Made for Mothers
22. Running an Airbnb Rental Business While Mindfully Mothering with Cozy Escapes Owner Rachael Laurin
Meet Airbnb Host + Mindful Mama, Rachael Laurin!
Rachael is a devoted mother of four and the creative mind behind the Cozy Escapes short-term rental brand. She values deep connections and embraces slow living, a sentiment I resonate with deeply. Rachael identifies herself as a multi-passionate entrepreneur who transitioned from the corporate world to prioritize her family while pursuing her passions. Through Cozy Escapes, Rachael and her family curate memorable experiences for guests, offering remote getaways that encourage disconnecting from distractions and savoring life's simple pleasures with loved ones.
In our conversation, Rachael and I explore the identity shift that often accompanies leaving a corporate or 'safe' career for something new and different. We discuss the diverse roles and responsibilities of being a multi-passionate entrepreneur, how Rachael effectively manages her time and priorities, the hands-on nature of running an Airbnb business, the importance of crafting personalized experiences for guests, and more.
Both Rachael and I share a commitment to leaving meaningful legacies for our children. As Rachael nurtures her short-term rental business, she does so deliberately, ensuring it complements and enhances her experience of motherhood. If you're navigating the intersection of motherhood and business and yearn for intentionality in cherishing moments with your loved ones, you won't want to miss Rachael's invaluable insights in this episode!
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The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek (mentioned in the episode)
Connect with Rachael on Instagram @cozyescapes and @rachaellaurin
Learn more about Rachael and her Cozy Escapes by visiting her websites:
Connect with me on Instagram
Learn more about booking a Biz Therapy session and working together by visiting my website
Meet Airbnb Host + Mindful Mama, Rachael Laurin!
Rachael is a devoted mother of four and the creative mind behind the Cozy Escapes short-term rental brand. She values deep connections and embraces slow living, a sentiment I resonate with deeply. Rachael identifies herself as a multi-passionate entrepreneur who transitioned from the corporate world to prioritize her family while pursuing her passions. Through Cozy Escapes, Rachael and her family curate memorable experiences for guests, offering remote getaways that encourage disconnecting from distractions and savoring life's simple pleasures with loved ones.
In our conversation, Rachael and I explore the identity shift that often accompanies leaving a corporate or 'safe' career for something new and different. We discuss the diverse roles and responsibilities of being a multi-passionate entrepreneur, how Rachael effectively manages her time and priorities, the hands-on nature of running an Airbnb business, the importance of crafting personalized experiences for guests, and more.
Both Rachael and I share a commitment to leaving meaningful legacies for our children. As Rachael nurtures her short-term rental business, she does so deliberately, ensuring it complements and enhances her experience of motherhood. If you're navigating the intersection of motherhood and business and yearn for intentionality in cherishing moments with your loved ones, you won't want to miss Rachael's invaluable insights in this episode!
____
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek (mentioned in the episode)
Connect with Rachael on Instagram @cozyescapes and @rachaellaurin
Learn more about Rachael and her Cozy Escapes by visiting her websites:
Connect with me on Instagram
Learn more about booking a Biz Therapy session and working together by visiting my website
Hi, I'm Rachel Lauren. I'm a mom of four kids and I'm building a business that adapts to our season of life. Over 600 guests have experienced our short-term rentals in Mount Jackson, Virginia, and Hocking Hills, Ohio, with an average review rating of 4.98 stars. Cozy Escapes provides others with the time and space to connect deeper with loved ones. We make getting away simple and stress-free. I was hand-selected to join Minoan's elite hosting community, the Curator Club. I've grown and stepped away from a successful photography business. I've served on the board of my local mom's group and have been featured regularly in the brand Motherly.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome to the Made for Mothers podcast, your one-stop shop for candid and relatable conversations about motherhood and entrepreneurship. Think of the show as your new mom friend, where we dive into all things marketing, branding, mindset, money, childcare and growing your business while we all navigate our roles as both CEO and mom. I'm your host, mariah Stockman, and I wear a bunch of hats. I'm a boy mama, I'm serving as a marketing mentor for mothers, I'm running a six-figure marketing agency and, on top of that, I'm the proud founder of the Made for Mothers community. This show is about sharing the real stories and the practical strategies from fellow mother-run businesses. So dive in, grab your headphones, reheat that coffee and let's go.
Speaker 2:Hello, hello, hello and welcome to another episode of the Made for Mothers podcast. I am really excited that we have our guest, rachel Lauren, today. She's a mama of four and she's an Airbnb owner, host, investment property connoisseur, but she's also a lover of something that I really relate to, which is slow living and deep connection, and I love Rachel. Hi, hi, I love that you bring that through all of your brand. That's like the quintessential cozy escape. I feel like the vibe is slow down right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but our tagline is so these spaces where time slows down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, more of that, please. So let's get into it. I'm excited to talk about all things sort of like motherhood, slash, running, investment properties and how you make all of the different facets of your life work. Do you want to just share a little bit about sort of who you are and what you do? Yeah, so we can get to know you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course, so we can get to know you. Yeah, of course. So, yes, I'm Rachel. I'm the founder of Cozy Escape short-term rental getaway business and then also mom to four and we got started.
Speaker 1:I, like many people, was working a corporate job and had a return from maternity leave. That was not the best experience. My husband was active duty Marine Corps at the time. We had two little ones and things were crazy. We had a last minute trip with some family friends to the mountains and it was so eye-opening I don't think I realized until I took the pause how fast we were moving and how stressed we were. And it was the drive home that I was like we need our own getaway house, we need to do this, and so that is where the Cozy Escapes house searched, and our first house was in Virginia, in Mount Jackson. My kids call it the blue house and yeah, that's how we got started and it's been great because it combines a lot of my different passions and interests and past careers all in this one business. So it's been a very fun and fulfilling experience so far.
