Meet Bryan Salinas | Entrepreneur/ Business owner

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

Hi Bryan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I decide to make my own business when I was working 3 jobs at the same time. I always seeing how my employers they were successful and been a business owners. I’ve been working in the hospitality for 3 years when I came to the US from mexico city it was inspire to create my own business and don’t work for another person. I went to interview a lot successful people, business owners, politicians, investor to see what was the secret to be successful in their life’s. one person that inspired to me was Charlie Brewster a owner from a hotel and restaurant that he told me the history of his life and how he became wealthy thought the years and hard work. He opened the opportunity for me to manage 5 of his properties and that how I started my company bigbearexperiences.com We are a full rental management company with 55 cabins in the market.

I was not scared when I started my business, I had some doubts when I quit my 2 jobs to be full time in my business, I thought what if i will not make it or, how i will be supposed to pay my bills and rent. I took a big risk because we were in the middle of the pandemic and everything was close. It was a big challenging for the 1 years

What should our readers know about your business?
I own a property management business. Big Bear Experiences. We are a boutique company that we help home owners to Maxime revenue and enrings in their homes. We provide great hospitality for our guest and home owners.

Were have been in the business for about 2 years and I’ve been experiencing a lot problem on the road. Running out of money to pay the bills and the employes, I started in the middle of the pandemic I thought it was going to be really hard but it was one the best season for us. Since big bear was one of the towns was open, a lot people traveled to big bear.

The biggest challenge for me was to partnered with a person that screwed me over after 6 months and she took all the clients and I had to start over again. To rebuild my business.

I learned that the human labor is the most important in your business, We have to treat good and take care good as family to all our employs so they care about the company. When i came and make sure my people is good they care about me and we all grow together, This company is made it for me this company is made it for all the hard work from all of us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take my best friend to go a visit santa monica, hollywood and malibu.

We love cars and motorcycles I will defiantly take him to drive a exotic car in las vegas racing,

Big Bear has a great hiking trails that i will definitely take him

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?
I came from Mexico City 5 years ago to Big Bear Lake California and I was living with my dad in a motel room for 10 months, I started working in a construction and cleaning hotel rooms, I was walking from the motel to work every days 3 miles until we got a bicycle and after 3 months we get out first car me and my dad. I went to apply to a hotel for a work that required to speak english and my english was really bad. I had a really lucky day and they hired me for a position called houseman in the lobby, where your supposed to help customers with luggage, carrie luggage’s, delivery items to the room and be in constant communication with the people, I used google translator to help me to communicate with the customers and the staff. All the staff was very understanding with me and they helped a lot. They saw in me all the motivation that I had. Through the months was able to studied English and leaner some words. I was practicing at the elementary school 2 times per week to learn english. I meet my actual friend and mentor Todd White, he is a old man that we were working together at best western he saw on me that I really want it to learn and the called me one time and he told me that he was a professor when he was younger and he wanna it to teach me english, Todd started to teach me english when we were at work at the hotel and at the same time we were playing poker. He offered to me to go and work for a robin hood hotel which is was one the most popular hotels in big bear lake , I went to apply with the recommendation of my mentor todd. It was my first position working at the front desk been face to face connection with people,answering phones, dealing with complaints and guest issues. After getting the job at robinhood my boss at holiday inn offer to have a position also at the front desk. one ge offered to me the position i was scared to be at the front meeting the people in a 5 starts’ hotels, i told him about my fear about the english situation and the told me that all the staff will support me!

I became really confident doing the job for months and learning more about new stuff in the hotel. I got a new position as a night auditor doing accounting in the hotel and I started to learn more about accounting, human resources, management and revenue management.

It was really close to my boss Travis Johnson’s how was the one was believing in me and giving me the opportunity to grow and take new challenges in the hotel.

I started to research a lot of how to invest and the stock market, and I took some courses online about day trading and options and I get into a lot and Invest some money of my savings and lost I believe the first 2 months 3k but with the time was able to educate my self and get better decisions.

When I started to talk thing how can I make more money, I saw the opportunity at the hotel robinhood they used to have 5 properties located at the basement of snow summit, where is one the most popular ski resorts in southern California and the hotel actually never rented out. I saw a great potential in those units a short term rental and the manager at the robinhood was not very interesting in renting the units due to the short staff to clean. I make a business plan and I proposed to the owners of the robin hood hotel Charlie Brewster if i would take over of the properties and create a new website and list the properties in different channels to get bookings, I told him that I want 10% commission of the total sale price. He accepted right away since he was manning the properties for 35% commission and It was going to bring more revenue it was a win win. I opened an account in wix and I create a website to list 5 properties. I listed the properties in airbnb and I get new pictures, I hired new cleaners to help with the units and I started getting more bookings and more. It was making about 1k extra month only for renting those 5 places between my works time, I was doing all the work from my phone and customer service. I get notice one day that the actually owner of the hotel passed away and the kid where here in big bear and they decided to take over the 5 units and give it to another management company. It was a sunday when i get that notice and I hear that the owners of the units were leaving that day. So i went right away to the units to talk to them and explain that I was the actually person that it was managing the units, and selling via airbnb. They told me that they already interview one the most biggest companies in town for management and they are ready to sign the contract. I offered my services, I explain them what they need it its a small company that can take care better of the units and put attention to the small details. I got his email and I send a long email to the owners saying why it was the best option. I remembered one day was dumping trash with the trailer and i get a phone call from him saying that they wanna to go with me and I will take over of the properties with my new company. this is how I started doing property manager. by the way i was working also doing construccion 3 days a week. Working 100 hrs a week for 3 years.

After 6 months working on my own, I partnered with a Attorney that wanna to create a bigger business with me, We created a company ski high escape and combine our cabins to have a bigger company, Short story my expartnet now screwed me over and took all the clients with her and took the company, I had to start over again from scratch without employees, 14 homes.

I was able to get to 50 cabins in 6 months after the brake up with the business.

A lot of people helped me trough the years to become a better person, My dad and my mom always supported with my dreams and all my decisions. My parents has been with me in the good and bad times, I’m grateful to have myfamily with me. I’ve been knowing a lot people from another countries that they also helped me during this time in the US.

One the person that inspired me a lot to be better it was Warren buffer the investor. I read it a lot investing and how to be become financially free.

Now I’m in the position to help people when I can and support them in their dreams and push them to be a better person. I told them my history when I came from mexico I was cleaning toilets and cabins and after 5 years I founded my company and now I employee more than 12 people and .Life is about taking a risk and having a plan. You have to work hard and be smart with your decisions, If you work hard and don’t have a plan to exit one day. It’s going to be difficult. You can have 3 jobs live of one job and save the money from the other 2 jobs to start building your hustle. Takes time to get the rewards. Do small goals at the time and they will become bigger goals. Always keep it humble and never forget where you came from. We are all the same in this world.