Safer VRS: Recent Episodes
Eric Thibodeaux
Vacation Rental Business in Today's World - Proactively provide safer stays and increased revenue for your vacation rental properties.
Welcome to the Safer VRS podcast. Today, we're diving deep into the essence of safety and how it intertwines with who we are at our core. What makes my perspective unique is my belief that safety isn't just about preventing accidents – it's about preparing for the unforeseen and integrating safety into our very identity and values.
Key Takeaways:
- Safety goes beyond prevention; it involves preparing for unexpected events and implementing controls to minimize their impact.
- Thoughts are the catalysts of safety-related actions, and emotions have a profound influence on behavior.
- Aligning your actions with your core identity yields superior results in both safety and business.
- It typically takes around 67 days to make actions an integral part of your core identity.
- Values are deeply ingrained in our subconscious, guiding decision-making, and responses to challenges.
- Over time, certain values become more prominent, shaping our choices and actions.
- Embrace safety as a core value, as it is fundamental to success in both safety and business endeavors.
By embracing safety as a core part of our identity and values, we not only enhance our own lives but also create a safer environment for those around us. Remember, safety isn't just about following protocols; it's about shaping our thoughts, emotions, and actions to prioritize safety in all aspects of life.
Thank you for joining me today on the Safer VRS podcast, and I encourage you to make safety an integral part of your core identity.
Create a safe day!
Welcome to an another insightful episode of the Safer VRS podcast. Coming to you from a safety conference in Arkansas, I've got some exciting updates about our vacation rental property, Thistle Oaks. And don't forget to mark your calendars for the book release of Vacation Rental Secrets, where I'm a contributor. But today's topic is a bit different yet crucial – understanding OSHA reporting for workplace incidents. Let's dive in.
In this episode, we explore the essential aspects of OSHA reporting for workplace incidents. Here's what you need to know:
- We delve into the OSHA reporting criteria, which mandates the reporting of fatalities, severe injuries, amputations, and eye loss in the workplace. This reporting requirement extends to incidents whether or not they are work-related.
- We discuss the significance of immediate reporting in the event of an employee's death on the job, emphasizing the importance of taking swift action once the employer is aware of the incident.
- Exploring the realm of inpatient hospitalization, amputations, and eye loss, we highlight the need to report such incidents within 24 hours. Timeliness and accuracy are crucial during the reporting process.
- We outline the reporting process itself, detailing the options available such as contacting the nearest OSHA office, using the OSHA hotline, or reporting incidents online. Developing internal procedures for reporting and identifying key contacts is equally vital.
- Lastly, we explore how to navigate OSHA letters and investigations, providing insights into crafting effective responses to rapid response investigation letters, including explaining the issue, referencing relevant rules, outlining corrective actions, and indicating when the issue will be resolved.
While workplace incidents are infrequent in our industry, understanding OSHA's reporting guidelines is crucial for maintaining a culture of safety. Whether it's a fatality, severe injury, amputation, or eye loss, a proactive approach to reporting ensures the well-being of everyone involved. For more guidance, feel free to reach out to me at eric@safervrs.com.
Until next time, stay informed and stay safe.
I'm excited to have you back for another episode of the Safer VRS Podcast. Today, we're diving into a topic that's crucial for your guests' safety - dealing with heat and fire risks, especially during dry and hot times.
Key Takeaways:
- Dry Conditions and Fire Risk
- What Starts a Fire
- How Heat Moves
- Grill Safety Steps
- Fire Pit Tips
- Check and Double-Check
Hot days and fire risks are a combo we've got to handle smartly. Understanding the basics of fire risks and using simple safety tricks can make a big difference. Safety isn't just one person's job - it's everyone's job.
By working together and keeping these safety steps in mind, we can make sure your vacation rental stays safe and enjoyable.
If you've got questions or thoughts, drop me a line at eric@safervrs.com or head to our website, www.safervrs.com. Thanks for hanging out with me today.
Stay safe out there, and catch you on the next episode.
Welcome back to the Safer VR Podcast! Currently, I'm in Gulf Shores, where I've been checking properties and making sure everything is in order. As summer winds down, I wanted to share a recent incident that happened here, which emphasizes an essential yet often overlooked safety topic: dropped objects.
Luckily, no one was hurt, but it serves as a valuable lesson in preventing potential hazards. Today, we'll explore the significance of this issue, understand the risks, and discuss practical ways to enhance safety in your vacation rental properties.
Key takeaways in this episode:
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The Incident: A two-year-old accidentally dropped a Bluetooth speaker from the 17th-floor condo, narrowly missing a guest on the ground. It highlights the importance of preventing dropped objects to avoid potential injuries or fatalities.
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Dropped Objects Calculator: Using a drops objects calculator, we analyze different object weights and heights to understand the potential impact on people below. Even seemingly small objects dropped from moderate heights can cause severe harm.
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Balcony Safety Measures: Balconies pose risks, with small gaps that can allow objects to fall through. We discuss the significance of keeping balconies clean and free of objects and why guests should be discouraged from throwing items over the edge.
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Equipment Damage: Besides endangering people, objects blown by wind can damage external equipment like cooling towers, causing disruptions to essential services and amenities.
Safety is paramount in the vacation rental industry. The incident in Gulf Shores serves as a reminder of the need to be proactive in preventing dropped objects. Small objects dropped from moderate heights can lead to significant injuries or worse.
By keeping balconies clean, educating guests, and being vigilant about potential hazards, we can create a safer environment for everyone.Let's work together to prioritize safety and protect our guests, owners, and employees.
Remember, it's the little things that can make a big difference in safeguarding lives. If you have any questions or need assistance in your vacation rental business's loss prevention efforts, feel free to reach out.
Have a safe day, everyone!
Welcome back to the Safer VRS Podcast. I'm excited to have you here for today's episode, as we delve into a topic that lies at the heart of property management safety - slips, trips, and falls.
Now, you might be thinking, "Haven't we covered this before?" And you're right, we have, but the significance of this subject is so immense that it deserves our attention again and again.
Slips, trips, and falls account for roughly half of the calls I receive in the property management business, and they remain one of the leading causes of incidents and injuries in our industry.
But here's the key point: we're not just going to discuss these accidents after they happen or when an attorney or insurance company calls us.
No, today, we're going to focus on prevention - understanding how to recognize potential hazards, take proactive measures, and create a safer environment for our guests, owners, and employees.
Key Topics:
- Understanding Slips, Trips, and Falls: We'll explore what causes these incidents in our properties and property management business.
- Hazard Recognition: Discover how to recognize potential hazards and reduce the impact of incidents or injuries for guests and workers.
- Prevention Strategies: Learn how to prevent slips, trips, and falls through proper safety measures and controls.
- The Power of the Subconscious Mind: I'll share a personal story that highlights the significance of our subconscious in identifying potential hazards.
Remember, slips, trips, and falls are the leading causes of serious incidents and fatalities in almost every property, including short-term vacation rentals. By implementing proper controls, regular inspections, and focusing on hazard recognition, we can significantly reduce the likelihood of these incidents occurring and ensure the safety and well-being of our guests, owners, and workers.
Thank you for joining me today. Stay safe and vigilant, and I look forward to bringing you more safety tips in future episodes.
Until then, take care and have a great week!
Welcome back to Safer VRS! I'm Eric Thibodeaux, and I'm thrilled to have you here. Today, I'm recording from Fredericksburg, Texas, where I've been busy working on our new house and getting everything ready for our short-term rental. As I wrap up my time here, I want to talk about a crucial topic: emergency action plans or emergency evacuation plans.
Key Takeaways:
- Having an emergency action plan is crucial for the safety of your team and property.
- A written plan ensures clarity and can be easily referred to in emergencies.
- Evacuation procedures, clear exit routes, and personnel training are essential components.
- Consider additional plans for natural disasters like hurricanes and forest fires.
- Establish safety protocols for lone workers, including regular check-ins and tracking.
Creating and maintaining an effective emergency action plan is vital for the well-being of your team and the protection of your property. By being proactive and implementing clear procedures, you can ensure a safe response to emergencies. Remember, it's up to us to prioritize safety and be prepared for any situation.