Speaker 2:Okay, but wait, let's back up, because I feel like you kind of skipped over something where I'm sure every single person listening is like well, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait back up. Do you want to share about your maternity leave? Because I feel like most everyone listening has some sort of experience with their own maternity leave, whether it be good, bad, ugly, eye opening, you know kind of what was that like for you.
Speaker 1:What was your corporate job? I worked in consulting. Okay, so my husband, since he was military. I was just moving from job to job Like my degree is in the engineering and it was just finding the right job wherever we were moving. And so I felt like my career was kind of plateaued anyway because I kept having to restart. And at this one job it was a smaller consulting firm, relatively new, and I just remember my first day back from maternity leave. Not a single person acknowledged that I was back from maternity leave or even like crazy, nice, I had a baby. You know, the working mom's room at one point in time was locked and the person with the key had gone home for the day. I had a train commute that was really locked and the person with the key had gone home for the day. I had a train commute that was really long and just like with my husband's time demanding job. It was just like why am I doing this? And I would spend my whole time at work like dreaming up these other business ideas.
Speaker 1:And so my head wasn't in the right place anyway, and so finally, after our trip, it was like this isn't worth it anymore.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness, Rachel. I mean, there's so many things I feel like that anyone listening could relate to, but isn't it so interesting how we really do love a pregnant mom, this society loves a pregnant mom.
Speaker 2:This society loves a pregnant mom. The belly, the how, when do you do the? You know, the showers, the gifts. That's so sweet. And then I feel like as soon as the baby's born and you have to go back to work, it's just sort of like the no acknowledgement of how you just went through the most like transformational experience in your life and you are postpartum and you are sacrificing time away from your baby.
Speaker 2:I mean, and the I mean just the whole principled outrage of you know not having anywhere like secure to go in the office to like nurse or I mean not, I mean to you know, pump or whatever you needed to do but and that whole concept of like feeling invisible in a corporate structure as a mom, where motherhood is such a flag and huge component of who we are, is wild to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was like so much had changed in my world, but it felt like I went back to work and it was just as if nothing had changed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, did you experience a lot of grief walking away from a part of yourself that had went through this track of schooling to study engineering? Like did that feel? Did you have that identity crisis?
Speaker 1:Oh for sure I feel, like you know, I've definitely had the thoughts of like, oh, what a waste of a degree. I never used this, but I look at it as like one opportunity leads to the next and like that was just part of my journey and my path and it led me to meet my husband, who was in the military. So it's like just all the building blocks and, honestly, it taught me hard work and problem solving and that can be applied anywhere, and so I definitely like to look at business and entrepreneurship as like playing to your strengths and I can in creative ways. You know you should look at how we organize our supply closet at our rentals. I can use my engineering processes and systems and just like the way I think of efficiency in just a totally different way.
Speaker 1:But I definitely had an identity crisis because, leaving the corporate world, I feel like I have to now like justify what I'm doing and it's not just a hobby, it's not just for fun, whereas in a corporate job you have that position title and those promotions, that kind of validate yourself, and I'd even shared with my husband like one of the biggest challenges is, like you know, I have no one telling me how I'm doing as a business owner or as a mother.
Speaker 1:You know, in a corporate job you get that like review of like you're doing great feedback, constructive criticism. But now in my whole world, as a mom and a business owner, I don't get that feedback loop. That kind of like builds me back up knowing I'm doing a good job or I'm you know, the work I'm putting out is good. So I have to. Sometimes I tell my husband like you have to tell me what I'm doing really well, because I have no one else to tell me Well it's also interesting that you're married to a Marine whose whole life is, I mean, once a marine, always a brain, right.
Speaker 2:There's not like that kind of saying. But you know, it's sort of the military complex of like rank and like he's getting constant in that world. He was getting constant feedback, good and bad, right. I mean there's the whole concept of like moving up the literal ranks and it's interesting to think of like a Marine and an engineer getting married. I can just keep thinking like wow, that's probably like a really tight ship. You guys run over there like as a family, as a family unit.
Speaker 1:Yes, you should see some of our family systems, your calendar and your shop lists and stuff like that, yep.
Speaker 2:But anyways, it's just. It's interesting to think of the, the comparison of how you and your husband are getting different. You know sort of feedback on what you're doing and how one is hyper-structured in the military. You know client reviews and you know all that that like feel good pieces that we know as solo entrepreneurs. We do get feedback constantly. It's just not the same.
Speaker 1:It's not always like a number score, yeah, or?
Speaker 2:like like, uh, I have this new idea and I want to launch it. Is this a good idea? And you're just like well, it's just me in this room. I guess I'll just consult with myself. You know there's no like committee or, you know, review board or whatever.
Speaker 2:I had a huge editing crisis when I moved to Northern Virginia because I had, you know, a decade long career in nonprofits when I lived in California and nonprofits are such a huge part.
