, and rearranging furniture & décor into more functional and aesthetically pleasing arrangements; things that cost little to no money, but made a HUGE impact. When I used to work as a rep at my previous job, I would always bring my clients snacks and treats and I remember how such a cheap and simple gesture would light up their day and make their sales increase drastically. I used that same concept and created a “welcome basket” filled with snacks, city themed goodies and a personalized handwritten note that I leave in every single home. We have hosted hundreds of guests and to this day, we haven’t hosted a single person who didn’t mention how much they loved the basket! EVERY DETAIL MATTERS. When designing a new Airbnb, my team is just as meticulous, considering not only the aesthetics of the design, but the functionality and durability of it. Because we have the unique perspective from the management side, we know exactly what guests complain about, what they rave about, what gets broken and what will stand the test of time. Because we know both sides of the business, we can also ensure that our design houses are left fully stocked so they are turn key and guest-ready the second we finish the project. This is a step most interior designers will miss. Some say that we spend way too much time pouring over every detail of a set-up, but I wholeheartedly disagree. When the guests leave us reviews about how a stay at one of our places inspired their young daughter to be an interior designer, or they comment on how they never wanted to leave because the home was cozy and beautiful, I realize that there is no other way to run this business.

I realized long ago that a well-curated space has the power to shift someone’s energy. For short term rentals, this means my homes have the power to make or break someone’s entire vacation! As we grow and scale, my priority is to continue to find ways to make each stay feel personalized for every single person who walks through the door. I think our homeowners feel the same personalization in our partnership, which makes them trust that their home is left in capable hands. When I started this business, I promised myself that everything that we did would come from a place of joy and passion; not from desperation with the sole purpose of making money. When a business is built 100% from the heart, everyone involved is intrigued by it because it is such a rare occurrence these days. Passionately creating and maintaining beautiful spaces & experiences will always be the mark of Stellar BNB.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

A month into starting the business, I realized that I had a real knack for designing Short Term Rentals (STR). I went on Facebook and made a post in both the local Austin STR groups and the nearby San Antonio groups. I got a hit from a client based in San Antonio. It was an hour and a half away, but something about the project really intrigued me. He just bought the house next door, a midcentury time capsule with all of the original finishes, vintage mid century furniture, and tons of really cool newspaper clippings from the 60’s-70’s. Everything was preserved so well that I immediately said yes. He took me to one of his first Airbnb’s down the street that was designed by another woman named Liz. I remember thinking that the house was really cute and I wondered why he didn’t hire her again for the new one. He later told me that she was amazing to work with, but she wasn’t able to take on another full-scale project at the time, but that he would like us to meet sometime and maybe work together. I admit, I was nervous about this, because I never wanted her to feel upset that I “took her job” or that she was being phased out in any way. The next time I was in town, we met. I was very open and kind, being careful not to make her feel like I was stepping on her toes. She was quiet & shy, and it totally bothered me that I could not get a good read on her. Did she like me or not? Was she upset that I was here? Was she happy? I had no idea. Over the next few weeks, we chatted over text in relation to the project, but nothing more than that. When we met in person, I noticed that she had a lot of great ideas, but was kind of timid & wouldn’t really say them with confidence. Over time, our dynamic was becoming more clear; she was totally the dreamer, and I was the doer. I didn’t really hone in on this energy until maybe our 4th or 5th meeting. During that meeting, there was a plumber in the house checking out a toilet leak we had. We were listening from afar and she looked at me and said, “I told him it was the hose, I noticed it when I changed the toilet out”. I said, “Hold on….YOU changed the toilet?” Up until that point, I had never met another female who had an eye for design, AND who could do gross home maintenance stuff like me. My entire perception immediately changed and ever since that day, I asked her over and over again if she would move to Austin to work with me. She said “no” many times because her daughter lived in San Antonio & her dad lived there too. But she told me she would gladly drive to Austin to help me out with any future design projects, and she did. By the time we finished our 3rd project together, I sat her down and told her very seriously that this business is growing fast and that I would need to hire another person soon. I told her that I really want that person to be her, and if she would consider moving here, I already know of a place she could stay. I fully expected her to say no, but the next day she called me and said she was coming. I couldn’t believe it! I was excited, but also so nervous that she was leaving everything to take a chance on me, & on my business. That was a few months ago now, but I can’t imagine it any other way. Liz has been an invaluable part of my team and has become a part of my family. To this day, that was the only job I ever took in San Antonio, so I’ll never deny that fate brought us together. I may be the face of all of this, but Liz is very much our idea machine. I couldn’t do this without her!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My most vivid memory from when I was young was watching my parents work. They were both the hardest working people I had ever known. My dad would work a 10-12 hour shift just to come home and work on my car, or mow the yard. My mom is a cosmetology instructor, so she would teach all day and come home to give her 3 kids a haircut before school. They were always moving and being productive, but I never really understood what they were moving towards. I definitely inherited their work ethic and it is so natural for me to work from the second I wake up until the second I fall asleep, which is a long time because I wake up at 5:30 daily! I learned how to be efficient in everything that I do and because of that, I can get more done in half a day than most people can do in a week. This drive has been the #1 reason for my success, but as I became a wife and a mother myself, I realized that there was more to life than putting your nose to the grindstone and endlessly working. My daughter is 4 now, but from the very beginning she made it known that her love language is “quality time”. How could I spend any quality time with her if I was always moving? How could I stop moving if there are always a hundred things on my to-do list? While I learned my intense work ethic from my parents, I realized that I also learned to rely too much on myself to get everything done. I did not learn how to lean on others, let alone how to ask for help. It is something that I continue to struggle with, even with the people who work with me. Liz tells me all the time, “Let me help. What can I take off of your plate?” I used to think that was something that people would just say to be nice, not because they actually wanted to help. But as I gave Liz more and more responsibilities, I realized not only how capable she is (and more!!), but how I am also able to better support her by focusing on my strengths in this business. In turn, we are both able to spend more time with our families and to actually enjoy the time we spend at work. If you let it, entrepreneurship will teach (and unteach) you many lessons!

Contact Info:

• Website: stellarbnbatx.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellarbnb_/?hl=en
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@stellarbnb_ https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=APwXEdf9efztxfWx-JrPYEK6rKgGwQ4rAw:1682596966050&q=Stellar+BNB+Management+%26+Design+Co.&ludocid=10562052166758454817&gsas=1&ibp=gwp;0,7&lsig=AB86z5UNFWpqqMGFA3l-p6qkJZcy&kgs=cd798a8f3a936900&shndl=-1&source=sh/x/kp/local/3