If you need assistance with your emergency action plan or have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at Eric@safervrs.com. Stay informed by visiting our website and joining our mailing list for valuable resources and updates.
Let's continue working towards a safer environment for everyone.
Stay safe and have a wonderful day.
In this episode of the Safer VRS Podcast, l delve into the concept of the power of attention and how it relates to our actions and values. I discuss the importance of being aware of where our attention is focused and how it can shape our experiences and outcomes.
Additionally, I share insights from a study on workplace safety and highlight the significance of being the person we need to be in order to achieve our desired results.
Key Topics:
- The statement that holds immense power: "You are where your attention is"
- The impact of attention on our actions and behaviors
- Statistics on employee perspectives regarding workplace safety
- The importance of effective communication and real-time hazard response
- Being professional vs. being integral: exploring the values that drive us
- The correlation between being and doing to achieve desired outcomes - Embracing self-integrity, responsibility, and commitment in our business practices
- Balancing hospitality and safety to create a successful vacation rental business
- The significance of aligning our attention with our core values
The power of attention cannot be underestimated. It is crucial to be mindful of where our attention lies, as it shapes our thoughts, actions, and ultimately, our outcomes.
By focusing on who we need to be and the values that drive us, we can effectively navigate challenges and achieve success in our vacation rental businesses.
So, take a moment to reflect on your attention and strive to be the person you need to be to accomplish your goals. Remember, you are where your attention is.
Welcome to another episode of Safer VRS podcast. I'm your host, Eric Thibodeaux, and I'm thrilled to have you here.
Before we begin, I want to take a moment to wish all the fathers out there a happy Father's Day. Enjoy celebrating with your loved ones this weekend.
This past week, I attended the American Society of Safety Professionals Conference in San Antonio. It was a fantastic three-day event filled with learning and networking opportunities. I had insightful conversations with professionals in the driving safety and nuclear industry, as well as an attorney specializing in subconscious limiting beliefs in the construction industry. These discussions have provided me with valuable insights to reflect on.
Now, let's dive into today's topic, "Context is Important." Understanding context is crucial in various aspects of our lives, including safety and business. I recently had a vivid memory triggered by a bee flying by in church, reminding me of an incident from 40 years ago when I was stung. This experience highlighted the significance of context.
Here are the key takeaways from today's episode:
1. Context is crucial when analyzing situations and events.
2. Instead of focusing on blame or punishment, strive to learn and grow from understanding the context.
3. Every situation has a broader context that needs to be explored to identify underlying causes and prevent future occurrences.
4. Understanding the context helps us uncover the reasons behind incidents, such as missed housekeeping or maintenance tasks.
5. Recognize the power of the subconscious mind in our responses and actions based on past experiences.
By embracing a mindset of learning and exploration, and focusing on context, we can foster growth and improvement in both personal and professional aspects of life. Remember, it's not about blame and punishment but about understanding and progress.
Thank you for joining me today. Stay safe, and I look forward to our next episode.
Welcome to another episode of Safer VRS podcast! I'm your host, Eric Thibodeaux, and I'm thrilled to have you here with me. Today, we'll be delving into a topic that's close to my heart and relevant to the vacation rental industry. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let's get started!
In this episode, we'll be exploring the impact of economic downturns on safety in the vacation rental industry. Here are the key topics we'll be covering:
- The correlation between economic slowdowns and safety measures
- The importance of maintaining focus on safety during challenging economic times
- The need to prioritize property maintenance and address safety issues promptly
- The significance of guest reports and their role in proactive safety management
- How distractions during economic downturns can lead to an increase in incidents
- The lack of incident tracking and the importance of improving data collection
- Practical steps to redouble safety efforts during busy seasons
As someone who has spent over 33 years in safety and fire protection, including emergency response and crisis management, I've witnessed firsthand how economic conditions can impact safety practices. By discussing these topics, my goal is to raise awareness and encourage industry professionals like yourself to prioritize safety even in challenging times.
I invite you to join the conversation and share your thoughts and experiences. If you have any questions, concerns, or want to discuss a particular situation, don't hesitate to reach out to me. You can connect with me via email at eric@safervrs.com or find me on LinkedIn or our Facebook group. Let's build a community where we can support and learn from each other.
Now, get ready to absorb valuable insights and practical tips to navigate safety challenges during economic downturns in the vacation rental industry. I hope you find this episode both informative and engaging.
Remember, safety should always remain a top priority!
Thank you for tuning in to Safer vrs. Let's make safety a shared commitment in our industry.
Stay safe and have a fantastic day!
Welcome back to the Safer Vacation Rentals podcast.
This week's episode is all about the four levels of safety. As the gold standard for the vacation rental industry, we'll be focusing on each level and how they relate to your business.
Honestly, this is not the level we want to be at. This is a level where there is no proactive safety and loss prevention activities taking place within our business.
And we need to acknowledge that there are some VR managers and owners who are not aware of safety loss prevention. They're doing nothing.
Probably the worst statement to be in regards to safety and loss prevention is: "safety is common sense". What may be common for you may not be, may not be common for someone else.
So what we want to do is we want to adjust our thinking and begin moving up and begin taking proactive actions and engaging our team, our housekeepers, our maintenance team...our office staff...our owners...and it needs to be reflective in what we offer in the community in our properties.
Safe is how we operate. Safe is how we deliver!
I'd love for you to share this episode with your friends and colleagues so they can learn more about safety as well! If there's anything else you'd like us to cover (or any questions you have), please don't hesitate to reach out at eric@safervrs.com or visit www.safervrs.com to know more about us.
Hi, everyone. This is Eric Thibodeaux with Safer Vacation Rentals. Today's podcast is about how we can use our understanding of causal factors to avoid a lot of the problems that can happen when we are trying to create safe conditions for our employees, our properties and our communities.
I know that many times people just want to take care of the consequences. They want to make sure that they've got a strategy in place for responding when something happens and they don't necessarily want to take a look at what caused it or who was responsible for it happening in the first place or what could have prevented it from happening in the first place.
We'll start by talking about people's tendency to respond to the severity of the consequence, rather than the causal factors. That's not always a bad thing! It just means that people are conditioned to respond when something bad happens—and they don't always stop and ask themselves what caused it. But that makes no sense if we're going to hold ourselves accountable for everything around us and make sure it's safe for everyone involved.
The good news is that there are ways you can prevent these things from happening in the first place. It all comes down to understanding what causes unsafe conditions and actions and what consequences those unsafe conditions and actions will create for you and your employees.
Listen to this episode now as we talk about how to take a look at the consequences of an unsafe condition and action, BUT also focus on the causal factors that create those unsafe conditions.
Welcome back to the Safer VRS Podcast!
In this week's episode, we're going to talk about the lone workers in the vacation rental industry. We pay less attention to them, but they're significant to discuss—especially when it comes to their safety.
Lone workers may be more at risk of being injured than employees who have coworkers around them, and they have no way of calling for assistance if they are injured. They are alone and vulnerable.
And that's why we're talking about ways we can safeguard lone workers and understand the complexity involved in lone work situations. I'll be sharing some best practices as well o check-in procedures and emergency preparedness.
Listen to the rest of the episode now and create a safe day!
Visit www.safervrs.com for more information on how we can help you improve safety in your vacation rental business.
Welcome to the Safer Vacation Rentals Podcast! In this episode, I want to share my learnings from the recent VRMA conference.
The conference was huge—it was an amazing experience and I learned a lot of new things, met a lot of new people, spent a lot of time with the track booth and beyond.
One thing that stood out to me is how important it is to understand and provide information to your guests about what's the address of the property that you're in. It's one thing to have your own address handy when you're at home, but when you're on vacation (or attending a conference) it can be confusing if you don't know where you are or what street it's on. So make sure you have the right information available so your guests can find their way around easily.
Another thing I learned at VRMA is how important it is to monitor your guests' stay during their vacation and establishing clear expectations with your guests. If you have guests coming into your VR property or your place of business, they should know exactly what they can expect from their experience at your place and their experience with your company as these things can affect your guests' experiences so make sure you're aware of any issues before they happen so they won't be unexpected surprises when they happen.