Speaker 2:That was like my career upbringing as nonprofit, fundraising and marketing and and community, community building and community outreach and you know, here I am working towards like homelessness issues and youth. You know there's so much of my identity was around changing systems. And then when I moved to Northern Virginia, when I got married, my husband had been living here and we were long distance. I was so burnt out with nonprofits that from just like a mental wellbeing space. There's no way I could have stepped back into that out here, even though gosh living outside of DC would have been awesome to work in nonprofits. But that was like identity crisis Number one I had over the span of four years, which eventually I became a mom and then my other business pivoted and I grew up it just. There's so much. There's so much identity within entrepreneurs, like within motherhood, within our corporate life, and I feel like women like you and women like me who are pivoting constantly.
Speaker 2:I mean we get really comfortable with that identity piece of us, or this is a really long path for us and we can't figure that out.
Speaker 1:I don't know if that makes sense. Yeah, and I think just keeping an open like allows you to pivot, and just knowing that, whatever you try, it doesn't have to be forever, you know you're never, you know, stuck doing so, like leaving the corporate job. It's like you can always go back and, yeah, starting a business, you can always pivot it. And yeah, just knowing that there's always options which you can't really do as a marine yeah you can't really do that in the military.
Speaker 2:So I mean, I guess there's a lot more flexibility on your side. Yeah, well, you have multiple passions and and I mean, obviously you're, you're, you have four kids. You have multiple passions, multiple jobs. What are other things? So you have your. You have your, obviously, your Airbnb properties, which I can't wait to talk more about. But you had mentioned, like you've had many career sort of tracks what, what are? What's all that about?
Speaker 1:yeah, um, like I said, like jumping around corporate careers, and then also it was when my husband was deployed. I picked up photography because it was something I could learn and document while he was gone. So that was kind of my first intro to entrepreneurship was starting a photography business and it was really great, like when we were in the military, just having that close network of people and lots of young families. That really helped that to take off. And then we moved back home to Ohio. We're both from Ohio and that's when my husband got out of the military and went to grad school. So that was a whole nother identity crisis even to going from like a military spouse to now having to reestablish myself and find a new mom network in Ohio.
Speaker 1:But that's where I was really working on growing Cozy Escape. But I still had my photography business but it was going to be a whole new clientele to have to regrow that business. So I'm constantly like trying to decide what to juggle and so after having two more kids and I kind of slowed down the photography business only because I knew that Cozy Escape had more opportunities for me and fulfilling different interests of mine. And I also found that the photography business was very I book a shoot, I do the shoot, I edit, I deliver the photos. It's very black and white, very transitional at times.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as far as what the work looks like, and so I'm sure you've experienced this.
Speaker 1:In entrepreneurship it can be hard creating something out of nothing, and I was always finding myself working on my photography business because it was simple to do, whereas Cozy Escape I'm creating the path, I'm creating what I want it to be, and so it's a harder task to figure out what I should be working on.
Speaker 1:And so I kind of had to put the photography business on the side and slow that down because I was filling up like all my childcare time working on it instead of Cozy Escapes only because it was just like what I would default to doing, because it was very straightforward.
Speaker 1:And Cozy Escapes is this crazy winding path that I'm figuring out every day, and it's one of those things that's a great skill set to have, and I love using it for my own business as well. So I'm taking my own photos for Cozy Escapes and then still documenting my kids every day, and I love creating videos of our family and things like that. And one thing that I've also found in like business and being an entrepreneur you know I work really hard on making sure I'm doing the right, most important task, but sometimes, in order to keep feeling fulfilled by this business, I have to do something that's more in the area I just enjoy, and so I like to make videos for Cozy Escape, and they are just because it's fulfilling. For me as a creative, it's not to get the most likes or comments.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's more of like I'm not at a position to outsource everything right now, and so I spend my time doing all sorts of parts of the business and some of them I enjoy and some of them I don't all sorts of parts of the business, and some of them I enjoy and some of them I don't. And so I've made sure that you know, even though it might not make the most sense, that I still make time to do the parts of the business that I really enjoy, just so that it keeps me going, because it like re-energizes me and fulfills that like creative side. And so, you know, everything's kind of blended together.
Speaker 2:I mean, you know, everything's kind of blended 100. I mean, if you know, definitely go to cozy escapes on instagram and check out um rachel's marketing and videos and photos there, because I mean it is a huge perk to your airbnb that you have this. I mean your marketing over there is beautiful and so thank you. It's so inviting and it's so magnetic and it's definitely like a whole experience, I feel, like before you, if you weren't even to book, like before you would go. But I think that that's a huge perk to here. You have these investment properties, but then you also have the skill set to market them really, really well and I know that people who have investment properties, they will just rely, you know, on Airbnb or on, you know, vrbo to.
Speaker 2:I used to always say VRBO, but it's Vrbo right, I don't know, someone told me that and I was like I think we say VRBO because we say Airbnb. I don't know, yeah, but it's. I think it's actually Vrbo. If you guys, I don't know they're, yeah, but it's. I think it's actually verbo. But you guys can correct me later yeah, but it's. I know that some people will rely directly on those platforms for all of their like, but you've gone the other route, which I see often too, which is creating a whole brand on your own on instagram. You know you're you're doing like the extra credit path, more work there. But I think that having that gosh like talk about the entrepreneurial, you know, dream skillset is being this multifaceted person so that you can use all of your skills in businesses. I mean, that's just that's amazing for you, I think.
Speaker 1:Thank you, I like to. There's a book the Infinite Game by Simon Sinek and I, like you know, with Instagram for Cozy Escape. It might not be something right now that like is directly increasing our booking, but I want to build a brand that's for the long game. Like you know, this business is something that's long term and so, you know, I look at Instagram as like, I'm growing this right now and it might not be what you know. Yes, airbnb does a great job of getting our booking, but this Instagram, this is for the long term brand and this vision in my head for the future of Cozy Escape, but it starts with maybe posting once or twice a week on Instagram.
