Podcasts

Ep 297 – Working 24/7 But Still Stuck? This is why Your STR Business Isn’t Growing

2026-06-08T06:58:52-04:00

πŸ”₯ LAST CHANCE β€” STR AI SUMMIT, June 23-24 | Freedom Factory, Beverly, MA Only 100 seats. This is where direct bookings, AI agents, and the next decade of STR get built β€” live, with the operators leading the charge. πŸ‘‰ strsecrets.com/aisummit Most STR operators don't have an information problem. They have an identity problem. In this solo episode, mindset coach and STR Secrets co-host Emanuele Pani breaks down the framework he's been using inside the weekly STR Secrets mindset calls β€” and explains exactly why so many operators stay stuck despite doing all the right things. If your results haven't [...]

Ep 297 – Working 24/7 But Still Stuck? This is why Your STR Business Isn’t Growing2026-06-08T06:58:52-04:00

Ep 296 – Direct Bookings, AI Agents & Why Airbnb Fees Are Going to 20% | Mark Simpson Returns

2026-06-01T06:26:41-04:00

πŸ”₯ LAST CHANCE β€” STR AI SUMMIT, June 23-24 | Freedom Factory, Beverly, MA Only 100 seats. This is where direct bookings, AI agents, and the next decade of STR get built β€” live, with the operators leading the charge. πŸ‘‰ strsecrets.com/aisummit ───────────────────────────── Yorkshire, UK β€” Mark Simpson spent $50,000 on human appointment setters last year. They did almost nothing. Then he built one AI agent named Icarus. In 7 days, it closed a $5,000 deal. Cost? Less than $20. Two months later, Mark has 18 AI agents running inside Boostly. They've generated $54,000 in revenue. And he says he's never [...]

Ep 296 – Direct Bookings, AI Agents & Why Airbnb Fees Are Going to 20% | Mark Simpson Returns2026-06-01T06:26:41-04:00

Ep 295 – Why Your STR Business Stopped Growing (And It’s Not the Market)

2026-05-26T05:39:07-04:00

You're doing the work. You're managing the properties. You're showing up every day. So why does it feel like you're spinning your wheels? In this solo show, Chris Petzy and Emanuele Pani get raw about the real reason STR operators stall out β€” and it has nothing to do with the market, your pricing strategy, or your occupancy rate. In this episode: β†’ The 3 silent causes of business stagnation (and which one is quietly killing your growth right now) β†’ Why split focus will never equal scale β€” and the one decision Chris made that changed everything β†’ The identity [...]

Ep 295 – Why Your STR Business Stopped Growing (And It’s Not the Market)2026-05-26T05:39:07-04:00

Ep 294 – $1B STR Company CEO Tells You Exactly How AI Will Eat Your Business (Or Make You Rich) | Marcus RΓ€der, Hostaway

2026-05-18T06:13:44-04:00

πŸ”₯ STR AI Summit β€” June 23-24 | Freedom Factory, Beverly, MA Only 100 seats. Built for operators who are serious about what comes next. πŸ‘‰ strsecrets.com/aisummitIf you're managing 5, 10, or 50+ properties and wondering whether AI is a tool or a threat β€” Marcus RΓ€der has the answer. And it's not what most people are saying. Marcus is the co-founder and CEO of Hostaway β€” the first vacation rental software company to reach unicorn status and the recipient of the largest funding round in vacation rental history: $365 million led by General Atlantic. He's been in this industry for [...]

Ep 294 – $1B STR Company CEO Tells You Exactly How AI Will Eat Your Business (Or Make You Rich) | Marcus RΓ€der, Hostaway2026-05-18T06:13:44-04:00

Ep 293 – The Man Who Lost $50 Million and Called It a Seminar | Rod Khleif on Mindset, AI, and What’s Coming

2026-05-11T05:46:49-04:00

🎟️ Join us at the STR AI Summit β€” June 23-24 at the Freedom Factory in Beverly, MA. Only 100 seats. Early bird: $1,497. strsecrets.com/aisummit In 2006, Rod Khleif's net worth went up $17 million while he slept. Two years later, he lost $50 million. He didn't call it a failure. He called it an expensive seminar. In this episode, E sits down with Rod Khleif β€” Dutch immigrant turned multifamily mogul, bestselling author, and host of the largest commercial real estate podcast in the world. At 66 years old, with 30 companies built and over 300,000 student-owned multifamily units, Rod [...]

