Meet Bryce Cano | Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bryce Cano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bryce, what do you attribute your success to?
There are 3 major contributing factors to the success of the Hygge Home Rentals brand: 1. Team/Partnerships: One thing that we learned early on, is that this industry is full of companies who are trying to be a “jack of all trades”. They are trying to do everything themselves (full service management), and unfortunately, when you try to be good at everything, you end up being sub-par in at least one area. For us, in-house we know we are best at consulting, Airbnb listing management, and social media marketing for our properties. Where we aren’t so great is with building or local management. We make sure to partner with amazing builders/contractors and local managers who all share the same vision as us. By doing this, we are still able to offer a “full-service” option for our clients, but in-house we are able to focus on what we are great at, and our clients end up getting better service and results because of it. By building out an amazing team that all works together with a clear vision, and passing off roles to those who are better than you in that area, everyone is able to focus on their own part, and create a better product in the end.

2. Clear Vision: Another very important part of our success is our clear vision of who we are, what we provide, and who we service. Not only for our clients, but for the renters who are staying at our properties. We understand that the short term rental industry is large enough to cater to all sorts of people and circumstances, and we realized that we don’t need to service everyone to still have a large market share. By really keying in on who we want to service, we are able to hyper-focus on what we are ultimately best at; creating properties with unique experiences that you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.

3. Innovation: Innovation is broken down into two parts; innovation of properties and experiences we create with them, and innovation of the program that we are able to offer our clients.

a. With the properties we offer, we are always looking for the next big thing to add in order to attract renters. You have to envision your property as a business, and all other properties in the area are competing businesses. If you aren’t constantly innovating with experiential amenities that you offer, you frankly aren’t going to continue to stand out. Whether it’s outdoor bathtubs, swinging daybeds to enjoy the stars, or outdoor movie theaters, we’re always looking for new ways to elevate the properties that we are working on for our clients. It really creates a brand around the properties that we manage, and renters seek out Hygge Homes properties because of it.

b. With our clients (partners), we start with the mentality of “what else can we do for our clients” rather than, “what else can we get out of our clients”. We truly see our clients as partners and are constantly looking for ways for them to make more money rather than always trying to find ways to make more money from them. The more money they get to keep, the more likely they are to refer other clients to us, and the quicker they are able to purchase more properties for us to add to our portfolio. We are built on relationships, so we are constantly looking for ways to change our program in favor of our clients.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hygge Home Rentals is a boutique marketing firm with an emphasis on experiential Airbnb properties. We help our partners identify/purchase properties, set them up for rental, manage, and run their social media/PR. We pride ourselves on the relationships that we build with our partners. We have a strong sense of our identity in the market, so we know who we are, what we are good at and who we service. By focusing on our key values, we are able to grow through referrals and repeat business. It wasn’t always like this though. It took us a long time to figure these things out. I helped start another company called ResortIgo a few years ago, and we made a ton of mistakes. We tried to grow too quickly, and had an emphasis on bringing on as many properties as we could, as quickly as possible. By doing that, we tried to help everyone, and quickly realized that we weren’t able to offer the level of service that we wanted to.

We shut that company down right before COVID hit, and I started to help out some of my clients in purchasing properties, setting them up, and running their Airbnb listings. Since I was on my own, I was only able to help out a few clients, and the level of service increased significantly. Once I realized that I had a good model, I went back to our team and we decided to start Hygge Home Rentals. That also wasn’t every easy at the beginning, through some trial and error we were able to build an amazing team around us and now we’re starting to thrive.

The biggest piece of advice I would like to pass on is this; don’t try to do everything, pick something that you are passionate about and you’ll be much more successful. Then surround yourself with an amazing team to pick up the other parts. When everyone is in a role that they are passionate about, you’ll be able to create much better service for your clients and everyone benefits.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Many of our properties lie in the city of Joshua Tree, California where there are plenty of activities on offer. Joshua Tree is known for its spectacular outdoor scenery and eclectic city vibe attracting more than 3 million visitors a year. Some of our favorite spots in town to eat are Crossroads Café for the perfect brunch, Joshua Tree saloon for its burgers and brews, and Pappy & Harriet’s for its lively atmosphere and wonderful drinks. If our guests are looking for activities in the area, we highly recommend checking out the national park for some amazing hikes and views in the area or wandering around downtown for some great vintage thrifting and sightseeing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are SO many people I would like to attribute our companies success to. We have built our whole company around relationships. There is no better feeling than our clients purchasing more properties and bringing those under the Hygge Homes Management umbrella or passing along referrals. It really shows how happy they are with our services and how much they trust us. We wouldn’t be able to grow without our amazing clients, so they’re the first ones that we want to give a huge shout out to.

I’d also like to give a huge shout out to our team. One thing that I’ve learned is that you’re only as good as the team that surrounds you. It’s impossible to do everything, so surrounding yourself with people who have different skills, and being able to trust them in their role is directly correlated with the success of your company. That being said, I want to thank Olivia Hill for being such an amazing crutch for me to lean on for these types of things. She has been a huge part of the Hygge Homes success.

Lastly, I’d like to give a huge shout out to my pregnant wife Jessica Cano. She has always believed in me, and is always so supportive of my dreams. I want to build an amazing life for her and our children, and because of that, I work very long hours and I’m constantly on the phone (even on vacations lol). She is so understanding and helps out with running our household. I wouldn’t be able to be as invested in the growth of our company if she wasn’t right by my side.

Website: www.hyggehomerentals.com

Instagram: @_hyggehomerentals

Image Credits
Brandon Stanley