Speaker 2:What's the long term? What's that I want to know? What's that long term?
Speaker 1:What's the?
Speaker 2:big brand.
Speaker 1:Tell us my long-term vision for Cozy Escapes is to have other hosts under the Cozy Escape brand and to, because one of the most important things I think in Cozy Escapes is you feel like you're staying at a friend's house and that you feel like your host can make personal recommendations down to like what dish to order at a restaurant. And you know I want to grow without limits but I can't be the expert in every area and I can't. Then you're going to start to lose that personal touch. So my goal long term is to build this Cozy Seat brand and to develop the brand identity and the systems and the processes and to give other people the opportunity to host with Cozy Seat. That authenticity can still be there by having other families be like the experts of the area, but then it also will allow us to grow, you know, outside of just Ohio or Virginia where we're at right now Like you're a Cozy Escape certified or something like that.
Speaker 2:you know, like, yeah, walking around town and it's like you're a green business and there's like a sticker on the window, you know, and you know that they're gonna have sustainability practices within their restaurant or their store right, and I think one people, some people's hesitation with like airbnb is you don't know what you're gonna get. Oh, my gosh yeah by.
Speaker 1:by, like being a cozy escape host, there's that credibility and that that trust factor and people will know what to expect. And I think it'll be great too for people. They'll stay. You know, they might stay at our Cozy Escape in Hawking Hills and they have a great experience, but they want to travel somewhere else and so it'll give people more locations to explore and choose from. Give people more locations to explore and choose from and, like I said, like before, like we want to make getting away simple and just knowing what amenities the house has and knowing what type of experience you'll get will make people who want to explore different areas you know I love it and I am also thinking in my head like, oh my gosh, that's so much work to do and I see, and I also know you only have 10 hours a week of childcare and that's like hello, mama.
Speaker 2:I mean I feel like so many of us can relate, right. And you have four kids. Four kids, I mean that's such a huge. I love this, I love. Nothing makes me more excited than big, bold, bold, courageous dreams with moms who are raising families like I just like, yes, like let's go. Like how, how do you use your systems and how do you prioritize your time? And how do you, I guess, how do you tap into all that marine slash, military slash engineering of your life to raise four kids and have this really big national brand type business?
Speaker 1:you know, dream yeah, it's in like the setting the daycare hours. I mean I could work, I could fill 40 hours a week. I can fill 80 hours a week of working on this. You know the list of ideas and things to do is endless. But I like setting those daycare hours kind of forces me to like, yeah, limit, right, this is a season. And it like forces it puts those constraints and boundaries on my time, so that way I am present and spending time with my kids and then I have those set hours and they're very limited right now. And then you throw in a snow day and a sick kid and then that just time keeps dwindling. And but I know that I mean, before I know it, my kids will all be in school. And how old are your kids? And that time they're nine, six, four and two.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're busy, yeah, so you know I mean you have. You have the lived experience of having multiple, you know kids to know that the time goes really fast, so you understand that even slowly building your dream is better than not at all and knowing you're going to grow up with it. Because something I I know about you and like the legacy you want to leave, is how you built a business that incorporated your kids and I. That about you and I like I love that and I also feel really strongly about that in my own life and my own brand and showing others that it's possible is also like something I feel like is really important to me and it sounds like that you're also living that and agree with that.
Speaker 1:And it forces me right now to work like to get more efficient at how I work, and that's only going to be even more valuable as I add more hours.
Speaker 1:It's like I'm laying these building blocks of, I have to know what the most important thing is. I don't have time for, like you know, extra fluff, and so I've really spent a lot of time developing these efficiencies in my work and especially developing processes that so that I know what to work on next, cause I think that was one thing I was struggling with before is like fumbling. You know, you have my today, am I a marketer? Today, am I doing finances? Today, am I, you know, like wearing all the hats and so developing systems that, like, tell me what to work on next, so I don't have to be stumbling around all the time and those efficiencies are just going to continue, and that foundation will be there as I add more hours back into my time.
Speaker 2:I actually love that you shared with me that you divide your work into three categories. You divide it into recurring tasks, random tasks and then projects. And I know that we're all built so differently and some people a paper planner works for them, some people ClickUp works for them, some people they have their Google calendar, some people need the big wall calendar, you know, with the post-it notes, and I know all of our brains and the way that we receive information and the way that we organize information and tasks and projects. And especially, oh my gosh, like creative entrepreneurs, like someone like me I, you know, I'm probably borderline ADHD, which I just found out, actually through a different podcast guest through our episode and then the conversation after. I was like whoa, because this is what she does.
Speaker 2:But you know, we all work differently in terms of like, how do you structure that? I mean, what does that actually look like for you in organizing your time? Because I'm sure there's moms out there that struggle, especially like my baby's two oh, he's going to be two in March, but it's like I am still into the fire out of the pan or whatever. You know what I mean. I mean you're like you're four kids deep. I feel like you have something to share around this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel like my brain can be a thousand different places and I mean I'll take a shower and have five more ideas that I need to write down, and so my time it fluctuates, and just given what's going on with our family, and so it's taken a lot of trial and error, and I think it's important for people to find what works for them and like, don't, it can change.