Make sure to subscribe and follow along with this podcast for more about the importance of safety and loss prevention in the vacation rental industry.
And remember: if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to shoot me an email at eric@safer.vrs.com
Hello and welcome to the Safer Vacation Rentals Podcast with me, Eric Thibodeaux!
Today's episode is all about trips, slips, and falling. We're going to talk about safety being a value in my identity, both personally and professionally. We'll also talk about the importance of the Be, Do, Have model—what do I want to have? What do I need to do to be that person? What do I need to do to have what I want to be who I want to be?
Slips, trips, and falls are definitely one of the biggest issues in almost any industry that we're in. So today we're going to dive deep into everything from how to prevent them from happening in the first place by identifying potential hazards before they happen so you can take action before they become an issue; how to identify where there are risks associated with slips, trips and falls; how can you start prevention now?
All this and more safety tips in this episode so tune in now!
P.S:
I just wanted to invite you to join the Awakening Vacation Rental Safety Membership Group. We're still looking for members, and we'd love for you to be one of them. You can find us at www.safervrs.com or by sending me an email at Eric@safervrs.com.
We're pretty easy to find! We'd love for you to be part of our founding member launch as well—just send me a text or an email if you're interested in joining us.
Welcome to another episode of the Safer Vacation Rentals Podcast with me, Eric Thibodeaux.
We are dedicating this episode in celebration of the National Fire Prevention Week. Thus, we'll be highlighting the following:
- The Great Chicago Fire started 151 years ago, and it's commemorated every October through the National Fire Prevention Week.
- Though the Great Chicago Fire had caused a lot of damage to life, environment, and property, it's been pivotal for the changes in improving fire safety over the years.
- As a reminder to all who are in the vacation rental industry, it's very important to look at how we're preventing and protecting our guests and our owners in fire situations.
Tune in for more fire safety tips on how to prevent an uncomfortable situation like a fire in your vacation rental industry.
P.S: We're still looking for founding members who want to join and be part of the Awakening Vacation Rental Safety Membership.
Visit www.safervrs.com for more info.
Welcome to another episode of the Safer Vacation Rentals podcast with me, your host, Eric Thibodeaux.
Today’s episode highlight is the about ‘prime directive’ of the safer vacation rental industry. While we borrowed the phrase from the movie Star Trek it’s basically a mandate to do no harm to humanity.
And imagine if that’s the same for the vacation rental industry? It would mean that all guests will be safer and safety will be one less of the worries.
But our subconscious mind is taking over and manifesting our reality. If we’ve developed patterns and habits that are not safety aligned at our young age, the way we make actions and decisions are affected by it.
I can help you learn about and understand how to prevent and protect your properties and provide safer vacation rentals. But here's the missing piece that no one's been teaching, is how do you balance the subconscious mind who wants to overrule your conscious way of thinking about the prime directive?
The subconscious mind doesn't know what's good or bad, it just is out there running these patterns for you've learned intentionally or unintentionally or that you've reprogrammed yourself to operate in a certain way.
Please connect with me to learn more about Transformational Thinking.
Website: www.safervs.com
Welcome to the Safer Vacation Rentals podcast! I'm your host, Eric Thibodeaux, and today we're talking about BEing professional.
When you think of what makes a vacation rental professional, what comes to mind? Pricing... hiring... guest satisfaction and guest experience... retention... All of these things are great, but they're only a part of what makes 80% of what we do and how we can be successful.
The answer is simple: it's about BEing before DOing. Transformation is not an event. It is a process, and it starts with us asking ourselves some important questions. Are we BEing who we want to be? Or are we still held back by patterns that haven't changed since our childhoods? If so, how can we break free from them?
But here's the thing: finding out what those things are is only half the battle. Once you know them, how do you take action on them? This is where transformation comes in: you need to take action and make changes in your life that will lead to a new person who has the skills and habits that will make him or her successful at what they do.
So if you're ready to get started on your journey as a professional vacation rental owner or manager, head over to www.safervrs.com today and sign up for the membership.
It's time for another episode of Safer Vacation Rentals Podcast, and today we're talking about emergency phone numbers and instructions.
Let's face it. We're all busy, and sometimes it can be hard to remember the physical address of a business or property when you need to call in a crisis. But if you have an emergency phone number and instructions on where to find that information, even if you don't always know the address, emergency responders will be able to get there much more quickly.
We've demonstrated that even places we frequent often we may not know the physical address. And then we know our guests probably don't know as well. So we need to provide this information. It could make all the difference as property managers and owners who are proactive in managing safety and loss prevention in our businesses, in our homes.
So I encourage you to provide this information, to make it available to your guests and that your teams understand how to respond to and deal with emergency situations. So two key pieces of information on the emergency information card: contact numbers for fire, ambulance police, property manager, owner could be you, your business number, your emergency number, and then the physical address that you are staying at.
P.S. Just wanted to remind everyone that go and check out my website, safervrs.com. The membership is still open looking for some founding members to go ahead. We've already had several join and basically they're working through content and we're having looking to start our week, our monthly meetings. Take a look at it and see let me know if you have any questions, safervrs.com. It's the awakening vacation rental safety membership.
I look forward to hearing from you in there.
It's time for another episode of Safer Vacation Rentals. Today, I'll be talking about the importance of getting up and going. We all know that the phrase "get up and go" is ingrained in our work.
It means so much to people—it's a simple word that can make all the difference when you need to move quickly or get your work done.
So how does getting up and going relate to the industry?
Well, it means taking an active role in making sure you're prepared for any incident that might occur. But it also means taking responsibility for your actions when an incident does occur. And no matter how hard you prepare or how good you are at your job, things will happen—and they'll take different actions—sometimes not the ones you want. Sometimes it's no action at all; but things still happen. So we need to get up and go- be prepared, and respond!
If you need help with this, give me a call. Join the awakening vacation rental safety group membership at www.safervrs.com. This is what we talk about. We support each other in this community. So I encourage you to get up and go today and address these potential issues in your business.
I appreciate you being here today and listening to this discussion of get up and go and how we can strengthen our business to be prepared for when some threat or incident occurs.
I look forward to hearing from you.
You can reach out to me on LinkedIn, email eric@safervrs.com.
Welcome to the Safer Vacation Rental Podcast, with me, Eric Thibodeaux!
This week, we're bringing you a new episode- "Are You Looking or Seeing?"
In this episode, we want to focus on the difference between Looking and Seeing. I'll share some tips on how you can LOOK at safety in your vacation rental business in a new way so that you can SEE opportunities for growth and improvement.
We're going to take a look at how you can change the way that you look at things when it comes to safety in your vacation rental business. I'll show you how changing the way that you think about things affects your decisions and what impact this has on the future of your business.
When you change the way you look at things, things start to change around you. In this case, we're talking about how your perceptions of safety can impact your ability to make progress.
So how do we move past these assumptions? One way is by taking a closer look at what our choices really mean for our being and in business.
We'll also revisit some of our favorite episodes from the past and discuss some of their takeaways.
Join us today as we dive into the issues faced by Vacation Rental Business owners so we can help you avoid them. More info at www.safervrs.com
Welcome back to the Safer Vacation Rentals Podcast with me, Eric Thibodeaux. Today's episode covers safety and loss prevention in the industry, so if you're interested in learning more about how neuroscience actually plays a part in that, listen up!
We're going to be talking about who we are at our identity level—what is that? And what does it mean for us to be aware of our identity? It's important for us to understand our identities and how they can impact our behavior.
Key takeaways from the episode:
-Who are you at your identity level? What is the identity level?
-Understanding the importance of your identity
-Changing our identity when it comes to safety and loss prevention in the industry to be more aware.
So if you're interested in learning more about this topic and want to learn more about changing your identity, check out the rest of the episode!
PS: We're still growing our membership with our founding member launch- visit safervrs.com for more info.
Welcome back to Safer Vacation Rental Podcast with me, Eric Thibodeaux.
Today's episode is all about what Safer VRS does and its four pillars. We help vacation rental managers and owners with safety and loss prevention, and it's really a holistic approach.
