Meet Allison Zhang

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Zhang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allison , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Short answer? Action.
One thing I know for sure: life hasn’t followed any script. It’s been a rollercoaster, full of loops, free falls, and unexpected turns. But through it all, I feel incredibly lucky to have collected so many wild, painful, beautiful, and unforgettable experiences along the way.

I came to the U.S. at 22. I got a marketing degree in hand, and absolutely no idea what I was doing. The 2008 financial crisis had just hit. No one was hiring. I had zero connections. I felt invisible. Still, I worked a part-time job, buried myself in Excel spreadsheets, and held on. Just when I was ready to give up, a job offer found me. That company just signed a China partner company, and needs someone bilingual with business skills to develop an e-commerce store. I was so thrilled by the opportunity! I started as a contractor, and 3 months later, I convinced the company to invest in me, and sponsor my work visa. First little miracle.

In my 20s, I worked hard. Played harder. I lived in Denver, where the air felt lighter and people smiled more. I rode my bike every day just for the joy of it. But I knew deep down, I wanted more. I’m ambitious. I always have been. So I moved to the Bay Area, straight into the heart of Silicon Valley.

I still remember the sticker shock, $2,500 for a one-bedroom apartment, compared to my $800 Denver condo!
I was a contractor, hopping from job to job, dreaming of a breakthrough tech career. Instead, I got laid off. Then laid off again. Then… finally, a real job. Tired of moving, I poured everything I had into buying an old house. It felt huge. I worked like crazy to afford the mortgage, but I was so proud. That’s when I started my own businesses, recruiting, and short-term rentals.
Then life threw a curveball.

The pandemic hit. Hard.
Everything spiraled. I burned out. I broke down. I went on short-term disability. My relationship ended. A best friend passed away. My cat got cancer. I held him in my arms as he was put to sleep. All of that, in less than a year.

I lost motivation to get out of bed. I’d lie there for hours, just staring at the ceiling fan, unable to move. I didn’t feel like myself anymore. So I started small: reading. Self-help books. Therapy. I wasn’t ready to act, but I could learn. One day, I decided to travel, solo road trips along the California coast. Nature. Wind. Water. Something shifted. I felt something return.

I came back and renovated the house, then sold it, with the help of a trusted realtor friend. I made a profit. More importantly, I proved to myself that I could still build.
I moved to L.A. to start over.
The biggest lesson from that season of life? No one can save you until you decide to save yourself. But once you do, it’s wild how the world starts showing up to help.

Since then, I got into real estate. I did stand-up comedy in LA, and performed at The Comedy Store, the dream stage for every comic. I launched a short-term rental business and scaled it from 0 to 10 properties in a year. I even got laid off again, and this time, I didn’t break. I just kept going.

I’m not fearless. I’ve cried in parked cars. I’ve doubted myself more times than I can count. But the one thing I’ve always done, even when I didn’t believe in myself is take action.

Every dark moment felt like a dead end at the time. But now I see they were turning points.

I didn’t get through because I was brave.I got through because I refused to stay stuck.

So yeah… this is the long answer.
I built it one stubborn step at a time.
Not from confidence. Not from hope.
But from motion.
Short answer? Action.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I run my business, Allison Rental, where I manage short-term rental properties and develop vacation homes. I help property owners turn their spaces into high-performing, stress-free rentals — and for travelers, I create homes that feel warm, stylish, and welcoming. A real home away from home.

What makes it exciting for me is the mix of creativity and strategy. I love turning ordinary spaces into places people fall in love with — whether it’s a cozy family getaway or a quick business trip. Behind the scenes, I’m all about systems and efficiency — making sure things run smoothly so guests are happy and owners see real results.

I started with nothing and built this business from the ground up, one listing at a time. Now I’m focused on scaling — expanding into new markets, designing beautiful spaces, and helping other hosts learn how to do the same through consulting and content.

Allison Rental isn’t just a business — it’s my way of blending design, hospitality, and hustle into something that creates real value on both sides of the stay.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, the three most impactful qualities in my journey have been:
Creativity, being action-driven, and staying practical and realistic.
Creativity helped me turn limitations into opportunities — whether it was stretching a tiny design budget or finding a way to make a space stand out in a saturated market.

Being action-driven was (and still is) everything. I don’t wait around for the perfect plan. I try, test, tweak, and keep moving. That momentum has carried me through every setback and into every breakthrough.

And finally, being practical and realistic. I’ve learned to dream big, but execute with both feet on the ground. Numbers matter. Timing matters. Not everything is vibes — you have to know when something makes sense on paper, not just in your head.

My advice for anyone starting out?
Take messy action. Don’t get stuck in overplanning or perfection. Be creative, but back it up with data. And stay grounded — success isn’t built on daydreams alone. It’s built on doing the work, day by day.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

Go all in on your strengths — no question.

When you start with something you’re naturally good at, you’ll feel more motivated, more focused, and more confident. That momentum is powerful. It keeps you going when things get hard.

Of course, no one can avoid their weaknesses forever. But here’s the thing: when you lead with your strengths, you build enough wins and confidence to handle the stuff you’re not great at. You’ll hit obstacles — and some of those will come from your weak spots — but by then, you’ll have the energy, the clarity, and often the resources to figure it out. And along the way, you’ll naturally improve in those weaker areas without forcing it.

That’s exactly how it happened for me. I leaned into what I do best — taking action, being creative, and solving problems — and that helped me push through challenges like communication gaps, burnout, even financial setbacks. I didn’t have to “fix” every flaw first. I just had to keep moving with what I had.

So yes, grow — but don’t try to become perfectly well-rounded from day one. Build from your strengths. The rest will follow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Allisonrental.com
• Instagram: wentingallison
• Facebook: Allison Zhang
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/allisonwzhang

Image Credits

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