Speaker 1:You know, you don't have to find a set way and stick with it, like keep changing. And I have changed how I do my task list and how I set due dates and how I manage it. So many times I used to, you know, have projects with deadlines and then I wouldn't make them and then I would just be hard on myself and felt like I wasn't moving forward. And so I finally feel like I'm at a place where my recurring tasks whether their frequency could be every week, every month, every year, every quarter, but I have to do those If it means I stay up all night those have to get done to keep the business running, and so Is that like bookings, like invoicing, like you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like systems, like for client communication. Is that like bookkeeping?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's like my new bookings. So I enter my new bookings and I communicate certain setup details that link to Google Calendar and our housekeeper can see, because for each guest, we set up the house differently to google calendar. And our housekeeper can see, because I, for each guest, we set up the house differently depending on who's coming, whether it's a couple or kids and how many people. Like I always like to, I always like to find very subtle ways to show a guest that we know who they are specifically. Like I know you're a family with two kids.
Speaker 1:And like even setting out a height chair and a pack and play rather than just leaving it in a closet. It's showing like they don't have to go hunting for it and it shows like I know you're coming.
Speaker 2:It shows that the room is unlocked and they are a mother.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, exactly, so you don't have to get there and panic like wait, I thought they had this and I can't find it. And that's like the most important thing that that gets communicated to our housekeeper. And again, I do that, you know, once a week and it goes through Google Calendar and then both of our housekeepers can view that information. We use profit first, which is like an accounting methodology, and so I make those transfers once a month and I'm like even I mean I even put a recurring task because for things I don't want to forget, like update my LinkedIn profile once a year, yes, I looked at it. I was like, oh my gosh, this is so old and so it can be.
Speaker 2:I'm sure everyone who's listening right now is like hot damn rachel, send us a screenshot of your google calendar and how you do this. And because I I do think that the actual organization of projects and processes and tasks and I think that there's like it's like twofold like moms who are entrepreneurs, solo entrepreneurs, creative entrepreneurs we struggle with well, what do I do next, what's the next? And so often all of the marketing gets pushed to the forefront of our day-to-day tasks. We live in this strange era of business where it's so much focuses on the marketing and you have to be on Instagram all day and you have to post and be relevant and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. But then the whole backend systems of your business where your client experience really that's really your client journey. Like once Instagram is just the front door, right, Right, your brand, but everything else not to use, like house pun for you, but everything that when they go inside. That is the backend of the business that really matters and that's the client experience how organized you can be and what processes you can set up and what systems. I love that. You're like I set a recurring a task to update my LinkedIn, which is like we might chuckle.
Speaker 2:But how many of us have a recurring task like that? Like for recurring tasks, like, go through once a year and look at all the subscriptions I have that I don't use and cancel Something that I added to my calendar this year because I realized I paid for something so silly, Definitely not sponsored by Thrivecart, Paid for Thrivecart for like two years and I think I used it like one year and then didn't use it at all last year, Not because I don't like Thrivecart, but just because it wasn't in our day to day sort of way that we grocery shop. I like to grocery shop at like four different places, you know. So it just doesn't work for me in that sense. I wish it did Anyway. So I'm just thinking of like how we do the backend of our business is so much more important than any of the marketing that we get sucked into rabbit holes. Doing Long story short, I'm sure people are like Rachel, I want to see this, I want to like know this like part.
Speaker 1:Like that's amazing and anything that I can get out of my head and into my task management system just frees up more mental space.
Speaker 2:Which task management system do you use? I use ClickUp. Okay, so you like it.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love it. I'm dramatic, but my life has been changed forever since starting it, so I have those routine tasks that I'm like this is what I. You know, if, if we're, if the kids are home for spring break, I still have to do these things, or else that's when, like, the pieces will start to come.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the wheels.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then I have a list of random tasks and these are the things that like just find a way to eat up all your time. And especially as a property owner with short-term rentals, it's the call, the contractor who's coming to fix something and they won't return my call, and I need to follow up and I need to schedule when they're going out to do the work so it doesn't interfere with our guests. Those are the types of things that eat up a lot of time, or it's just one-off tasks that you're going to do one time and then not again. I try and rank those. I'll flag them different priority levels and then I'll sort them by the priority and I'll sort them by the date I added them. So that way, the things that I added long ago, they're either important enough that they get flagged and get done, or eventually they need to fall off.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And again, all those random tasks. By having an order of what I work on next by flagged priority level and then by date it was added, it just helps me to just work down a list instead of being like I have to call this person and this person and I need to do this one-off thing or random email. So that's kind of like if something random comes up, I add it to that list and then I just work down it and then I have my project tasks and those are something new that I want to develop and that's where I've had to learn to just do one project at a time and I have a huge list. I have a huge list and these are the things that are going to grow the business and these are the things that are going to add more experiences to it Like be a podcast guest.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly.
Speaker 1:And right now my project is not glamorous but I need to get good at bookkeeping. It's something that's just like I need to do this and I registered and signed up for like this like subscription group and I'm like full force. This is my focus. But instead of like having a ton of you know little projects, that once and I had a mentor say to me once like you know, if you're 90% done with a bunch of things, you've actually accomplished nothing. So, like you know, if I haven't finished anything, then to my client or to people I work with, or it's like I haven't done any work, and so that really like resonates with me now of like I need to see something through to 100%. Otherwise, having a bunch of things partially done, oh my gosh, it's not moving me forward.