First Pillar is the membership where we talk about and look at through our Facebook group, Zoom calls, and work that I put together on my Kajabi portal—all about how we're looking at safety and loss prevention. And I sprinkle in there a little bit of mindset coaching around the patterns that hold us back.
Our next pillar is transformational thinking. This is groundbreaking stuff that helps us move businesses forward as we talk about safety specifically, but also everything else: when we talk about our mindset, those patterns that hold us back—it doesn't just stop with safety; it goes into every area of business.
Third pillar is Safety consulting where I come out and help and support your team through looking at properties to talking about your teams is really I'm looking at not just the guests, not just the property, not just the owner, also property management teams and your contractors and your housekeepers.
And finally we have expert witness and testimony. And what that is is basically I work with attorneys and insurance companies. They contact me and look about specific cases in the vacation rental or property management, or as they like to call it the Airbnb world.
So those are the four pillars that we talked about this week and that's what we offer to all members of The Awakening Vacation Rental Safety Group.
If you enjoy this, I would love you to join my Facebook group: The safer vacation rentals for more of the same. You can also join our email list at www.safervrs.com.
The vacation rental world is changing, and it's changing fast. Today's guests for Safer Vacation Rentals' Podcast are Ryan Sailor and Jeff Breece, Revenue Manager / Head of Revenue Management and Pricing of beyondpricing.com
On today's episode we discuss how to take advantage of dynamic pricing without sacrificing your time and attention to other aspects of your business. We chat about the importance of revenue management in today's world, how dynamic pricing can help you do that without sacrificing quality, and how you can use a dynamic pricing tool to make sure you're optimizing every aspect of your business so you can stay on top of all aspects at once.
Jeff Breece and Ryan Sailor will break down what revenue management is, how it can help you, and what some of the benefits are for having one in place at your property.
They'll also discuss some important things to think about as you consider using a dynamic pricing tool like beyondpricing's.
Listen to the rest of the episode now and we'll also get into some tips on how to implement a dynamic pricing tool successfully into your business.
Welcome to another episode of the Safer Vacation Rentals' podcast. I'm your host, Eric Thibodeaux.
Today I want to talk about how we can reframe our thoughts and our perspectives on safety. Safety is not the absence of incidents—it's a positive state in its own right. Safety is about thinking about how we approach this issue. We need to start rethinking about safety and being proactive and safe. And it all starts with how we begin to rethink and think differently about safety.
How are we approaching this here?
We can start by being proactive, thinking about ways we can make our business safer for everyone involved. We can also take a step back and consider what we can do differently in order to help minimize incidents or prevent them altogether.
Safety isn't just about what happens when things go wrong—it's about how you approach it from the get-go, whether that's with your team or your guests.. It all starts with how you view safety and what role it plays in your vacation rental business.
I believe that whether it's life or business, if you don't get the results you want or the lesson you need from something, then there's something wrong with your perspective or approach. So stop thinking about safety as a cost and start thinking about it as capital. We need to stop thinking about safety as control. We need to basically think about the people that work for us, our teams, resources, to harness and develop and get insight from.
Listen to the rest of the episode now to know more about safety from a different perspective.
I hope to hear from you. I encourage you to go and check out my Facebook group at safer vacation rentals. Also go to safervrs.com and take a look there and join my list and take a look at what we're doing.
Leading ASTRHO’s business development and membership efforts, Heidie is a multi-industry executive with 19 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. Previously, Heidie accomplished record sales in the private aviation industry with Lancair experimental aircraft sales, achieving over $45M in sales over a 5-year tenure.
Later as National Sales Director for an exclusive boutique winery in Oregon, Heidie undertook a national sales effort to grow Duck Pond Cellars into Oregon's largest winery. An outdoor minded professional and skier at heart, Heidie relocated in 2008 to Park City, Utah to pursue an international sales position with The Canyons Ski Resort (now Park City Mountain). Heidie lead the international sales team, producing a 100% YOY increase in lodging and lift ticket sales revenue within the first year.
After entering into the vacation rental market in Park City, Utah, Heidie became Director of Sales & Marketing for the boutique hotel and property management company, Lespri Resorts. After developing strategic business and marketing plans and engaging top notch personnel, Lespri saw a dramatic increase in revenues.
Most recently, Heidie spearheaded a new venture with The RedAwning Group to offer technology and marketing solutions to property managers and homeowners within the highly competitive short-term rental space. After drilling into details with hundreds of property owners, migrating her passion and expertise for vacation rentals to ASTRHO’s nonprofit initiative was the ideal transition.
Heidie holds a Bachelor’s of Science in International Business from Linfield University and resides in Bend, Oregon. She leads an active, outdoor lifestyle, spending most of her free time trail running with her mini-Aussie pups or wake surfing with friends & family.
Welcome back to the Safer VRS podcast with me, Eric Thibodeaux.
It's time for the last part of our three-part series on Awareness, Understanding, and Knowing.
Today we're talking about the importance of being aware not only in the vacation rental industry, but in any aspect of your life.
Awareness is key to everything. You can't begin to understand something and really know something if you don't start with awareness.
Awareness is what makes us human—it's what connects us all together as people. Being aware means we understand each other and start to know one another on a deeper level. When we can tune in to the feelings of others it helps us develop new skills and gain knowledge about topics we might not have known much about before.
Understanding happens on the context side of things. It changes people—and that's why it's so important. If you want to have a safer vacation rental for your guests then you need to understand what makes for a safe environment for them.
And lastly, there is Knowing- the highest form of being aware and able to understand the concept and context framework. It's just not understanding the details around vacation rental safety.
The big question is are you knowing this? Are you embracing it so that it's in your inner core of yourself?
Most successful people work from their heart and their inner knowing and stayed the course.
As we talk about safety and vacation rentals in the hospitality industry, we really work from our hearts. It's serving, we're serving others. So knowing is something that will come to us. Once we begin to experience it on the inside of us and we stay the course.
So I'm sharing what I have knowing more will come to me. That statement in itself is something we could ponder for quite a long time. And I challenge you to take that opportunity to do that. I'm sharing what I have been knowing.
And that's essentially what I'm doing here today. What I'm working to serve you in safer VRS is I have a knowing- the knowledge about vacation rental safety, about loss, about fire protection, about I'm a vacation rental owner. I'm a vacation rental investor. I own multiple properties and I'm a property manager.
Let me know how safer VRS can help you in your business. I have a membership that we're just starting to grow right now around vacation rental safety check my Facebook group. I do transformational thinking coaching. I'm a certified neuro coach and I've already been helping those in the vacation rental industry, particularly investors that I've helped with some of these issues to improve and I've done it myself, transforming people. And then I do safety consulting and expert testimony, all to support the vacation rental industry.
Listen to the rest of the episode now and knowing more will come for you as it did for me.
Welcome back to the Safer VRS podcast!
Today's episode is all about the second part of Awareness, Understanding, and Knowing. We're going to talk about how to apply these concepts in your life so that you can create a safer work environment for yourself, your team, and for your VR property.
The main takeaway from this episode is that while awareness is a broader topic to be tackled, the next equally important subject one needs to take on is Understanding.
The episode simplifies the content and context framework to have a better grasp of understanding in the concept of safety. Content is more on the information we get or learn from reading or watching. Context on the other hand is the application of what's actually learned from the contents.
Understanding happens on the context side of things. It changes people—and that's why it's so important. If you want to have a safer vacation rental for your guests then you need to understand what makes for a safe environment for them.
Let's become aware, let's understand and move to a higher level frequency of doing what we're gonna talk about next week.
Join me in Facebook group and check out safervrs.com and let me know how I can help you with any of my programs or information, or just have a chat.
Listen to the rest of the episode now.
Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Safer VRS podcast!
I'm so excited to share with you the details of a new membership program that I've been working on in celebration of National Safety Month. The membership is called Awakening Vacation Rental Safety and it's going to be such a great resource for vacation rental owners and managers who want to make sure they're running their business as safely as possible.
The idea behind this membership is to give people access to information so they can stay up-to-date and make sure they're doing everything right when it comes to safety. In fact, I've even got 20 or 30 founding memberships available for those who want to help shape what this membership will be all about!
