understanding new lifestyles
Not long after Mike and I moved to our nice little two bedroom apartment here in the East Village we came across AirBed & Breakfast, a website that allows us to share your apartment with travelers on a nightly basis. When we first started taking guests we hosted a only few days a month. We had some great experiences and increased the number of people we hosted. Since we have begun working full time on Holstee, we have begun hosting much more to generate some side cash to help fund our venture. In the past month or so we have been booked nearly every-night!
The experience has been nothing short of amazing. We have had the opportunity to host travelers from: Luxembourg, France, Australia, New Zealand, DC, San Fran., Austin, Norway, Germany, and Scotland just to name a few! What’s great about hosting is it is so much more than an acquaintance, when someone stays for a few nights you get to learn about their interests, their passions, what the they eat, how they cook, how they travel, what they read, and so much more. Every new visitor is a new insight into a the way others live their lives.
Many of our guests have inspired me and my understanding of life. Furthermore much of the direction and future of Holstee has been influenced by our guests, who offer new ideas, encouragement, and tips of how Holstee can enter their country.
Recently, Mike and I were featured in a Washington Post article regarding AirBnb, and our choice to host visitors in our home. This was actually our second bit of coverage. A few months ago we were interviewed by a local NYC television station.
Over the past year the guests we have hosted have become a major part of my life, and been a major catalyst for Holstee. It’s amazing how things adapt. Four months ago, I cut off my only real source of income. While my lifestyle has changed, all of the changes of been very rewarding in their own way. Mike and I realized that we cook more, we host more, which makes us clean more, another benefit I recently noticed is that we read more. Our flexible schedules also allow us to attend more events in the city and meet more people.
Looking back over the past four months, the change to be self-employed has been a great lifestyle decision. Despite the fact that we had not calculated our expenses or even formulating a proper business plan before quitting, things have fortunately worked out. I wanted to write this post to capture our experience of hosting, as well as note the importance of adaptation. Being open minded and flexible make all the difference.
This is a reminder for me and everyone else, to forget trying to hold on to your old lifestyle, whether that means the material items you purchase or the things that you value in life. Always be open to new things and people and you will be surprised how much you can learn about what is really important for you.