Recent content by Jed

My takeaways from a great season: Education: there is a deep emphasis in our industry on education and I was surprised to have be such a theme in the events I went to this year. Not only are people actively curious and learning from their peers, but there seems to be a real commitment to more...

The vacation rental (VR) industry is undergoing a renaissance as the COVID-19 pandemic transitions out of its position of global dominance. Our industry has received an enormous amount of press in the past few years—some good and some bad—all of it culminating in increased awareness of what our...

This is such a powerful practice. I've tried to incorporate this into each day over the past several years. I'm not always successful at it and sometimes lose perspective, but when I'm mindful enough to acknowledge my surroundings and position in life with appreciation and gratitude, it is such...

My original 9 point guest communication program is now more like a 14-15 point communication protocol. All of it is automated, so when i have the chance to interact directly with guests, it is on top of those other communications. On the plus side, almost every single review mentions how easy...

Quality determines supply - not demand. The willingness of the first two examples to set limits on what they would produce shows that they both had a form grasp on their own limits and quality, as it is clear that the demand could support a higher volume. By rejecting that, they became an even...

Great contributions so far! This made me think of a thread of thought that I've been noticing in the industry lately, and it has to do with the emergence of tech tools. Like Alex said above, the marketing done by the big guys has made the public much more aware of our category (i.e. given the...

Here are some key parallels that apply to any industry, but also apply here in the Vacation Rental Space. Consumer demand creates the opportunity for small companies to innovate because the conglomerates can't be nimble like small operators. As companies grow, they need to streamline...

This week Matt and Jed Stevens of Koloa Kai detail a six-step program for building a sustainable and profitable vacation rental business and soft-launch the VRMB Accelerator Program. [UPDATE] Official Accelerator Program Sign-Up Page For more information, send a direct message to @Jed This...

I had a similar experience - but for us it was about a property that we manage at called "Kiahuna Plantation". They were trying to get me to remove my use of the word plantation, which is part of the name of the resort. I just about lost it on my account executive who was pushing me on why I...

These are great suggestions for beefing up copy - and I can tell by my internal groan as I read them that I have some work to do on my copy for my listings. That said, I've not put too much emphasis on the copy because I've become convinced that the standard person will not ever read them. I...

I really appreciate this message because it hits really close to home for us small business owners. It is also a great reminder of how to avoid burnout by being a little less resistant to the natural evolution that come with growing a business and being a little more willing to embrace new...

Well done to https://www.lafinca.com/ - it is less a website and more a beautifully curated experience. I am so impressed with design and layout like this - I am able to recognize art when I see it, but if any of you are like me, I find it very hard to replicate. I'd like to pick up on what...

In the most straightforward sense, onboarding new owners is without a doubt the activity that eventually leads to the greatest source of profit for us. In a slightly more abstract sense - "hunting" is the activity which tends to yield the most profits for me. The "hunt" is specific to each...