If you're interested in becoming a founding member, all you have to do is email me at eric@safervrs.com. Investment is just $27 per month forever! That's right—you'll get unlimited access to our 9 Life Saving Rules, 24/7 access to the membership online resource center, exclusive interviews and hot seats with leaders in the industry, AND become part of our founding members community where we'll be developing ways together that will help make the Vacation Rental Industry safer.
Listen to the rest of the episode now.
Today’s podcast episode is about blind spots. As I was recording this, I recall the times when we can't see an issue like that car that was in the lane when I was trying to move over.
We all have blind spots and these are areas or subjects where we are not fully aware. And some of these could be subconscious or limiting beliefs that hold us back on a particular subject or topic. And so, I wanted to talk a little bit about that and go into this issue around blind spots, and then focus on three words: awareness, understanding, and knowing.
We have blind spots and things that are holding us back. And the first key to everything in our life, everything starts with awareness. We as humans don't take action unless we are aware of a problem. How are we responding? We get to choose between responding and reacting and responding is more of a control in how we are more. So everything starts with awareness.
And one of the things I observe is people's awareness. I find in today's world, people are easily distracted and not aware, particularly of their surroundings, Maybe this is a blind spot. Often it could be distractions. Because of distractions, when we become distracted and then we react to certain things, it creates these blind spots that start to appear.
Key takeaway on this episode is that everything in your life starts with a thought.
What are your thoughts on safety? What are your thoughts about revenue management? What are your thoughts about finances in your vacation rental business?
Listen to the rest of the episode now.
Today on the Safer VRS Podcast, we're talking with Dana Lubner, who leads Rent Responsibly advocacy efforts. Dana works closely with local alliance leadership teams to ensure their success. Previously, Dana led Effortless Rental Group, a Colorado-based property management company, alongside her brother. When Denver created an ordinance that stifled the future of STRs in her community, she jumped into action with her local advocacy group, Mile High Hosts, of which she is now the President. She also serves on Denver’s short-term rental advisory committee (STRAC) with members of City Council. Together with Matt Landau, Dana recently published a 10-part master class podcast on advocacy titled, "How to Save Your Vacation Rental Business.
In this episode, Dana shares her experiences and gives us some great insights about advocacy. According to her, what best describes what advocacy is the idea of coming together around a certain idea—whether it's a belief or a policy—or something that a community can say that they believe in, and then working together toward that end goal.
There's all kinds of advocacy out there, but when it relates to vacation rentals, she thinks it's best described when we think about what a sustainable future looks like for the industry or for the community? The way that we can best frame vacation rental advocacy is taking into consideration all of the members of the community that our industry touches and making sure that their voice is part of that collaborative outcome.
Advocacy may seem like a huge task to take on, but know that there are other people out there who have done some of that work for you, and they're happy to share their knowledge.
Tune in to the rest of this episode to hear more from Dana's journey with her advocacy for the vacation rental industry.
Today's episode talks about bypassing safety controls as the first of the life saving rules topics in Vacation Rentals.
Sometimes, it's just not possible to control all the hazards that we might have in our vacation rental properties. And there can be times when it's necessary to take steps to bypass a safety control system to perform a task. After you over-ride a safety control system, you must follow certain procedures to ensure that anyone who uses that workplace or equipment is aware that the safety control has been disabled. When the task is finished, you can restore the systems to their original condition.
The vacation rental industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The number of people renting out their properties has increased exponentially over the last decade. However, this increase has not been without its problems. Many VR owners have begun taking shortcuts when it comes to security measures and safety features in order to save money on maintenance costs and save time on repairs. This can be a serious problem for guests because it can lead to significant losses if something goes wrong during their stay.
The issue with safety controls is that they are often ignored or bypassed by vacation rental managers and owners.
In many cases, the best way to bypass safety concerns is by creating an environment where guests feel comfortable and secure. This can be done through creating effective safety processes and policies, as well as providing training for employees on how to respond when issues arise.
The first step in creating an effective system is ensuring that guests feel comfortable asking questions about any potential problems. VR owners should make sure that their property managers are well versed in handling these situations and know how to handle different types of emergencies.
The main problem with this is that there are several different types of safety systems that need to be addressed when it comes to vacation rentals. Some of these include fire alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, flood prevention systems, and more. If any of these systems are disabled or removed from a home then a renter could be placed at risk if they were ever exposed to danger while staying there
We can't always control the environment. Sometimes we need to bypass safety controls.
So what we want to do with bypassing safety controls is always ensure that we have approval, and then when we are done that we restore the control to its normal status. We don't just go and change it without checking with our manager or other people who might be involved in making those decisions.
For more of the life saving rules in the VR industry, visit www.safervrs.com
What does possibility mean? Has the word “possible” gone out of fashion? When we were young, we were told that if you work hard enough, there are no limits to what you can achieve. When someone told us that the world was ours for the taking, we believed it.
But what happened along the way?
We stop believing in possibility and withdraw to the world because the job of our brains is to keep us safe. Our brains adapt this as a protection mechanism, our brains are great things that keep us safe.
We do not have to stay in this state forever though. We can change this and return to our natural state: being open, curious and interested in all possibilities.
This could be hard, but it can be done with some time and effort.
How would our lives change if we work from a hundred percent possible mindset?
We all have a hundred percent possible mindset. It’s just that sometimes we are not aware of it. We get so caught up in our day to day lives that we forget there is more to us than what we see in the mirror everyday.
When we are in a hundred percent possible mindset, we see opportunities everywhere. We have the confidence to take risks and make things happen. We have the energy to be creative, to come up with new ideas and solutions. We're able to connect with others in a meaningful way because we're not spending all of our time defending ourselves against self doubts and limiting beliefs.
I think that it's really important that we start looking at what's possible. What's possible is that we can have safer vacation rentals. The reason why I think we're so stuck in this mindset is because most of us are still thinking about safety from our old perspective. We may be aware but we don't fully understand and know the underlying factors why we behave in such a way.
So that's why I created Safer Vacation Rental- to help grow our understanding and move beyond awareness and into understanding and knowing what's holding you back in your business in your life so that you can really achieve what you achieve or your desire to achieve.
I'm really passionate about helping people in the vacation rental industry and so that's why I created it to share my own journey of learning, my own experience of things that have worked for me and things that have not worked for me so that we can all learn from each other.
Possibility is a choice we make every day. Whether we doubt ourselves or not, it's up to us to realize our full potential. Remember that you hold the master key to unlocking your own growth, building upon your past and reaching for new heights.
If you think this is something you also want to achieve, connect with me through my socials and let's take it from there!
Website
Facebook
LinkedIn
If you're a vacation rental owner or manager and want to improve your safety and revenue management, then this week's episode is for you!
Our safety and revenue management in the vacation rental industry is based on choices we make on a daily basis. Another way to look at it is that our choices impact our safety, revenue, and net income. If we don't have the right choice available when we need it, then there is a negative consequence that may be hard to overcome.
Our choices affect our lives in ways that we may not even know. Our choices, plus the emotions that are the fuel behind them, create the beliefs that we have. These beliefs drive our decisions, which lead to our actions . And these actions create results.
Before you can manage your thoughts, or the quality of your thoughts and decisions, you have to become aware of them. And, the best way to do this is by paying attention to your emotions.
The lesson we can learn from this is that it's important to be aware of what you're thinking, how you are attaching emotions to those thoughts, and how you react to situations in your life – no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. If we go into every experience with awareness, this will allow us break the pattern.
I want you to say YES to yourselves. I want you to take a look at this and say, "Hey, I want to transform. I want to make a difference."
And I would love to help you with that. I'm a certified coach, I'm a vacation rental owner and manager. And one of the reasons I started safe for vacation rentals is to help vacation rental managers, owners, and our teams to improve safety and loss prevention of our businesses.
Connect with me!
Website
Facebook
LinkedIn
While last week’s episode talked about how to proactively manage safety to prevent major injuries- this in general only covers the physical issues around safety.
Today, it’s about time for us to move beyond the physical issues and start to look at the intangible and how they can become a risk. Here, Eric discusses one of the frameworks of Neuroscience- which basically consists of Awareness, Understanding, and Knowing and how it can be encompassing to safety and health in the VR industry.
