We were lucky to catch up with Lynette Guy recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lynette, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My parents definitely taught me my work ethic. Growing up, I witnessed my dad’s strong work ethic in the business world and my mom worked hard at home. As a young teenager, I started babysitting to earn my own money and was responsible for keeping up with my money and purchasing my own discretionary items.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I own two vacation rental cabins in Helen, Georgia and also cohost (manage) vacation rentals for others in the area. I love creating a welcoming and unique space where people are able to relax and get away from the day-today pressures of life. Connecting with my guests and helping them to create lasting memories is the most special aspect of what I do.
This past year, I added a new entry arch at Memory Maker that leads to the firepit, along with additional outdoor lighting, including fairy lights in the secret garden. New outdoor rocking chairs were added to the porch at Freedom Finder, along with a new grill and window treatments.
There are several upgrades in the works for 2024 for both Freedom Finder and Memory Maker cabins. There are some projects planned for both the inside and the outside.
I’m also looking forward to bringing on some new rentals and helping the owners to stage them and optimize them. It is my goal that each of my rentals has a distinctive personality and specializes in personalized service that isn’t found at larger rental companies.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the most impactful things that helped me when I started was my love of hospitality. Growing up, we always had people in our home. My parents entertained and had others over for dinner. As a teenager, my friends were always welcome at our home. This was an integral part of my life. It was natural for me to carry that over to my adult life, welcoming people into my home, even strangers on occasions. Creating a space in my home that was comfortable and inviting helped me on my professional hospitality journey. This was the easiest, most natural aspect for me.
Having a background in real estate was also quite impactful for me. I had traditional long-term rentals in the past and had experience in purchasing distressed properties, renovating them, and flipping. Short-term rentals were new to me, but it combined my love of hospitality with my passion for real estate investing.
Learning about industry specific software has been a game-changer for me. Pricing, property management, bookkeeping, and digital guidebooks have simplified things for me, as well as for my guests. There are always new products on the market and new skills to learn. It’s important to have a learning mentality and to be prepared for changes.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is one who understands the need to have a unique property and to stand out among the crowd. They are willing to go above and beyond to make their property a “super” property and not look like every other property in the area. They understand that the little things make a big difference and those things will have a huge impact on their success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://freedomfindervacationrentals.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfreedomfinder/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myfreedomfinder/
Image Credits
https://isoneedphotos.com/ (Andrew Keller) https://www.kmpics.com/ (Kurtis Miller)
