How do you go from finding clients on Gumtree to selling a 145-property portfolio?

In this episode of Building It, I sit down with Hayden D'Arcy, co-founder of Home Hero. His journey is one of the most relatable and inspiring stories we've had on the show.

He started in 2015 with no clients. He drove a wrecked car to his first listing appointment (and hid it around the corner!). But through a relentless "Say Yes" strategy, he built a massive property management business on the Gold Coast, survived COVID, and recently achieved a successful exit.

We dive into the reality of running a service business alongside a tech company, how to value your business for a sale, and why buying a cleaning company was the key to solving his operational headaches.

#FromHustleToExit #ScaleWithSystems #AccommodationGrowth

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ACCOMMODATION OWNERS AND MANAGERS FREE RESOURCES!

📧Join the mailing list for freebies and critical industry updates: https://news.theaccommodationshow.com/

🌍The Accommodation Owners and Managers Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/AMoFacebookCommunity

🗨 Connect with Bart Sobies for more industry insight: https://www.ibooked.online/bart/

🎙 Subscribe to the podcast to listen later: https://www.theaccommodationshow.com

1. YouTube Chapters

This is a fantastic "Building It" episode. It has everything: a humble beginning (Gumtree!), a struggle phase, a tech spin-off (Home Hero), rapid growth during COVID, and finally, a successful exit.

The story about hiding the wrecked car around the corner is absolute gold—it's the perfect hook to show how far he came.

Here are the promotional assets for the episode with Hayden D'Arcy.

1. YouTube Chapters

00:00 - Intro: Selling a 145-Property Business

01:46 - The Humble Start: Getting Clients on Gumtree in 2015

03:04 - The "Wrecked Car" Story: Faking It 'Til You Make It

05:34 - Co-founding Home Hero & Annoying Airbnb for API Access

09:38 - The Reality of Running Two Businesses at Once (18-Hour Days)

12:11 - The COVID Pivot: How He Grew When Others Quit

16:21 - The "Say Yes" Strategy: Taking Opportunities Others Refused

19:05 - Solving the Ops Nightmare: Buying a Cleaning Company

20:32 - The Hardest Founder Lesson: Learning to Let Go

22:31 - The Exit: Why He Sold His Portfolio to Focus on Tech

25:41 - How to Prepare Your Business for Sale (Valuation Tips)

✨ Ready to take things up a level? Come to STRIVE:

https://www.striveconferences.com

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🥊 Hotel - BNB - STR Owners! 🥊

Need more direct bookings or a brand new website?

The trusted tech partner you can count on. We deliver results.

🥊 https://www.ibooked.online ​​​​​​​​​​​🥊

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Disclaimer: The content shared on this YouTube channel, Podcast, or associated posts reflects personal opinions and insights. This content is not intended as legal, financial, or investment advice. Always consult with licensed professionals before making decisions. The hosts and guests disclaim liability for any consequences of using this content. Actions taken should be based on your personal due diligence.

Is your AI just a toy, or is it a business asset?In this episode of Automate It, I sit down with Dr. Rachel Gainsbrugh, a retired healthcare professional who built a luxury STR brand using advanced automation.We dive deep into why the PDF lead magnet is dead (and what to use instead) and how to build a "Marketing Library" to train Custom GPTs that write exactly like you. Rachel shares her specific playbook for creating AI agents that handle reviews, social media, and team training without sounding robotic.If you want to stop writing every email from scratch and start building systems that buy back your time, this episode is your blueprint.SHOW LINKSDr Rachel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.comChatGPT: https://chatgpt.comClaude: https://claude.aiGemini: https://gemini.google.comCanva: https://www.canva.comNotebook LM: https://notebooklm.google.comClose CRM: https://www.close.comVRMA: https://www.vrma.org Strive Conferences🌐 Website: https://www.striveconferencescom🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/striveconferences/👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/striveconferences📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/striveconferencesDon't forget to hit that subscribe button! This also keeps us going and creating more useful content for free!ACCOMMODATION OWNERS AND MANAGERS FREE RESOURCES! 📧Join the mailing list for freebies and critical industry updates: https://news.theaccommodationshow.com/🌍The Accommodation Owners and Managers Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/AMoFacebookCommunity🗨 Connect with Bart Sobies for more industry insight: https://www.ibooked.online/bart/🎙 Subscribe to the podcast to listen later: https://www.theaccommodationshow.com1. YouTube Chapters00:00 - Intro: Dr. Rachel Gainsbrugh & The Healthcare Connection02:16 - Why Doctors Make the Best Airbnbs Hosts (Patient Care vs Guest Care)06:22 - Is AI Overhyped? (What's Actually Working Right Now)07:51 - The Secret Weapon: AI Note-Takers & Authentic Content11:11 - Building a "Marketing Library" to Train Your AI13:00 - How to Train Claude/ChatGPT on Your Brand Voice17:49 - The Death of the PDF: Why Lead Magnets Must Be Interactive20:00 - Using "NotebookLM" to Turn Notes into Podcasts & Tools23:54 - How to Create a High-Value Lead Magnet for STRs27:26 - Email Marketing 101: Nurturing Leads for Direct Bookings34:23 - Masterclass: How to Build Custom GPTs for Your Business35:09 - The "Review Response GPT" Formula39:05 - Using AI for Social Media Captions & Images42:12 - Final Advice: Just Start & Ask AI How to Use AI✨ Ready to take things up a level? Come to STRIVE: https://www.striveconferences.com▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 🥊 Hotel - BNB - STR Owners! 🥊 Need more direct bookings or a brand new website? The trusted tech partner you can count on. We deliver results. 🥊 https://www.ibooked.online ​​​​​​​​​​​🥊 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Disclaimer: The content shared on this YouTube channel, Podcast, or associated posts reflects personal opinions and insights. This content is not intended as legal, financial, or investment advice. Always consult with licensed professionals before making decisions. The hosts and guests disclaim liability for any consequences of using this content. Actions taken should be based on your personal due diligence.Affiliate Disclaimer: This blog, podcast & youtube channel; will occasionally contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission on a purchase without additional cost to you, if you buy something through my links. This show aims to educate viewers and share everything I know about improving your accommodation, STR and AirBNB business. I believe in the products and services we link to and that you may benefit from them. If you do purchase through my affiliate links; I want to thank you for your support.