When we think of safety, we often focus on the physical aspects of loss prevention. We look at the steps we can take to keep people safe and healthy in our spaces, and prevent them from having a physical accident. However, there’s a much deeper level of knowledge we need to have, in order to completely understand what it means to protect people.
The physical aspects of safety and health are something that we all know about. We are aware of them, understand them and have the knowledge about the various aspects that make it important for our health and growth. However, there is a need to focus on the intangible aspects of safety and health as well.
It is important to note that the awareness level includes the recognition that a hazard exists. Unfortunately, many people are unaware that an injury can occur or that a hazardous condition exists. An example of this is a person who does not realize that going down the stairs could result in an accident. There may be a recognition that the stairs is a potential hazard and may cause someone to trip, but there is no belief that it is possible to fall and injure yourself.
Awareness is enough to have concern and to seek information relative to the hazard and is the first level to resolve an issue.
It’s important not only to know about an issue, but to understand it well enough so that you could easily explain it to other people. This requires you to ask questions and do research until you really feel you understand the issue inside and out. You need to be able to connect the dots and see how every aspect of the potential problem is related. This will help you better recognize when something might not be right, so that you can take action before anyone gets hurt or a situation becomes worse.
The world we live in today is one where the possibility of accidents, damage and other such hazards are an ever-present threat. A good VR owner or manager should always be looking to educate themselves on the best ways to manage these risks, so they can take the appropriate action if something were to happen. Knowledge is key here – knowing what could happen, how it could happen, why it could happen and what they need to do about it. This isn’t easy knowledge for a person to acquire, but it’s essential that it’s got if you want your business to have the greatest chance at surviving anything that comes its way.
Listen to the rest of the episode now and learn transformational thinking and begin the journey of overcoming your self- limiting beliefs- be it in safety or life in general.
Wouldn't it be nice to know if something negative was going to happen in a vacation rental property before it does? Even better, wouldn't it be great if you could take action to prevent the incident from ever happening? That's exactly what proactive management in safety is all about.
For today’s episode, Eric shares his recent experience in the VRMA Spring Forum 2022 where he happened to speak as an expert at a panel table about the topic on how to proactively manage safety to prevent major incidents in Vacation Rental properties.
An eventful forum indeed when 2 Vacation Rental Managers stopped by and opened up with 2 different but very relatable scenarios about safety in the VR industry.
The first VR manager shared a recent accident In one of their properties where a guest tripped off an uneven surface and has caused physical injuries. The said incident has now an ongoing litigation for a potential 6-figure loss for his business.
Whereas the second VR manager shares that no incident has happened yet in their properties but are not actively managing safety. They want to know where to start and also keen to learn what are the other industry safety issues that they might get lessons from.
The tale from the first VRM is an example of reactive management where safety is given a particular attention for corrective measures but at the expense of damage to property, environment, or even life.
The approach of the second VRM is an example of proactive management on safety where preventive measures are taken to eliminate or reduce risk before any incident will occur.
From a property owner and safety expert standpoint, it is better to have a proactive mindset in managing your vacation rental properties. This will help you to mitigate risk and ensure the safety of both guests and owners.
Learn more about proactively managing safety to prevent major incidents in VR properties by listening to the rest of the episode.
While investing in multiple channel managers is the first step to scaling, you should focus on getting in front of direct bookings to diversify marketing portfolio and have more control of the overall guest management process. When managed correctly, direct bookings can be a beautiful thing, as they allow guests to be a part of your journey and provide an easy way to enhance the whole experience.
Our guest for today's episode is Nancy McAleer- owner of AMI Home Rental and Co-Founder of Florida Rental By Owners an online niche vacation rental listing website, designed to allow owners and managers full control advertising of their properties without the fees associated with 'Big Box' style OTAs. With her extensive background in both Retail Marketing and VR Management, she sheds light on why direct booking is now more important than ever in the Vacation Rental business.
If you're like most vacation rental owners, you're probably wondering the best way to boost bookings and increase your revenue. While there are several different ways to achieve those goals, one of the most effective is through direct bookings.
What are direct bookings?
Direct bookings are any reservations that a guest makes directly with a property owner. That means they're not made through a third-party website such as Airbnb or VRBO. Some guests will find your property on their own, while others will be referred to you by word-of-mouth referrals or travel agents. The key is that the guest books directly with you instead of with an outside company.
Why are direct bookings important?
Direct bookings are great because they give you more control over the guest management process and provide you with a greater opportunity to add value. You also have more control over the rates that you charge because there's no outside commission involved. Aside from the fact that you are not beholden from other third-party property booking sites, you can directly communicate with guests, thus having total control of the overall booking process.
Tune in to the rest of the episode now and get insights from the experts on how to implement direct booking to your Vacation rental business.
If you wish to connect with Nancy McAleer, please see details below:
Nancy McAleer
Owner of AMI Home Rental and Co-Founder of Florida Rental By Owners
(877) 735-2726
nancy@floridarentalbyowners.com
www.floridarentalbyowners.com
In the vacation rental industry, there are lots of things to do. In our bid to make sure we're living up to compliance, we tend to get caught up with checking and making sure we're doing everything correctly in transactional safety mode.
Checklists and audits are useful checks and balances as part of effective management. However, we must also consider how to improve our vacation rental business holistically.
Instead of only focusing on the nitty-gritty details, we should also look at things from a broader perspective. Doing so will help us better the way we do Vacation rental business.
To illustrate this point, today's podcast episode talks about going beyond the transactional part of safety but practicing proactive approach- which means taking positive actions or steps in addressing safety issues before they arise.
This proactive approach encompasses three questions: WHY, WHAT, and HOW.
The WHY answers why you are doing the things in your business.
This drives to the next which is WHAT. What have you done and are doing to ensure that it is congruent to your WHY?
And lastly, the HOW- which pertains to the proactive measures and checks taken.
Listen to the rest of the episode now and let's begin to dig deeper into our BIGGEST WHY and act on it.
Welcome back to another episode of Safer VR’s Podcast.
Today, Eric talks about ‘Awakening’ our fullest potential- becoming what we want to be, doing what we want to do, and having what we want to have.
Practicing the Be- Do- Have Model, this enables us to be more aware of our thoughts, able to understand our behaviors , and finally able to know by having experienced the totality of who we are BEing.
Easier said than done, but we sometimes turn out to be our own enemy.
This is because of the self- limiting beliefs that we have developed over time.
Self-limiting beliefs are the negative statements or beliefs you tell yourself about yourself and your abilities. The problem with these self-imposed limits is that they are often invisible; you don't even know that you hold them.
You begin to accept them as true without ever questioning them, even if there is no factual evidence that supports this reality.
The worst part about self-limiting beliefs is that they become your truth, no matter how untrue they actually are. When faced with a situation where you must take action, your self-limiting beliefs will kick in and stop you dead in your tracks! The result: You never get to realize your full potential.
And these self- limiting beliefs can only be recognized if we practice awareness- the first step of transformation in anything that we do.
With the founding member launch of the Awakening Vacation Rental Safety membership, Eric will guide you in finding what’s inside you and help you propel to the transformation you desire to BE.
Listen to the rest of the episode now and start saying YES to yourself!
Visit safervrs.com for more information about the Founding launch of the Awakening Vacation Rental Safety Membership.
What do you do to serve others?
This is the question that you’ll be asking yourself as today’s podcast is about getting close and personal with Eric as he shares his past experiences that eventually determined his purpose In life.
He recalled one instance when he was on duty and responded to a house fire. Unfortunately, the accident caused the loss of 2 children. Since then, he dedicated himself to becoming a better firefighter and being able to save more lives.
The key takeaway from this episode is that everything in life—a job, a hobby, or even a pastime—has a purpose. We all have a role to play in the world that makes us who we are. The question isn’t “What is my purpose?” but rather “How will I fulfill the purpose of my job, my hobby, and my pastime?”
Finding your purpose isn’t some desperate attempt to finally discover how you fit into the grand scheme of things. It just allows you to see how every one of these things plays a part in your life. And when you direct your efforts towards accomplishing specific goals and overcoming your self-limiting beliefs, then your life will have meaning because it will feel as if what you do matters.
