This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Airbnb marketer increases rental rates 30%. Hey, what's up? This is Chris Guillebeau, your host of Side Hustle School. In this week's first $1,000 segment, we're gonna hear from a guy who helps Airbnb property owners and managers grow their listings and revenue. Now, this is of course the daily podcast where we're bringing you all kinds of tips and ideas to help you create or grow your side hustle, whatever that looks like.
And in this particular segment, it's known as your first $1,000. We do it every Monday. And as you might guess, it's all about how somebody makes their first $1,000. How do they get to that point? Not their first $100,000.
That's a good thing too, but it's also a long story. At least it usually is, right? And we are all about respecting your time, giving you something actionable and giving you just a little bit of daily inspiration. Less than 10 minutes a day, every single day, seven days a week. So with that in mind, today's feature comes from another Chris.
This Chris has got an Airbnb hustle, but it's not what you might think. He actually does have one property that he rents out on his own. That's kind of how you learn more about Airbnb. But mostly he helps other property owners and managers grow their listings and revenue. That is in fact the side hustle.
So if you don't have a property to rent out, but you're interested in something that could help other people and help you get paid as well, then this might be a good idea to consider, or at least to kind of see what Chris did and see how you could apply that in your own way to your own thing. So let's hear it from him. I'll come back at the end, the other Chris, to wrap us up. [Music]
Hello, my name's Chris. And I help Airbnb property owners boost their average rates and improve their reviews.
It all began when I was on a backpacking trip across Europe a few years ago. While I was traveling, I used Airbnb frequently and I started noticing a real disparity in the quality of listings. Some were phenomenal, but others were rather lackluster. As someone who's always been fascinated by real estate and also has a background in marketing, I knew there had to be a business model here. When I got home to Seattle, I decided to experiment with a friend's property with his permission, of course.
After revamping the decor, taking high-quality photos, and rewriting the listing description, I saw a significant improvement. The average rate increased by 20% and the five-star reviews started flowing in. That's when I realized my hobby could become a lucrative side gig. Initially, getting clients was tough. I reached out to numerous Airbnb hosts directly to offer my services, but my inbox remained resoundingly empty.
Then I decided to change my strategy. I offered my services to an Airbnb owner for free, just like I did with my friend. This is where I met Gary, a retired school teacher with a lovely two-bedroom house overlooking Puget Sound. The house was fantastic, but his Airbnb listing left a lot to be desired, so I worked on Gary's property as if it were my own, staging it beautifully, taking better photos, and creating a much improved listing description. The transformation was so drastic and so successful that Gary was able to increase his nightly rate by 50%.
That's right, 50%. It helped me as well because before I knew it, I started getting inquiries. I implemented a flat fee per listing, and I was able to hit my first $1,000 within a month. Starting this side hustle taught me two crucial lessons. Firstly, patience and persistence are key.
It took time to land my first client, but once I did, the business really took off. Secondly, it's essential to understand that this job is about creating an unforgettable experience for guests. It's not merely about enhancing the visual appeal of a listing. The real value lies in shaping an environment that guests can't wait to review positively. In the end, it's not just about turning a property into a better listing.
It's about helping hosts create memorable stays for their guests. This side hustle has been an adventure, to say the least, and I'm excited to see what develops next. - Thank you, Chris, I really appreciate that. Thanks for sharing the story, as well as those tips and ideas. Listeners, I hope you found it encouraging.
I hope you were thinking about your ideas. I hope you're not just thinking about them, but also taking action, taking positive action, positive steps, just some kind of quick daily step every day. I guess that's what's meant by daily, right? Consistently, regularly to move forward, to get closer to something that is important to you. All right, that's all for today, but if you have a question or an update for us about your hustle, you know where to go, sidehustleschool.com/questions.
Thanks for tuning in. This is episode 2,382. New episode coming out tomorrow. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School.
[Music]
- From the Onward Project.