Speaker 2:It's like maddening too, because then, as you know, with 10 hours a week of childcare, I mean it just the walls start to close in. You know, you're just like, oh my gosh, I've got nothing done, I have no time. And then I don't know about you. But what happens with me when I'm in that that type of work mode where I'm, I feel like I'm just like moving from pile to pile, like pushing paper around, and it's like, yeah, nothing's actually getting completed. I am so less focused in my role, like motherhood space. When I'm out my office door, I'm in like mom mode. I mean I'm home with my son, like like full time, we have childcare. That helps, you know, it's part time childcare. But once I'm out, I'm like I'm on mom mode and my brain will fester on the work pieces that aren't getting accomplished. And then I'm not good in my business and I'm not good in my mom role, right, and then that is just. That's just like a breeding ground for mom guilt and entrepreneur guilt and guilt, guilt.
Speaker 2:And I think setting up the systems is especially for someone like me who doesn't I don't flourish in systems. I am not like a. I am like a big vision, big creative type and I hired on a virtual assistant actually recently to help with that sort of nitty gritty, especially with, like, the launch of a podcast. There's like rescheduling and this and this I mean, you know, and I do not thrive in there.
Speaker 2:I'm like you want to know the fastest way to fall off a plate is like you're too far down in my inbox, in my email. That's just not, you don't exist, it's just I get. I get like drowning mode, you know. But I think setting up the time to actually implement those systems and if you have to hire out and if you have to find someone who's a ClickUp expert or a sauna expert or Google Calendar expert or whatever your Dubsado, your HoneyBook I'm a big fan of Dubsado, I use Dubsado, clickup and Google Calendar and the drive and we use Slack but if you have to hire someone out for like a one-time, short project to do that, I think it's one, I do think it's one of the better services that you can outsource. You know, don't outsource your social media, outsource the systems behind it.
Speaker 1:That's what I believe strong and sometimes like that one-time outsource. You know it can be more affordable for a business than like a recurring. Yes, yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah, that's what I did with, like, our website. I was like I could spend all my time or I could have someone do it one time.
Speaker 2:Or I could spend just the first part of my time, cause even when you outsource a website, it still requires a lot of you and a lot of you provide the content.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I want to switch gears real fast because I'm so curious and we'll wrap up soon. But I'm so curious about this Airbnb because I thought we would talk mostly about Airbnb today, but I love where this conversation went instead. But how often do people ask you like, oh my gosh, how did you get into this? I want to own an Airbnb. Like I feel like every millennial I know wants to own Airbnbs.
Speaker 1:Part of me is like, yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2:And then part of me is like I mean, we own a rental and we have tenants and I'm like I don't know if I could. I don't know if I could do anything except for, like, long-term rentals. But yeah, I don't know. I feel like the risk factor of Airbnbs versus like all of the maintenance and the management, but also it sounds like it's awesome for you guys. So I'm just curious, like how often people want to like pick your brain around Airbnb life.
Speaker 1:I always like tell people it's not passive?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I love that. I actually believe that there's no such thing as passive income.
Speaker 1:Just get off the bat yeah but that's funny, but I think it's very fulfilling. Getting to read, like, whenever we go to one of the houses, the first thing I do is run and I just sit and read our guestbook Like my husband will be like bringing it in all our bags. I'm like no, I have to read all of our guestbook entries and reading the reviews and so, and knowing that, like you're like playing a part in people's like memories and like experiences, is really special to like stop and thinking about that. But I think, like, with getting started, you have to first decide, like, what your goals are. Do you want a house that your family can go to and then you're just going to rent it on the side and that's totally, that's a totally different outlook. Then maybe you want this house and you just care about covering your expenses you know you're not trying to grow like a portfolio and then, or you want to have a bunch of Airbnbs and you want to grow this into something big, and I think first deciding what your goal is will determine how you approach this business and how you approach finding an investment property and then similar to any small business.
Speaker 1:Yes, definitely treat an Airbnb like a small business, because that is what it is, and you have to identify who your ideal guest is. Have to identify who your ideal guest is. What type of group you're catering towards will determine how big of a house and what type of amenities you provide, and even what price point you want to be at will determine how you furnish it. And so having that guest avatar is really important, because otherwise you'll fall down the Instagram trap of seeing all these different houses and you can't be everything to everyone. So knowing who your ideal guest is and keeping like those blinders on will help you to create an experience that is really memorable for that guest.
Speaker 1:I think, with Airbnb and I know I mentioned this before making it personable. That's why people are staying in Airbnbs If they want that personal connection to a host. Making it personal does not have to be expensive either. There are simple gestures that can go a long way to making people feel like they're really staying in a friend's house and being taken care of being staying at a friend's house and being taken care of.
Speaker 2:We once stayed in an airbnb where, like, the guy owned the road, so his house was at the bottom of the road and then and this was in shenandoah, this was in loray, it was bradford bradford's property in loray and it's this house on a hill and had a hot tub and actually have a really funny story. We actually call it flu get in. And this is my joke about airbnbs, because I had like the worst flu. It started like the night that we got there during the day and it started that night and my husband and I had like just started dating and we were long distance. We had this like super romantic weekend, like in this airbnb and I ended up getting this like horrendous flu. Get in.
Speaker 2:But bradford pre-knowing I was sick, right, and this was in like what, like 2016 or something like that but he met you there with a warm apple pie and, oh my god, you and it's like but you should see his reviews because it's all about the apple pie. I mean it was like and his property is amazing and it's like Blue Ridge Mountains and there's a fireplace and a hot tub. I mean I got to experience, none of it, but but it was very bonding for my husband. I think they were like, okay, we can get married, yeah, okay. So you're talking about like personal touches to Airbnb.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and obviously you're not greeting every guest, but if you lived at the bottom of the house, Right and that to be.