So, what do you do to serve others? Listen to the rest of the episode now and discover your purpose.
Welcome to another episode of Safer VRs Podcast. Today, Eric talks about self-awareness and though the topic may sound lofty, he simplified self awareness into simple, bite-sized chunks. It’s made up of 4 parts: learning, iterations, changing, and transformation.
Growth of a person and a business is never easy, nor linear. It’s a slow journey – with many ups, downs and self reflected moments. If you want to grow faster – it requires self awareness and an honest look at yourself; where have you come from, where are you now, where do you want to be, how can you get there?
If you want to go on a diet, you need to know what you're eating. If you want to be a better manager, you need to know where your management skills are lacking. If you want to save more money, you need to know how much money you're spending.
The same applies to business: if your organization isn't meeting its goals, or if it's struggling with internal communication or other issues, the first step is understanding why — and that comes down to self-awareness.
The brain is an amazing, complex system — most of what it does is done behind the scenes with little conscious effort on our part. This is great for keeping us alive; we don't have to think about breathing or blinking, for example. But the same principle holds true for our thoughts and habits. Mostly we operate on autopilot, which makes getting stuck in ruts incredibly easy. So if you are not aware of an issue, you won't be able to transform it.
As Aristotle said, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."
Before you can transform your business, you need to know what needs to be transformed and why. And before you can do that, you need to do a deep dive into your own limiting beliefs — and the flaws of your business — so you can figure out how to change them.
Ultimately, self awareness is the crucial first step on your journey to personal and professional growth.
Listen to the rest of the episode and together let's unlock the formula of self-awareness and begin the transformation.
Tennessee and Georgia are both known as some of the best places to have vacation rental homes due to the large number of visitors that they get each year. Because of this, owning a vacation Rental in either state can be very profitable.
Today's guest is Katie Bien, who owns and manages vacation rentals in Tennessee and Georgia, particularly in Chattanooga. With her background in Hospitality management, her passion and dedication remained even after becoming a full time mom.
She shares that it's an advantage to be on both sides of the business as this enables her to see the issues from different perspectives and address them accordingly.
Eric also added that a good team is needed in order to thrive and be successful in the business; a realtor and lender who understands the ins and outs of the business, and a property manager who knows the area and has the expertise to tackle any issues that may arise can really make a great team.
Tune in to the rest of the episode and get to know the inspiring story on how Katie and her team survived the pandemic without laying off her employees and the challenges and opportunities that await for the Vacation Rental industry.
Competition is a very fickle idea. It’s something that can play on our minds and make us feel like if we aren’t doing what someone else is doing, then we’re falling behind.
Today’s episode talks about debunking the idea that competition is one way to be successful in business and life. More often than not, it can be overrated. Most of the time we shouldn’t even be worried about minding others’ business around us – we should be focused on our own business.
Eric advises that one of the best ways to stand out from the business is instead of focusing on what others are doing, you should spend your energy by competing against yourself. Focusing on improving your services to drive innovation which eventually increases your value. You must value the value you create. And If you believe the value of your services, you don’t need to lower the value.
That's how you'll succeed in the long run — not with what other people are doing, but with what you can do to satisfy your customers and build within the premise of who you are BEing.
Listen to the rest of the episode now and focus on what is most important to you.
Visit www.safervrs.com/podcast for more of the same.
Welcome back to another episode of Safer VRS podcast.
Today, Eric shares his recently concluded safety inspection in one of his properties in Gulf Shores and how does the new safety regulatory rules are changing and affecting the VR industry.
Since January 2022, the new city ordinance requires the industry to have:
- single or multiple fire detection alarm in the property
- Carbon monoxide (CO) detection installed of each sleeping area/ outside on every bedroom
While the previous safety inspections are done quickly, the latest inspections are very detailed and were conducted by competent and qualified professionals.
He also shares that building a rapport with the inspectors and concerned agencies can play a vital role in promoting safer Vacation Rental properties by being able to discuss safety concerns and provide professional support.
To guide you with your next safety inspection, here are the few things that were thoroughly inspected in Eric’s properties:
-Sprinkler system
-Exterior of the building
-Deck support
-Emergency rescue opening on each room
-Door openings
-Balcony integrity
-Hand rails condition
-Condition of the exterior foundation
-911 address and markings
Listen to the rest of the episode now and also find out how transformational thinking can help you implement safety to your Vacation rental properties and to your life as well.
We have all heard about slippery bathtubs and showers, and other potential hazards of walking on rugs in a vacation rental. And for today’s episode, let’s understand and apply the science on how to prevent these hazards in the VR industry.
Eric’s guest is Sean Kempler who has more than 25 years extensive background in chemical manufacturing, training and education who now helps in the family business- Kempler Industries, in the manufacturing and distribution side of the business.
Eric and Sean bring their expertise on the table by combining safety and science in discussing the 3 of the most common hazards found in vacation rental properties and how to prevent it by using the correct tools, design, and equipment.
Listen to the episode now and be proactive in providing a safer and cleaner stay for your guests.
In this week’s episode, Erics shares a few of the most memorable events in his life that greatly shaped who he is now, as a being.
Reflecting back those events made him realize that it taught him to be responsible, self -integral and self committed.
He further emphasized the Be,Do, Have model and how it can positively affect someone’s way of living.
While others are focusing on doing to achieve one’s aspiration, Eric talks about the importance of identifying first of who we are, BEing from the inside.
By taking a deep introspect on who we are as individuals and remembering who we are BEing, only then can we attain and serve our calling In life.
Listen to the whole episode now and take a step back to self-reflect in remembering who you are.
Welcome to another podcast episode with Eric Thibodeaux.
Being an accomplished real estate investor since 2009, Eric shares today the 3 primary ways (he actually shared 4- don’t miss it!) to look at in purchasing a vacation rental property in today’s world.
Have you been investing in real estate or looking at the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the industry in terms of cash flow and great returns? You’ve come to the right place!
Listen now as he gives you the pros and cons for each option and with the hopes that it will guide you on your decision to explore the amazing opportunities in investing in vacation rental properties.
P.S.
Head on to www.safervrs.com and sign up to our email list for more of the same.
Don’ miss out another opportunity by enrolling to the VR Academy where he talks about the entire VR investing process on how we identify purchase, and operate VR-real estate.
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Welcome to another insightful episode with Eric.
While you can easily make a profit by investing a vacation rental property, there are legal matters to consider before diving in.
For this reason, today's guest is Tom Schmidt- an active Attorney, Entrepreneur, and Investor. Tom has been investing in and founding private companies for 17 years. In his law practice, he represents clients in investor, shareholder, and partnership disputes, so he has extensive experience looking at deals and the way they can go wrong.
Key takeaway in this episode is simplifying the legal matters in 3 categories:
- local regulatory and state government rules
- Liability risks
-And Corporate structure.
It is critically important to observe due diligence for the local regulatory and state government rules that may affect the vacation rental business. The investors need to ensure that they understand the rules and regulations before making investing to avoid legal hassles in the future.
Investing in a vacation rental property can be a tough choice to make. There are the pros and cons of property management, the responsibilities that come with this type of investment, and the legalities involved in owning a vacation rental.
The corporate structure is where you choose how your business will operate. The three major types of businesses are sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation. In addition to these structures there are also limited liability companies (LLCs) which have benefits not offered by corporations or partnerships. Each of these entities offers different tax benefits and personal liability issues to owners.
It’s important to complete a thorough due diligence process before you sign on the dotted line. Otherwise, you risk buying a vacation rental that is going to create more headaches than dreams. So whether you’re looking to buy your first vacation rental or are just curious about the process, do not skip your due diligence.
Listen to the rest of the episode now.
Welcome to another episode of the Safer VR’s podcast. Today, Eric shares that our brain can retain negative incidents 8x easier than positive incidents.
Another takeaway from this episode is that we should focus on BEing rather than on Doing.
Doing is an external thing. Being is an internal thing. We will never achieve anything in life that we didn’t receive or start from the inside first.
By who are we Being, we become more responsible, committed, and integral in all areas of our lives.
