Key Takeaways from the STR Virtual Summit

Last week was EPIC and I am excited to share my key takeaways from the STR Virtual Summit! Here is my roundup of The Short Term Rental Virtual Summit for Women. I was so proud and honoured to be included in this incredible event as a speaker. But as a life-long learner, I also received a ton of lessons and value from the other amazing women in this space. This was four whirlwind days of Short Term Rental masterclasses, business coaching, investing advice and truth bombs.

The summit covered all areas of the business and for all levels: for the rookies; those in growth mode; and for the pros. No matter if you are new to the STR world or you are digging into your 200th deal, there was amazing value on every day, in every session and also in some surprising bonuses. There really was something for everybody.

Firstly, Stacey St. John and her team at the Short Term Rental Society, pulled off a flawless event – or it appeared to be flawless from my viewpoint. The tech was seamless, the branding was on-point and all the events – live and pre-recorded – ran like clockwork. This was the perfect mix of pre-recorded sessions with bonus handouts and live sessions with panels covering everything from design, to project management to hard-core lending and finance.

Stacey created a diverse, inclusive, supportive and safe atmosphere for us all to learn and grow from each other. There were zero apologies for women helping women to grab deals, create wealth and financial independence and talk openly about money and profits. Plus it was always super fun with Stacey’s approachable style and real talk on what it is like to run a hospitality business.

Now that I have finished gushing.. what were my key takeaways?

1. There are so many different successful business models. There is no one right (or wrong) way to approach this business.
   • Dr. Rachel Gainsburgh spoke on how to scale a thriving luxury empire while working full time.
   • Sarah Goodfellow gave the low down on Rental Arbitrage
   • Avery Carl shared all the tips on how to run a STR business remotely
   • Amanda Williams understands how to leverage mid-term stays for profitability and ease
   • Julie George – the million dollar host herself – shared her wealth of knowledge on how to be the leading co-host/manager and earn a millions as an exceptional property manager.
2. Succesful businesses need exceptional systems to run like clockwork
   • Meredith Crowley showed how clever systems is an act of self care
   • Thanks for Visiting legends – Annette Grant and Sarah Karakaian – show how they use their systems and processes to maximise profits and balance in their business
   • Stacey St. John‘s common sense and powerful goal setting, action planning and project management were masterclasses in business coaching.
3. Know your numbers when investing and scaling. No-nonsense financial essentials for scaling, building wealth and financing deals
   • Liz Sheik gave all the best ways to analyse the market
   • Vena Jones Cox – the Real Estate goddess herself – dropped so many nuggets on creative financing.
   • Plus the investor panel was a masterclass in creative financing, deal analysis and savvy investments
4. Savvy Marketing will maximise your profits and help you grow a sustainable business both on and off the big OTA’s like Airbnb and VRBO and Booking.com.
   • The tech panel, the social media panel and the networking panel really dropped so much value and nuggets for marketing
   • Plus of course my speaking gig covering positioning your listing to stand out in a crowded market.

These speakers also provided handouts to download AND for the VIPs/Superstars there were thousands of dollars of coaching tools also shared. I snaffled ALL the bonuses and am going to be spending my time digging into these lessons to see what I can learn and apply in my own hosting business.

But Tracey – haven’t you been in STR since the dark ages?

I know I write this blog, have private coaching and mentoring clients plus I have my STR superpowers in marketing and listing audits, but there are always things to learn for me too. I have never claimed to be a guru – more of a “leading learner” and I love to share these learnings with anybody who also shares a passion for this business.

This summit was like a massive STR house party and in each room something fantastic was happening. There were rooms on design with my pal Valerie Malone from Quill Decor, panels on tech, social media and lending and finance. Plus bonuses from the sponsors Price Labs, Touch Stay, STR Society, Go Lightly, Host GPO, Boostly, Hostfully and Key Data. I learnt so much and have so many key takeaways.

For me in Japan, the time zones were very late or very early but I am used to that. Fortunately, all the sessions were recorded and available for LIFETIME access. Which means I have hours and hours of content to consume.

Are you like me and you have podcasts, training videos and interviews playing on a loop? This summit has given me basically six month’s worth of STR trainings to consume. This will be the summit that will keep on giving through 2022.

I am really grateful to Stacey and her team for including me in this spectaular event. Plus I am super grateful to be able to connect with so many amazing hosts and speakers from around the world – I think there were over 500 attendees to this summit. I wonder how big this will be in 2023?

Are you here for the first time?

Many of you have heard me speak for the first time at the summit and have downloaded some of my resources. The VIP’s were able to snaffle my Squeeze your Airbnb Listing – 30 day challenge. If this is how you have found me and this blog for the first time, welcome. I hope you stick around for longer and check out the archives.

Also, remember that I am available if you want to have a one-on-one chat about your business. If you are ready for more profits and visibility in the market, I am here to help you get there.

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