I Made $15,000 In Three Months As An Airbnb Host
Summertime and the living in LA is not so easy. Especially when the cost of living is through the roof.
I found this out the hard way last summer when I moved from my quiet, comfortable, and reasonably affordable townhome on a golf course in the suburbs of LA to the concrete jungle in the heart of the city. I made the decision to move to be closer to my sales territory for work, which I thought was a good idea... Until six months later when the company downsized their salesforce, leaving me jobless and with just enough savings to make it for four months before I realized I had bitten off more rent than I could chew.
Now ladies, I have had my back against the wall before, so I knew I had to think fast. I didn't want to break my lease because I had plans of purchasing a home later and didn't want a broken lease to have an adverse effect on my rental history. I only had six months left in my lease and thought to myself, What if I listed my apartment on Airbnb?
It made perfect sense. I always kept a clean, neat home and I'm obsessed with home decor. I lived really close to major freeways, Universal Studios, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and other major LA attractions. So I figured, why not? I took about a week to get my apartment in tip-top condition, moved most of my personal belongings in storage, found a housekeeper for a reasonable price, whipped out my iPhone to take pictures of all the rooms, used my savvy writing skills to come up with a cute description of the listing, and within a week of going live on Airbnb, I had my first booking! I couldn't believe how easy it was to set up the account and to communicate with guests.
My first month as a host, I made just enough to cover my rent, which was the original goal. However, as the summer months approached, I not only generated enough revenue to cover rent, but I also made a pretty nice profit. Some 3 months later, and I had made $15,000! My guests loved my place and always left stellar reviews and within six months, I was even promoted to Superhost, which apparently is a big deal on Airbnb.
I would be remiss if I did not share my personal experience and tips on how to be a successful Airbnb host and how to provide an exceptional experience for your guests. So without further ado, here are my tips on being a successful AND profitable Airbnb host.
Create a Catchy Listing Title
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What's in a name? Everything! Beautiful Buckhead Bungalow, Luxurious Midtown Loft, Romantic Cabin on the River. These are all cute and catchy titles that will set your listing above the rest. Remember, your listing will be placed among hundreds of other homes that match your criteria, so you need a title that stands out. What makes your house unique? Where is it located? Are you listing it around a special event like Super Bowl, Art Basel, or Yacht Week? Use all of those to your advantage in the title.
Take Beautiful Pictures
Image is everything! I started my listing by taking photos of my place on my iPhone. As I began to generate more revenue, I eventually hired a photographer. But I wanted my initial pictures to look like my house was the layout of a Z Gallerie mailer. I took pictures in natural lighting, with the blinds open and facing up so the rooms wouldn't be flooded with light. I took close-ups of details like the coffee bar, welcome sign, guest book, and small decor for an added touch.
Trust me, most listings will have basic photos of the rooms and a few amenities. You can set your listing above the rest by taking the extra step to have stellar photos of your home. The three most important rooms you want to focus on when taking pictures are the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen.
Create Pre-Typed Messages
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This will save you a lot of time in the future when your guests book. I have a standard welcome message that outlines the directions to the home, passwords and security codes, Wifi information, check-in and check-out instructions, and emergency contact information. You can save these in your message profile and choose the right template, depending on the guests' question or concern. This makes communication simple and will really help your rating. Remember, five stars is the goal!
Stock Up On Extra EVERYTHING!
Extra towels, extra napkins, extra toilet paper, extra shampoo, extra tampons, extra EVERYTHING! If hosting is a long-term goal for you, places like Sam's Club and Costco will be your best friend. You'll keep your guests happy by having a plethora of necessities already stocked at your place.
Keep It Clean
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Sparkling clean and super pristine! That is the goal. Guests love a super clean home. Not only will they remember it when they rate you, but they typically tend to leave the house in tip-top condition because you set the bar when they arrived. Make sure you clean and disinfect door knobs and handles, counter tops, walls, railings and pretty much anything people touch. Cleanliness is one of the categories in your review, so make sure your house is so fresh and so clean with every stay.
With so many events happening around the country year-round, there are endless opportunities to host travelers when they come to your city. There are so many more tips and pointers I could give on hosting and if you want to find out more, take a peek at my hosting video.
Good luck! I can't wait to hear your success stories.
Interested in being an Airbnb host? Sign up here to get started!
*Originally published on Mignon Cyrelle
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
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How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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