Traditional search is dying. The "Great Reset" is over. And if you are still running your business like a hobby, 2026 is going to be a wake-up call.

To kick off Season 21 of The Accommodation Show, I took the microphone to the floor of VRMA International in Las Vegas to ask 14 of the smartest people in the industry one single question:

"What is the #1 trend operators need to look out for in 2026?"

📋 In this episode, we discuss:

00:00 - Miles Hobson (Hospitable) on Human Connection in AI

01:31 - Heather Bayer: Implementing AI Pragmatically

03:38 - Benjamin Coleman: Revenue Management & Ancillary Upsells

05:35 - Patryk Swietek: The Rise of the "All-Inclusive" Concierge

07:42 - Yair Holtzer (Guesty): The Fight for Quality Inventory

09:50 - Matthew Tesdall: Influencer Marketing for Destination Markets

11:43 - Margot Schmorak (Hostfully): Professionalizing & The Maturity Model

14:23 - Annie Sloan (The Host Co): Why Keywords are Dead (Contextual Search)

17:55 - Ashley Ching (Inhaven): The Missing Quality Framework

20:08 - Simon Seroussi (So Suite): Pruning Properties for Profitability

22:28 - Jeff Iloulian (HostGPO): Standardization & Guest Expectations

24:42 - Jacobie Olin (C2G Advisors): M&A Trends & Fixing Churn

27:35 - Richie Khandelwal (PriceLabs): Visibility in the Age of LLMs

30:00 - Julie Brinkman (Beyond): AI

#HospitalityLeadership #SystemiseToScale #STRGrowth

SHOW LINKS

Don't forget to hit that subscribe button! This also keeps us going and creating more useful content for free!

ACCOMMODATION OWNERS AND MANAGERS FREE RESOURCES!

📧Join the mailing list for freebies and critical industry updates: https://news.theaccommodationshow.com/

🌍 Join the Accommodation Owners and Managers Facebook Community:

https://bit.ly/AMoFacebookCommunity

🔗 Connect with Bart Sobies for industry insights, tools, and resources:

https://www.ibooked.online/bart/

🎙 Catch every episode of The Accommodation Show here:

https://www.theaccommodationshow.com

✨ Ready to take things up a level? Come to STRIVE:

https://www.striveconferences.com

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

🥊 Hotel - BNB - STR Owners! 🥊

Need more direct bookings or a brand new website?

The trusted tech partner you can count on. We deliver results.

🥊 https://www.ibooked.online ​​​​​​​​​​​🥊

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Disclaimer: The content shared on this YouTube channel, Podcast, or associated posts reflects personal opinions and insights. This content is not intended as legal, financial, or investment advice. Always consult with licensed professionals before making decisions. The hosts and guests disclaim liability for any consequences of using this content. Actions taken should be based on your personal due diligence.

Affiliate Disclaimer:

This blog, podcast & youtube channel; will occasionally contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission on a purchase without additional cost to you, if you buy something through my links.

This show aims to educate viewers and share everything I know about improving your accommodation, STR and AirBNB business. I believe in the products and services we link to and that you may benefit from them.

If you do purchase through my affiliate links; I want to thank you for your support.