Meet Jessica Montelongo

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Montelongo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.

Jessica, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
To be completely honest, pure naivety is the main reason I have been successful as a minority woman. My father is a Mexican immigrant & my mother is a second generation European immigrant, but because I was raised in Houston, where minorities are the majority, I never felt any different! I knew I was “smart”, “hardworking”, “kind”, but I was completely naive to the fact that I was different than my peers in any other way. It wasn’t until I moved to a small college town my freshman year of college that I started to notice the nuances of race: I was too “Mexican” for the Caucasian groups and too “white” for the Mexican groups. While I have always been charismatic and friendly, I made friends in both groups, but the sense that I was not 100% the same as either group was very obvious. Then, in my sophomore year, I met my future wife (who is also a minority). I had never been interested in woman romantically before her, so it was quite a surprise to everyone that I knew, including myself! Most of my friends and family were supportive of our relationship, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this made me even more different than everyone else. It took many years to build my own confidence, but once I began to embrace my differences instead of trying to fit into a role that society created for me, things really began to take off! My wife has been integral in this process, as she has always had the conviction that she can do anything that a man (or non-minority) can do. We have both worked for male-dominated companies that don’t value women or minorities, and even more so if you are the kind who speaks out against injustices perpetuated towards these groups. We have been overlooked for promotions, placed under the management of incompetent & abusive male bosses, and gaslit when we voiced our concerns. While most would cower, we spoke up anyway. We now own multiple real estate companies and have dealt with our share of sexist, disrespectful tradespeople who struggle with taking orders from woman. While some would shy away from this type of work, we do it anyway. Once our daughter was born in 2019, we felt even more compelled to speak out against any inequitable treatment against anyone who is different. Because we aren’t quite there as a society, there is still a lot of resistance from people who have enjoyed the privileged of being represented by people who look like them. It is not easy going against history, but with a little naivety, a ton of grit, and a conviction that you are just as smart and hard working (if not more) as the others, then little by little, you can force a spot at the table for yourself and other members of underrepresented groups.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a never-ending “learner” who loves to dabble in multiple industries. I have a PhD in Science, a past career in sales and a small but mighty real estate portfolio. While in grad school, I renovated my entire house on my own, out of pure necessity because I couldn’t afford a contractor. I always joke and say that I graduated with a PhD from Florida International University, and a Masters from YouTube University! I have always been intrigued by how you could change the entire vibe of a space by making the smallest changes in art, paint, or furniture. I have had an eye for it since I was a kid, but I never really considered it a passion or anything that would be a significant part of my life until we started our house flipping journey. That is when I realized that the changes that I thought were small were really eye-catching from the perspective of our buyers…and they did not cost any more than the standard builder-grade materials everyone else was using! When we started renting our units instead of selling them, we got consistent feedback from all of our tenants that they adored the kitchen or the wallpaper accent wall or the custom built-ins. I wanted to recreate that feeling for even MORE people, so short-term rentals were a natural next step for me. We have only been in this business for a couple of years now, and have a portfolio the same size as the heavy hitter management companies in Austin; it’s beyond my wildest dreams! Our goals for the business are ever-evolving, but the main theme will always center around the guest experience. Most people rent a vacation home or corporate rental as a place to stay while they experience the city; my bar is much higher than this. I want my properties to be PART of their experience. With a beautiful, clean property, impeccable hospitality & unique offerings, we are able to offer the escapism that everyone looks for in a vacation, while wrapping our guests in a warm & welcoming blanket that makes them feel at home. Some say that we spend way too much time pouring over every detail of our properties, but I wholeheartedly disagree. When the guests leave us reviews about how a stay at one of our places inspired their young daughter to be an interior designer, or they comment on how they never wanted to leave because the home was cozy and beautiful, I realize that we are changing the world, one smile at a time.

As we grow and scale, my priority is to continue to find ways to make each stay feel personalized for every single person who walks through the door. I think our homeowners feel the same personalization in our partnership, which makes them trust that their home is left in capable hands. When I started this business in 2022, I only had the goal of making money so I didn’t have to go back to another toxic corporate job. With a full time team and 20 properties now under our management, it’s safe to say that our plans for 2024 are much bigger! In 2024, we are aligning even more with our goals of becoming part of the personalized guest experience. We are adding on-site hiking trails and petting zoos at our Glamping sites, adding private chartered boat rides for our guests who rent our houseboats, and we are teaming up with local tradespeople (massage therapists, yoga instructors, boat rental companies, etc) to offer discounted services to our guests. I won’t stop until we are the company that people think about when they recall their most memorable trip.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Undoubtedly, the key to my success has been by unrelenting grit. While I consider myself smart, I have never been the most intelligent person in the room. While I consider myself creative, I have never been the most creative person in the room. But, NO ONE, has ever been able to outwork me. I have the uncanny ability to put my nose to the grindstone and keep moving towards the finish line, working every single day without immediate reward. If I have an end goal in mind, I can work like this for months without seeing a dollar. I’ll wake up at 4am, get moving by 5am and not stop until 10pm when I force myself to go to bed. I have met many people in my life who are hardworking and have done amazing things in this world; but I have never seen anyone who can match my hustle. If you are the person who can outwork anyone, you have something special!

2. Working just to work doesn’t get you anywhere. The key to moving the ball forward is focusing on QUALITY. There will be competitors in every industry, but what distinguishes the top notch players from the lower tiers is the quality of their offerings. Why do people pay triple the amount for organic groceries when you can get the same items for less? Why do people spend more on a pair of pants when you can achieve the same look from a “fast fashion” retailer…because of the quality! If the quality of your work isn’t always at the forefront of your mind, the your efforts will be wasted

3. It’s important to remain humble, but never forget your worth. There will be people who tell you that you can’t do what you want to do because you don’t have experience. Others will pressure you to follow their lead because you are “new”. Some will straight up overlook you. Don’t accept a client if they make you compromise any part of your integrity or values. Don’t be scared to back away from a deal that doesn’t feel right. And don’t feel bad when people don’t call back. Stay in your lane, move steadily and with confidence, and never stop speaking up for yourself!

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
When people ask me what my criteria are for taking on new clients, I always say, ” I want to work with people who want to work with me”. I know that sounds vague, but I truly mean it. I know what it is like to work in male-dominated industries, where women and minorities are underrepresented by design. I know what it is like to be qualified for a promotion but passed over in favor of an under qualified male colleague. I know what it is like to work with clients who adore me and clients who pushed my boundaries because I am a woman. When I finally started my own business, I promised myself that everything that we did would come from a place of joy and passion; not from desperation with the sole purpose of gaining clients and making money. As such, I am not scared to tell a potential client that we are not a good fit, if that is indeed the case. There are two types of clients that we deal with: those who have an unwavering idea of how they want their home managed, and those who have no desire to play a role in running the business. Most management companies will only work with clients in the second category, in order to have control over the property and the day to day management of it. But, I think it is a mistake as a client to hand over your property to a company that doesn’t value transparency…and it is a mistake as a management company to pass over clients who want to be involved; there is a ton to be learned from this group! Our ideal clients give us the freedom to make improvements that will improve the efficiency of the business and the quality of the guest experience. More importantly, our ideal clients are excellent collaborators; they value open communication, transparency and feedback. We do too!

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