Ep 293 – The Man Who Lost $50 Million and Called It a Seminar | Rod Khleif on Mindset, AI, and What’s Coming2026-05-11T05:46:49-04:00

Ep 291 – The 4-Year Warning: Why AI is About to Replace Average Operators| David VanWert

2026-04-27T05:52:00-04:00

Most luxury STR owners write that electric bill every month without ever knowing what's causing it. David VanWert did the same thing β€” until he built a platform to fix it. In this episode, E and Chris sit down with David VanWert, founder of Umbra and owner of seven STR cabins in the Smoky Mountains and Mammoth Lakes. David built Umbra after spending years watching energy costs silently destroy the profitability of high-end vacation rentals β€” and after realizing no existing solution was built for the STR world. In this episode, David covers: - What Umbra does: smart power monitoring and [...]

Ep 291 – The 4-Year Warning: Why AI is About to Replace Average Operators| David VanWert2026-04-27T05:52:00-04:00

Ep 290 – What the #1 Restaurant in the World Taught Me About Running a Better STR Business

2026-04-20T05:58:05-04:00

E just got back from the Unreasonable Hospitality Summit in Nashville β€” and this solo episode is his full recap. Will Guidara wrote Unreasonable Hospitality during COVID. He took Eleven Madison Park from a nice restaurant to the #1 restaurant in the world β€” the only restaurant to ever go from one Michelin star to three in a single year. His philosophy: service is what you do for people. Hospitality is how you make them feel. In this episode E breaks down the biggest lessons from the summit β€” how to systematize hospitality so your team delivers it consistently, why hiring [...]

Ep 290 – What the #1 Restaurant in the World Taught Me About Running a Better STR Business2026-04-20T05:58:05-04:00

Ep 289 – From Tragedy to 65 Units: How Cara and Mark Truckey Built a Life and Business on Their Own Terms

2026-04-13T05:46:41-04:00

In 2016, Cara and Mark Truckey lost their 14-month-old son. He never woke up at daycare. Most couples don't survive a loss like that. Instead, it became the moment that changed everything. In this episode, E and Chris sit down with Cara and Mark Truckey β€” two STR Secrets boardroom alumni who have built a real estate portfolio of 65+ units across Wisconsin and Florida while raising three kids and running multiple businesses. This is one of the most honest and human conversations we have had on this show. In this episode Cara and Mark cover: - How losing their son [...]

Ep 289 – From Tragedy to 65 Units: How Cara and Mark Truckey Built a Life and Business on Their Own Terms2026-04-13T05:46:41-04:00

Ep 288 – Your STR Could Be Banned Tomorrow and here’s What You’re Not Doing About It | ft. Julie Marks

2026-04-06T05:54:53-04:00

Most STR operators don't think about regulation until it's already too late. Julie pulls back the curtain on what’s really happening in short-term rental regulation and why hosts can’t afford to stay invisible. From local politics to nationwide advocacy, this episode is a wake-up call for operators who think regulation is someone else’s problem. β€’ How Julie went from accidental host to industry advocate β€’ Why anti-STR arguments often hide deeper community concerns β€’ The biggest mistake hosts make when regulations start changing β€’ Why advocacy is not charity, but a real business investment β€’ How small hosts can contribute without [...]

Ep 288 – Your STR Could Be Banned Tomorrow and here’s What You’re Not Doing About It | ft. Julie Marks2026-04-06T05:54:53-04:00

Ep 287- 5 Years. 180 Properties. 36 People. Aidan Groll on Building a Real STR Management Company

2026-03-30T05:11:54-04:00

Most STR companies obsess over guest reviews. Blue Gems obsesses over owner profitability. And they grew to 180 properties under management doing it. In this episode, recorded live at the Freedom Factory in Beverly, MA, E sits down with Aidan Groll β€” co-founder of Blue Gems Management, one of Florida's fastest-growing STR companies. Aidan and his partner JB manage 180+ properties across Orlando and Clearwater Beach with a 36-person team β€” and grew almost entirely through organic relationships, not paid ads. In this episode, Aidan breaks down: - How he went from a corporate accounting job to buying his first duplex [...]

Ep 287- 5 Years. 180 Properties. 36 People. Aidan Groll on Building a Real STR Management Company2026-03-30T05:11:54-04:00
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