Speaker 1:And obviously you're not greeting every guest, but if you lived at the bottom of the house, right, and that's where. Find something that's like unique, that you want to do, like the apple pie that was like their unique thing and find your unique thing and that's what people like will remember you by 100. And I think, when looking for a house, keeping an open mind is very important. Um, both of the houses we ended up like the virginia and ohio house. Um, both of those houses, like we had been in contract with the previous house that fell through and then you're like starting over and it feels like nothing's working out. And the virginia house we've been looking in a totally different area and our realtor was like what about this one? And so again like being flexible there. And the hocking realtor was like what about this one? And so again being flexible there.
Speaker 1:And the Hocking Hills house was like this old garage that had nothing to show for. And I came home and told my husband I was like we're going to buy this piece of junk and turn it into something great. But I think, yeah, just like keeping an open mind about finding a house and it doesn't happen overnight and takes a while, but being patient. And I think another thing that helped, like with me getting started, is reframing, like instead of asking yes or no questions, like if I were to ask should we start a short-term rental business, it would be so easy to just say no, like we have no idea what we're doing. We didn't even own a personal home at the time. Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so our first home purchase was a short-term rental. We love to do things the unconventional way, but instead asking how do we start a short-term rental business is a totally different way of thinking and it's just everything's a trade-off. And so if you ask, like, how can we make the short-term rental business work, you'll look at all the different variables and factors and work involved and then you get to decide like is the cost worth it? Is the risk worth it? But a simple yes or no is going to make it so much easier to say no to these goals or dreams. But yeah, I mean, as far as getting started and pricing yourselves and things like that, I think knowing that ideal guest is the most helpful. And then you can look at other listings in the area to get a feel for what their rates are at and what their occupancies are like.
Speaker 2:And a lot of people will just buy a pre-existing Airbnb as well. Yeah, some of that information is listed in the list. I mean in the listing of like this is what we net every year, this is what we charge. Here's the active Airbnb listing. I mean, obviously that's one route that you can go, or you could go the garage that needs to be flipped.
Speaker 1:And like that's also having a network can be so important, like that house I found because I had made friends you know an Instagram friend with someone who had an Airbnb and her husband was realtor. She was in a different area but he helped me find a realtor and that realtor knew the guy who was like flipping this house, and so it's like that's another way of just like talking to people and meeting people and like that's where these opportunities are gonna come together and to something great and I think it helps to have that. You know, it can feel so isolating being a solopreneur, but having a network of other hosts has been so helpful because, you know, I have a group of other hawking hills hosts and anytime we have a guest dilemma we can message each other and say how did?
Speaker 1:you handle it and it's also just even just to like vent about the crate. I mean everything. Things will go wrong that you could never predict and in the moment it will feel like everything is ruined, but in hindsight it's just like another learning opportunity and the way you handle issues with the guests will make an impact to them. Yeah, and I always. You know these issues that come up that you can never predict. I just learn from them and then put into the system a way to make it not happen again in the future, and I think also like setting clear expectations is really important for both your guests and your housekeeper.
Speaker 1:The house in virginia it's off three miles of gravel road. Some people would look at that as like, oh, that's an awesome adventure, yeah, and some people would look at that as like, oh, that's an awesome adventure and some people would look at that and be like I'm terrified. I don't. You know, I live in the city. I never drive farther than 10 minutes or something.
Speaker 1:But, like clearly putting it in the listing, I would much rather book our house with someone who is all excited about that than to give that booking to someone who's going to complain about it in a review or something like that.
Speaker 1:To give that booking to someone who's going to complain about it in a review or something like that, and I love taking what could be perceived as a negative and turning it into a positive.
Speaker 1:Anyway, like in my description, it says like it's three miles of gravel road, it feels like an adventure and like you're getting away and off the beaten path, and so, like just how you word, things can make a big difference, and even with communicating with guests, I like to. You know, maybe a guest is asking a question, maybe they want to check out late and I can't offer them a late checkout. I like to offer an alternative like oh, I can't offer you a late checkout, but if you'd like to stick around, like for lunch, I can recommend things in the area. Or maybe they can't check out late, but they could check in early, and so there's always ways to rephrase things. Instead of saying no, you can say no, but here's another alternative and I think that helps whenever a guest is presented with options too. I think they feel heard and seen and not just like an automated property management system responding.
Speaker 2:I also love that you offer one or the other, because one of our biggest I think they feel heard and seen and not just like an automated, like property management system, like responding. I also love that you offer like one or the other, because one of our biggest grievances with Airbnb is is that it just never works with nap time, with like, like it's we're still in that, you know, middle of the day, so we either need to get to the house earlier so that we can down for a nap because he oh my gosh, I him down for a nap because he oh my gosh, I like the one kid in the world who does not sleep in a stroller, does not sleep in the car. He's never fallen asleep. He has to be like in a dark room. It's just very structured. It drives us nuts. We always push it too. We're always like well, maybe this will be the trip we'll drive down to virginia beach, we'll try it.
Speaker 2:yeah, maybe he'll. Maybe he'll fall asleep this time, nope, nope. He just wants to hang out mom, mom and dad and then it's like no nap that day. But we always want to either give him a nap before or give him a nap before we leave, and it's just always like check in. Is that you know? I don't know. So I love that. I love, like the flexibility.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that this is just like such an interesting conversation for so many people because they want, people want to own an Airbnb, they want, they're interested in investment properties. As someone who owns an investment property, it's like you know, I also really strongly recommend having a great CPA and someone who knows you know how to work all of the backend. There's a lot of tax incentives and there's a lot of you know when you run it as a business. It's a very interesting conversation to have with people about what is actually a very interesting conversation to have with people about what is actually, um, the what are the actual like financial benefits of having, you know, multiple properties, if it's possible for people yeah, and these houses are like.
