Jamie Inlow started with an idea, no business experience, and a $2,000 gift from his neighbor. He gave her the money to furnish the vacant apartment above a barn on his property in Scottsville, Virginia. She listed the apartment on Airbnb in 2019 and shared the proceeds with him. Inlow always hoped that he could turn that ad into a full-time job, creating a corporate entity called Be Still Getaways to manage that property.
Even as the income began to pour in, she struggled to make ends meet, with the $50,000 a year she earned as a consultant and director of student programs at the University of Virginia. By 2021, Inlow and a full-time employee were managing 30 ads, generating $205,000 in revenue. Much of that money went toward maintenance, repairs, and adding properties to the Be Still Getaways portfolio. Inlow paid himself $10,000 that year.
Profit margins were slim because the rentals were small, relatively inexpensive single-family homes. By summer 2022, Be Still Getaways had a strong enough reputation and a partnership with a local realtor to add larger, more luxurious vacation rentals to their portal. Revenues skyrocketed, allowing him to hire more people and quit his other two jobs. Today, Be Still Getaways manages 129 properties in Virginia. According to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, last $2.28 million in revenue last year on Airbnb and rental platform Eviivo. Inlow estimates that the company ended up earning an additional $600,000 from a third platform, Hostify.
Her husband also left his job as a teacher to work for the company. According to Inlow, together they made $150,000 a year thanks to Be Still Getaways. Inlow talks about what she wishes she had known in the beginning, the biggest difference between running a side job and a full-time company, and whether her success is replicable for other people.
“It may be misunderstood, but when I decide to do something, I do it. It’s one of the things I like best about myself. I’ll keep trying to figure things out until they succeed.”
Jamie Inlow told CNBC that a big part of her success is her attitude. Considering himself an incredibly ambitious person. He says, “It may be misunderstood, but when I decide to do something, I do it. It’s one of the things I like best about myself. I’ll keep trying to figure things out until they succeed.”
