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How did you come up with the idea for your business?
HostHelpr originally started as a different company, which was exclusively dedicated to connecting hosts to local artists and getting the traveling guests to become patrons of the arts while they travel to new communities. Today, HostHelpr continues to support that goal but casts a much larger net in the vacation rental market. Still, it is part of our origin story that in trying to grow the art-focused company, I realized how fragmented our market was and how challenging it was to make real headway, even when we were marketing a free service for hosts! I had been a host for a long time, and I certainly knew how hard it was to connect to a larger network from that side of the equation, but it took my trying to launch a business from the service provider perspective to truly understand how much our industry was suffering because of the fragmentation on the operations front.
What does the average day look like for you now as an entrepreneur (especially compared to past jobs/days)?
Life as an entrepreneur is a constant set of choices about priorities. What will I do, and what will get left behind? There is simply NOT time to do it all when the goal is super ambitious, so daily choices must be made. This comes with a sense of constantly being behind where I “should” be. I’ve had to develop a real tolerance for setbacks and some skills for bouncing back quickly that I never had to in school or work, where I felt a more consistent sense of being on top of things.
What are some of the top things you have learned so far?
Two steps forward and one step back is still progress.
The steps back are lessons in disguise.
Learn the lessons, but don’t forget to celebrate the wins!
Who or what inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Before I started my own startup, I worked as a consultant. Most of my clients were either non-profit organizations, schools, or startups. I had spent a lot of my adult life in non-profits or schools, but being around startup entrepreneurs was a new thing for me. I found it exciting. I started going to Capital Factory events and going to FIESTA, all as a service provider, looking to get more consulting clients. But, over time, I think the entrepreneurial spirit of those communities rubbed off on me. Being around it gave me a mental map of what it might look like to jump in.
What have been 1-2 of your proudest moments in creating your business?
Getting our first paying customer
Getting our first compliment from a customer
What’s the best advice you have received along your journey?
Enjoying yourself and taking care of yourself are both essential activities to your success. At some point in the early phases of a startup journey, you are going to need to compel people to try your service, join your team, or invest their money. In all those cases, people say yes because they like you. It’s hard to sell a dream if you are tired and grumpy. Also....call people by their name.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I put myself in 40-degree water several times a week.
About The Author:
Founder of HostHelpr
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