How to Interview the Land (And Other Tips on Building Unique Stays) with Mike Hicks from Wander Chatt

Mike Hicks, the founder of Wander Chatt, a collection of unique stays across Chattanooga, TN and beyond. Mike started his entrepreneurial journey at just 19 years old after dropping out of college to learn how to work for himself. Mike got a job with a real estate developer helping to clear lots and doing an array of labor-intensive construction tasks.  Mike worked long hard days for this developer but after work Mike and the rest of the crew would be invited out to go fishing. And it was during these moments that he started asking questions…how do you determine a good deal?  What should you look for when purchasing a lot? Etc. In this conversation Mike and I discuss: How he bought his first house as a 19 year old Why he moved into short-term rentals after nearly two decades of buying, renovating, and renting traditional long-term rentals Why he pivoted away from traditional vacation rentals and went all in on unique stays when founding Wander Chatt How he “interviews the land” before buying a lot His thoughts on the biggest opportunities for hospitality entrepreneurs today And so much more Book a stay at Wander Chatt Follow Wander Chatt on Instagram Connect with Mike on Instagram This episode is brought to you by our friends at Turno.  Turno is the smartest way to schedule, pay, and find vacation rental cleaners — think of Turno as an Uber or Task Rabbit for STR hosts.  Simply create an account, describe your listing’s cleaning needs, and Turno will match you with cleaners near you.  Turno offers simple, affordable pricing for STR hosts of any size. Single property accounts and Marketplace users get access to all the platform’s tools and features for FREE. And they make working with your existing teams easy too, with plans as low as just $6/month per property. Learn more and earn a $150 Amazon Gift Card after you complete your first cleaning.  Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.