Overview

VRMB Communities is a project for better information transfer among vacation rental professionals. VRMB Communities' is a private forum to amplify intelligence, enabling more profitable marketing, predictions, decisions, and insights. This manifesto explains why our unique breed of vacation rental entrepreneur requires a safe space and a unique vision.

Introduction

Professional vacation rental entrepreneurs are one of the most interesting yet unrecognized generations of entrepreneurs in history. No other group set out to democratize an industry (hospitality) and succeeded. We not only did so against the active disinterest of corporate hotels -- our success forced corporate hotels to adopt our style in the end. To take it one step further, re-organizing the hospitality age around the vacation rental entrepreneur will save local economies too.

However, due to fragmentation as a new movement our group survival is predicated on collaboration: without collaboration, unfair regulation will come down on every destination like a jackhammer: the costs of running an independent business will become prohibitively high because you are small (and lack buying power): you fail to replicate the most profitable marketing innovations (ie. more bookings!): you get trapped into costly mistakes and end up learning the expensive and *stressful* way. Most importantly, without collaboration, the story of the independent vacation rental business will continue to be written by large corporations and maybe worse, bad actors.

After 10+ years of community building online and off, we have settled on something simple yet profound: in order to collaborate individuals must all be in one place (and it cannot be Facebook). We need a virtual space of feedback loops where information flows respectfully and in all directions. This safe space place must be managed by an organization with plenty of experience, the right reputation, and a demonstrable commitment to independent stakeholders. 

VRMB Communities has set out to identify the best existing examples of vacation rental groups and to accelerate their existing flows, thus amplifying their intelligence. We refuse to stop until all vacation rental stakeholders have the opportunity to collaborate efficiently and reach their full collective potential. Think of VRMB Communities like a virtual coffee shop with hundreds of rooms on all important subjects. Here is what we stand for:

Generosity

VRMB Community members are judged for their willingness to help one another. Helping (not selling) earns trust and respect in our community: generosity makes a vacation rental entrepreneur successful in their neighborhood too -- it is a key trait of any long-term collaborative experience.

Diversity 

We don’t look for community fit, we look for community add. This means that vacation rental professionals of all shapes and sizes, locations and backgrounds are encouraged to join so long as they want to build a better business: diversity makes our group stronger. We embrace newbies because they bring fresh uninhibited viewpoints. We revere veterans because they know the industry better than anyone else.

Interdependence 

VRMB Communities places a heavy emphasis on independence (aka. the freedom from the control, influence, support of others). However, there are certain threats an independent business cannot defend on its own. This is why we actually prefer the word interdependence: the style of 'group think' that helps flocks of birds, schools of fish, and swarms of bees reach optimal outcomes as a group.

Thoughtfulness

We believe thoughtful hosts attract thoughtful guests who create better impact on local communities. Being thoughtful requires listening, considering new viewpoints, and putting yourself in other peoples’ shoes. If you consider yourself a thoughtful vacation rental entrepreneur, you will be a great fit.

Personality

Vacation rental businesses are founded on personality and accordingly, we admire authenticity, humor, and background stories of all members. The more "limited edition" you are, the better. We also require all new members introduce themselves and share their personality with the group. For some, this means making yourself a little bit vulnerable too. 

Participation 

VRMB Communities provides an easy and impactful way for stakeholders to participate in the growth of your industry. True collaboration is a two-way street: there are no arguments, only skilled dialogue towards a bigger goal. We don’t permit wall-flowers or lurking.

Conclusion

Faster information transfer ⚡between networks of vacation rental professionals is key to our industry's survival. However, building a truly collaborative community is difficult. It requires vision, leadership, and a belief that independent vacation rental professionals are stronger together.