We all dream about building a business that will run on its own and traveling world, seeing the wonders of the world. Sometimes we have this notion that the two can’t mix together.

Our guest today is here to prove the contrary. Saurav Arya is an IIT graduate who worked as a Vice President at MakeITDeals until he decided to take a gap year and follow his dream of traveling the world. He calls his journey, 'A Year Full Of Sundays'.

He managed to spread his AirBnb business through multiple locations all over the world. On top of that, he just became a dad so that’s one more role added to his list of accomplishments.

Remotrepreneur’s Insights

• Reviews Can Make or Break – Arya says that the search engine on Airbnb is designed to catch reviews, the number of listings, the seniority level of your Airbnb business. So, spend some time to get those reviews up for better results.


• Strike a Deal – Saurav says that he always chooses the profit-sharing model in cases where he is not sure about the market. To avoid putting risk on yourself don’t go for the yearly deal.


• Hire Staff for Maintenance – Your AirBnb business needs to be ready for upcoming guests. To do that you need a staff that needs to be managed. The best choice is to hire managers and cleaning people locally.

Key Podcast Milestones

03:55 – Saurav’s background

07:45 – How Saurav got his first Airbnb property

12:11 – The profit after costs in Airbnb rental

14:33 – The downside of running an Airbnb business

19:15 – Everything you need to maintain your Airbnb business

25:14 – Saurav’s take on remotepreneurship and rental businesses

26:29 – Is Bangalore a good place for digital nomads?

30:13 – How does Saurav keep focused on work while he is traveling

34:22 – Saurav’s story about “Small World”

39:51 – How can you find Saurav

Top Key Quotes

“The search criteria on Airbnb is complex and it takes into account so many things. One of which is the profile of the host. How many reviews do you have? What are the types of reviews do you have? The number of listings. How senior are you in terms of hosting on Airbnb?”

“Depending on the geography and other factors that come into place, if you are venturing into a market you are not sure about the return and you don’t want to put the entire risk on yourself, then it’s better to go with the profit-sharing model. Telling the owner not to go for a yearly deal.”

“For different geographies, I have hired a manager who is supervising the housekeeping. I have to hire the housekeepers through an agency. In some cases, I have to hire them through references. They are aware of when they have to go. Also, sometimes the manager has to coordinate with them in case there is a requirement for housekeeping.”

“At times you might need to hire in person not remotely. Sometimes it helps to fix up a meeting. For example, if I have to hire someone in Bangalore and just have to have a face-to-face conversation, I can build more trust over hiring someone remotely. “

Resources

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Saurav Arya

Remotepreneurs 🎙️