Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanya Rooney
Hi Tanya, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was working a corporate 9 to 5 job in the commercial real estate industry when I had a moment on a Saturday morning when I was discussing a client’s project, and I realized that I needed to get out of the grind. We bought our first flip house 3 months later. One year later, we had done a couple of flips, and I knew it could be a way out of the corporate job that I enjoyed but only saw myself doing for a while if I wanted to live the lifestyle I envisioned. We joined a house-flipping mastermind to help bridge the knowledge gap of doing more projects at once, finding + funding them. I quit my job 20 months after that realization on Saturday morning. One of the houses we flipped in 2020 wasn’t selling for the price we wanted to get, so a friend told me to check into making it into an Airbnb. I had no idea how to do that, so I quickly learned how to run the numbers to see if they would cash flow appropriately. I learned how to furnish an entire house, stock it for guests, list it on Airbnb + VRBO, and find cleaners, all of the nuances of owning a small hospitality business. Fast forward to today, and we have 4 Airbnbs and 1 furnished condo that we rent to traveling nurses and corporate workers. The last few years have been wild, diving into owning a business, managing it all, discovering ways to get better at what we do, and dealing with neighbors, guests, vendor partners, houses that break, and all! It has been amazing to live life on my terms, though. I make money to keep the business afloat, my travel schedule is much more flexible, and day-to-day life is much more fun.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
NO! Nothing worth doing is a smooth road. The ups and downs have been crazy dramatic. We have plenty of problems that we discover, solve, and move on. Hospitality is not for the faint of heart. A lot of people in real estate want to buy into the idea of “passive income,” but real estate is not passive. But it sure is worth it, though. Once, we got a message with a picture from a cleaner asking if a wall in the basement was supposed to look like this. It was a picture of a pile of rocks that crumbled off a basement wall. We had a concrete guy out there quickly to assess the damage and get it rebuilt safely before the next group of guests arrived a week later. Another time, we got a message from a guest with a video asking if the plumbing usually does “this.” “This” was a small 1′ fountain out of the main sewer drain in the basement. The sewer line was clogged. We called 6 plumbers that day, and it took 3 to fix it in about 10 hours. The bill on that could have been more fun to pay.
It can be a real roller coaster to be yelled at by a neighbor, have something break in a house, and have to cover the repair costs while getting 5-star reviews from guests on the same day. We host groups of people who haven’t seen their family in years. Or host a book club that has yet to be able to meet up for 5 years—or the men’s softball team in town for the Championship game. One day can include a lot of ups and downs, but if you’re in it for the right reasons and you bring what you are passionate about, it is worth the flexibility and joy it brings. Everything we struggle with daily is a great experience you can put towards tomorrow’s challenges. Every time something happens, I add a new tool to my toolbox for life.
We’ve been impressed with Yay You’re Here LLC, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
We are a small hospitality company that offers Short-term Rentals in the Mac-Groveland + University-Summit neighborhoods of St. Paul, MN. We cater to families and groups that range from 4 people up to 14. We are here to give our guests a place to make great memories with their people. We don’t want you to worry about booking all kinds of hotel rooms and not having a place to gather after the wedding or the game. We provide fully stocked houses for you to sit down and enjoy the people you are spending time with. Space to have those conversations, watch those movies, cook those meals, tell the stories.
What sets us apart from other hosts is that we do the baseline well. Clean houses stocked with everything you might need. When guests ask, “Is this at the house, or should I bring it?” 9 times out of 10, it is something we already have stocked or provide. We love the Twin Cities and encourage folks to visit our favorite places to eat, explore, and everything in between.
I am proud that we have a consistent experience across our houses. My business was named Yay You’re Here because that is precisely the kind of thing you would hear come out of my mouth when a friend comes to stay with me. When we set up our houses and our communications and onboard new team members, I want them to know that’s the spirit of my kind of hospitality. I want people to know we are glad they chose to book our homes. I want people to know that we love hosting groups in our houses to make their memories. We want people to see how incredible the Twin Cities are and everything it offers. Bring your friends and enjoy sitting around a fire table in the backyard. Oh, and book directly with the host if you can. We have a website that saves guests some of the fees you get by booking on Airbnb + VRBO. www.yyhmn.com
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Entrepreneurship is a team sport. I may be pushing things forward and catching all the balls in the air, but most of the ideas and concepts we use are from other people who have educated me. My husband, Matt, is my biggest cheerleader and supporter. He must constantly listen to me solve problems, watch me evolve as a business owner, and hang on as I take us through this wild ride. My cleaning team members are a perfect place for support in this business. I need them to have a business that is this successful.
I have built an incredible community around me for constant support. I have a group of friends called The Great Eight. We are a mix of hosts from all around the country, always sharing ideas, wins, and challenges. I joined a mastermind, Hosting Business Mastery Method, to find many other hosts to network.
I started a podcast called Tribe Builders to discuss the fantastic communities built daily within our businesses. It is essential to network with others in your industry or other businesses to keep ideas fresh, learn more about best practices, and continue challenging yourself as a business owner. You will never know everything, so bringing others along on our journeys improves us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yyhmn.com
- Instagram: tanyarooneymn & yyhminnesota