And lastly, 80-90% of behaviors are into autopilot- due to our subconscious program that we’ve had through the years. By incorporating transformational thinking into our business, we can be more successful.
Listen to the rest of the episode let’s start taking action of our thoughts.
A native Houstonian, Tom Schmidt is an active attorney, entrepreneur, and investor. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/International Politics from the University of Pennsylvania, and is an Honors graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, where he served as an Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review. Tom has been investing in and founding private companies for 17 years. In his law practice, he represents clients in investor, shareholder, and partnership disputes, so he has extensive experience looking at deals and the way they can go wrong. Mr. Schmidt has founded or co-founded 13 companies, and currently serves as an officer and/or director of several of them.
In this episode, Eric shares the mic with Tony Cappaert the Founder & CEO of Blue Maple, a vacation rental investment firm. Blue Maple is building a portfolio of unique, high-demand cabins and cottages in the vacation markets outside DC - and manages all portfolio and property operations.
Here, Tony opens up how he started in the business and after gaining enough experience, built a Fund Company as another unique way of buying rental properties.
According to him, the business model is fairly simple. The fund is composed of friends who invest from 50k to 200k. The investment money is then used to acquire rental properties with at least 70% loaned amount and the remaining 30% is from the fund.
The investors are getting the returns every quarter by deducting the rental managements fees and other expenses to the gross rent- where the amount is proportioned to the invested money. While there are a few challenges In the business, a 24% actual cash payout proves that this model is working.
If you want to learn more about the details and is looking for other ways to diversify your investments, this is a great opportunity to hear out from the man himself through this episode.
Listen now and be up to the challenge.
In this episode, Eric wishes everyone a safer Christmas for those who are celebrating the season of giving and receiving. And as we prepare for a joyous new year, he also shares the four parts of receiving a gift well.
The first one is to notice that we are surrounded by gifts. More than the material things we are receiving, we should learn to acknowledge that we are already abundant with gifts- from the people who are in our lives who give us love and affection without a question and even the things that nature provides us freely.
The next one is to learn to appreciate the gifts. More than the cost/financial terms of a gift, we should put more value on the effort and the thoughts someone has given for us to receive it.
The third part of receiving a gift well is to express a sincere thank you. By looking them in the eye and while saying the words, a special connection is formed and will be a gesture of sincerity that you are indeed grateful for the gift and the value and effort that come with it.
The last part is about using the gift. It's the best way to give honor to the giver.
Everything around us is a gift- one way or another. As the new year is fast approaching, it's about time that we ask ourselves how are we paying attention to these gifts and if we are really utilizing it to honor the giver.
Listen to the episode now and let's begin appreciating and use our gifts.
In this episode, Eric invites a guest Dr. Patrick Smith who specializes in energy management, safety and loss prevention to share his expertise and insights on sustainability in the vacation rental industry.
Dr. Smith gives emphasis on the three domains that encompass sustainability; environmental, economic, and social. While the purpose of adopting sustainable practices may be to save cost from energy management, its ultimate goal is to reduce the energy footprint brought by the vacation rental industries in general as it's significantly higher compared to regular household consumers.
Tune in for more as Eric and Dr. Smith exchange ideas on how to get the most out of energy management while being sustainable in your VR business at the same time.
In this episode, Eric shares his recent experience about surrendering and letting go of the things that no longer serve us or not taking us to the place where we want to be- be it in business or life in general.
While easier said than done, we have to make a choice regardless and be in control with our own thoughts instead.
He encourages to make the bold choice to let go of those attachments that are holding us back from where we really need to go, to trust the process and never doubt that the choices we are making is leading us to the exact place where we want to be in business and in life.
Listen to the episode now and start making the right choice.
If you are interested to be part of the beta class for the VR academy- a 9 week module that will help you to be a lead syndicator and/or passive investor, please visit www.safevrs.com and reserve your spot.
Website: safervrs.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/safervacationrentals
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-thibodeaux-mph-csp-chmm-7aa63612
Have you ever asked yourself WHERE or WHAT do you want to be years from now? HOW are you going to get there?
In today's episode, Eric talks about a very interesting topic that all us can relate to- the power of imagination. In order for us to get from point A to point B, we have to begin with the end in mind.
To put it simply, we have to imagine what exactly it's like to be in Point B by activating those senses to create a full mental image.
Listen now and let's imagine together great ideas coming to life.
PS: The 9 Life Saving Rules for the Vacation Rental Industry is finally open. Visit the link to learn more- https://www.safervrs.com/lsr
If you are interested to be part of the beta class for the VR academy- a 9 week module that will help you to be a lead syndicator and/or passive investor, please visit www.safevrs.com and sign up for the wait list.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/safervacationrentals
In this episode, Eric talks about a timely topic for Thanksgiving week: Giving and Receiving. He highlights the importance of celebrating the small wins. The brain really likes it when we take a moment to stop and celebrate our achievements in life, big or small. This action is being stored in our subconscious mind and eventually becomes a habit of doing and achieving more in life.
Listen to the episode now and Happy Thanksgiving!
PS: Watch out for the launching of our newest program called 9 Life Saving Rules for Vacation Rental Properties and Businesses. If you are looking for how to transform your vacation rental business, this program is for you.
In the meantime, please check out our website and follow us on social media to stay updated. Website: www.safervrs.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/safervacationrentals
Justin is Director of Safety & Certification Programs at Breezeway; where he is helping property managers and owners maintain the safety of vacation rental properties. An international vacation rental safety expert, Justin was the first to elevate awareness of safety in vacation rentals back in 2013. Prior to Breezeway, Justin co-founded On the Water in Maine in 2006 and grew the company into the highest-grossing vacation rental company in New England. A former member of the US Coast Guard and a firefighter, Justin travels worldwide to share his industry expertise on short-term rental safety.
Durk is currently a back of the house consultant that specializes in helping companies with efficiency and productivity. He is also the VP of Hospitality for Seabrook Hospitality. Prior to his current roles, Durk was the Executive Director of VRHP, a national organization that specializes in housekeeping, maintenance, and laundry principles and procedures. Durk, was the Vice President of Meredith Lodging where he over saw housekeeping, maintenance, and owner relations. Durk was previously the Director of Housekeeping for Vacasa in Portland, Oregon. Before Vacasa, Durk was the chief operating officer of Gulf Shores Vacation Rentals in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Durk previously served as the chief operating officer of Meyer Services where he worked to diversify the services offered to property owners and unify back-of-the-house operations. Durk also served as the senior guest sales manager for Meyer Vacation Rentals, where he was responsible for implementing a search tool to assist sales agents to find the best vacation property for potential guests, and for raising the morale of the sales team. Durk previously served as director of operations for Deer Valley Lodging in Park City, Utah, where he oversaw housekeeping, maintenance, front desk, bell staff and skier shuttle. He has also served as a consultant on housekeeping efficiency and cleaning standards.
With Larry Green, a Safety & Health Manager and Vacation Rental Owner. This episode covers the importance of managing safety in our Vacation Rental properties and businesses.
Matt Landau is the Founder of VRMB.com, the host of Unlocked by Matt Landau podcast, and The Vacation Rental Show with Matt Landau
Brooke Pfautz is one of the industry's foremost experts in growing vacation rental inventory. He got his start in the industry 13 years ago when he founded Vantage Resort Realty in Ocean City, MD and took an idea on a napkin to more than 500 properties in just five years. After a successful exit, he went on to grow inventory for other major vacation rental brands as a Chief Business Development Officer in multiple destinations. Most recently, as an executive at a leading vacation rental software company, he saw first-hand through MasterMind groups that he launched and facilitated what worked and what didn’t for the 20 largest and most successful companies in the country. Today, Brooke leads Vintory, the only business development agency in the vacation rental industry dedicated entirely to helping professional property managers grow and add the best inventory to their rental programs.
Taylor Hill, I started working in the Vacation Rental Industry about 5 years ago, starting in the industry working in Marketing and Revenue Management for a property management company in Panama City Beach, FL. I started working with Key Data Dashboard in 2019 and since then I have had the pleasure of working with Revenue Manager all over the world.
Proactively provide safer stays and increased revenue for your vacation rental properties.