Meet Martin Crawford | Vacation Rental Company Founder

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

Hi Martin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always had the entrepreneurial bug and shortly after college I started my own outdoor guide business, offering rock climbing classes and guided outdoor experiences including backpacking trips and wilderness survival courses. This grew over the next decade and my company was operating four different adventure programs at different summer camp locations, both for children in the summers and adult teambuilding retreats in the other months of the year. What I did not know at the time was that I was slowly honing my skills in the hospitality industry.
Eventually, I dissolved the company as I transitioned to be the Director of Outdoor Education at the Claremont Colleges, offering those same experiences to college students, but with more of an emphasis on education – training the future leaders of outdoor education and wilderness pursuits.

Since this new role brought me closer to the colleges and away from my A-frame cabin in the mountains, my entrepreneurial self naturally wanted to explore ways to use my cabin as an extension of the hospitality I had been providing for the past two decades. VRBO had been around but Airbnb was new on the scene and there was quite the buzz around “renting out your house on a short-term basis.” This in my mind was a win-win; I would be able to offer a place for families to escape to the mountains away from the hustle and bustle of the city and still have it available to use myself from time to time. Hence, my first vacation rental was created!

Shortly after, my partner and I purchased another mountain cabin close by and then had two vacation rental options. As the success grew, I was approached by neighbors and friends to manage their rentals as well. It’s now been 10 years and I’ve been honored to manage 30+ vacation cabins and welcome thousands of guests to the mountains! Most recently, I released my first book as a way to give back to the short-term rental industry – The Host Handbook: 52 Tips in 52 Weeks. https://www.amazon.com/Host-Handbook-Elevate-Short-term-Hospitality/dp/B0CJ3X9CST/

What’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?

I feel like the older generations felt the best way to succeed included sticking with one job and working with one company for your entire career, almost as if it showed consistency and a hard work ethic. Personally, I feel like people (especially entrepreneurs) can/should try new career paths from time to time. It keeps the creative juices flowing and stimulates different areas of the economy!

How do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

As a former outdoor guide and wilderness first aid instructor, I was constantly building curriculum around risk management. In the past decade I have transferred this skill into the vacation rental industry. Having a solid base of physical risk management has allowed me to take MORE personal and emotional risks. It seems many entrepreneurs are less likely to take appropriate risks because they don’t have their “behind-the-scene” risks covered.

What habits do you feel helped you succeed?

One habit for success in the vacation rental market is AVAILABILITY and the ability to respond to questions and emergencies in live time. I must thank my family for their patience with me as I often need to quickly reply to a guest messaging me about something in the vacation rental. This is not an easy task when you have two teens in the house and are teaching them to be “present” and to put the phone down when they are around others. The hospitality industry can be quite time consuming but addressing small tasks as they arise saves me countless hours of computer/desk work. In a way, this has freed up more time for me to shuttle my kids to and from school as well as the occasional trip to one of the vacation rentals for hands on work like minor handyman repairs or restocking supplies.

What is the most important factor behind your success/ the success of your brand?

Honest HUMILITY is a factor I value in the business. We are all human and we all make mistakes from time to time. The key is to learn from the mistakes and move forward. This approach can be infectious and affect all involved with the business – from the house cleaning crew to the Airbnb customer service representatives or from the repair person to the guests themselves. I try to be humble and learn from mistakes, especially as they impact the guest experience during their trip. Instead of becoming defensive when a guest complains about something, I try to put myself in their shoes and look for a solution to salvage their negative experience.

What’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?

Start early. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit, just try and try early. The very first idea may not pan out but the process of starting a business will only improve each time!

Work life balance: How has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?

As mentioned before, the ability to compartmentalize small tasks throughout the day has created more work life balance. Yes, it can often be quite the nuisance to have notifications from my phone interrupting my day. However, I’d rather perform those micro-tasks throughout the day instead of sitting down behind a computer screen for 4 hours.
I also try to integrate family life with work life by enlisting my kids for work in the business. During the summers I schedule many of the rental cleanings for my own children – giving them a chance to earn some money and spend a day with dad at the same time. If not on site at the vacation rentals, I’ll hire them to help me shop and organize supplies for the cabins.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?
See #1

Why did you pursue this career?

The freedom to work away from a desk! I’ve always been more of a hands-on type person. I know this sounds like a superficial answer but honestly, I enjoy working with a physical space like a vacation rental. I also enjoy the idea of creating something that will last forever, like the memories of a vacation. See next question for more on this.

What are you inspired by?

When I am on vacation with my family exploring something new, I get inspired by the experience of experiencing. Watching the family interact with the surroundings and engage in nature on an outdoor adventure has always been an inspiration. Not necessarily the Instagram photo posted of the trip, but the immersive act of the trip. I take this approach with all my vacation rentals as well, trying to handcraft an “experience” for the guest. Have you ever scrolled through a friend’s social media feed after a big vacation? It’s riddled with countless photos of sunsets and their friends or family posing in front of buildings, statues, or landmarks. Yet, when you talk to them about their trip they will tell you stories of the experience and often not mention what was in their photos at all. Instead, they recall their experiences. They talk about that one local who hung out with them for a beer, a time they got lost, a time they saw an unexpected, rare animal of the region, the flavors of a dish, or the embarrassing time they botched the foreign language. I try my best to create similar experiences for my guests. I’ll add amenities that help shape the experience – fishing poles, a fire pit, BBQ, tetherball, board games, etc. I also create a digital guidebook for the guests that includes things like trail maps, fishing spots, rainy day activity suggestions, local attractions, and even suggested meals to make on vacation. Hopefully I’ve set the stage enough to create some memories that will last forever!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Naturally, I’d take them to visit the San Bernardino mountains and stay at one of my cabin rentals while I guide them on a fun adventure hiking or rock climbing, followed with an evening on the deck around the fire pit.

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 must thank my family for their patience with me. My beautiful wife has been so gracious with her time allowing me to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. My kids have also always believed in me and I thank them as well!

Website: www.GetLostInn.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/getlostinn2

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-crawford-705a54277/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/getlostinn

Image Credits
Self