Speaker 1:Well, the first house is named after our family, named the lauren, and then each house after that. The next one's the mckenzie, which is my oldest daughter and so each house is going to be named after our kids and that also was what influenced and like was the inspiration for how we decorated it.
Speaker 1:So the mckenzie house is like all mckenzie personality like, like fun colors and prints and like that it's just her and it's like her, like it's, you know, our, our hope for the future is to be able to hand these houses down to each of the kids and also have it be a tool for them to learn about all sorts of different ways of managing a business. Even Mackenzie will come help me clean the house sometimes, if ever it's something last minute or a housekeeper has a conflict, and she now will ask me. She's like can we go clean the house? Can I come with you?
Speaker 2:oh, I love that. You know, some people get their like kids names tattooed on them and you're like well, we just, we just bought you each a house.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, then we also have to watch how they go to school and they're like oh, I have a house named after me. I'm like, oh, it's like not quite like it's not.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're like it's it, it sounds. It sounds one way, but it's actually, you know, the other way.
Speaker 2:Yeah Right, it's actually a major investment, it's like legacy building, like we're going to definitely you know we're. We have our investment property that's in our. We'll put it in a trust and it'll be in our son's name and he can never sell it. And you know, the whole concept is is for us is teaching him how to manage something before he's actually forced to manage something. I would go badly when I was 15, 16, 17.
Speaker 2:I wish I could have taken entrepreneurship classes in high school or financial literacy classes or something, so I could understand how taxes work, how the systems of money and financial institutions work, because I am like a huge advocate for those who understand how money works in our country are the ones who benefit from it and, statistically speaking, women fall short in that category. Like there's only there's like only 2% of women outside of like a traditional work culture will like invest in the stock market, and that's why I love that. There's, like you know, there's like Ally Bank that's focused on women and there's apps on our phone. Now, like I have Acorns on my phone, which my financial planner is always like get rid of Acorns. It's so like put all that money over here, but I like that.
Speaker 2:It takes $5 every week on my whatever. It just takes $5 every week on my whatever. It just takes $5 out of my bank account a week and invest in it and invest in the stock market for me, and I don't have to like pay attention to it, and then it shows me, like how much that investment will be worth in 30 years or, and it's something like $600,000. It's like, oh, that's, I'll be 70, but that sounds yeah, you know. Um, so I love this whole concept of, like you know, legacy, generational wealth building and that is, you know, you've done it in a way that's slow and intentional and I think that that's really beautiful. And you've set yourself up with systems and yet you're able to be the mom you want to be. And I mean, gosh, what a dream, rachel, really.
Speaker 1:I know, in the day-to-day you're probably like oh, I think it's important to stop and reflect on that. I even added to my recurring task list. I try and journal once a month about the business and where we're at, because in the day-to-day it can feel like I'm getting nowhere or this is just everything. You can focus on all the problems and so I've tried to start once a month I just reflect on where the business is at, what I accomplished, how I feel about things, and then, looking back, that can allow me to see what is being created and that you know a more further back picture of of what I'm building.
Speaker 2:I love that. Well, thank you so much for your time and your wisdom and sharing that all with us and for the made from others listeners, and I am so glad that you and I got to meet after like years of kind of like Instagram orbiting around each other and I want to come now. I want to like come, stay in your property, cause we're in Virginia and that's so close. We actually also I have to map it, but we go to Michigan all the time and then we got married to Michigan. My husband's family has a, has a farm there and that's a big part of our story but in Kalamazoo, michigan, for like seven years. But, um, we drive through Ohio all the time and my time and my husband's very much like a do not divert from the GPS and I'm very much like oh, flower stand, we should go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like, oh, you know, antique shop, oh, we should go. But we should check out your Ohio property. But I'm going to link all of all cozy escapes and all that in the show notes, but perfect. I just thank you so much for, like you know, just being on here and sharing the story and where in the show notes.
Speaker 1:But perfect, I just thank you so much for, like you know, just being on here and sharing the story, and where can people find you? What like? What do you? What's any last words of wisdom? Yeah, you can find me. I have a personal brand website, rachellorencom, and my name is spelled R-A-C-H-A-E-L, and then last name is L-A-U-R-I-N, and that's where I kind of tie everything there together. It's linked to Cozy Escapes as well, and I have different like resources for starting a short-term rental and then on Instagram, cozy Escapes or Rachel Lauren. So, and thank you for everything you're doing for mothers and entrepreneurs. When I first saw that, I was like, yes, this is what the world needs. So I'm just so grateful that you are creating this amazing space for moms and for all that you do. So thank you for having me be a part of it. Thank you.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it. Well, thank you for tuning into another episode of the Made for Mothers podcast. Everything you heard today will be linked in the show notes and we will talk to you soon. Linked in the show notes, and we will talk to you soon. Yay, you just finished another episode of the made for mothers podcast. As always, you can find more details about today's show in the show notes and be sure to give us a review. Subscribe so you don't miss a chance to grow your biz from fellow moms. Are you wanting more one-on-one support, or are you looking to learn how to market your business in a way so you can spend more time with your family and less time stressing about what to do next? Then follow along on Instagram at Mariah Stockman, or book a one-on-one biz therapy session with yours truly, and let's find that work-mama-hood harmony we all deserve. Until next time. This is your host, mariahman, and thank you so much for tuning in.