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Building a Profitable STR Business
Podcast Summary
Brian Egan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Evolve, a Denver-based hospitality company with a mission to become the most trusted brand in vacation rental. Since launching Evolve in 2011 alongside Adam Sherry, Brian has grown the company to support over 35,000 properties and more than $5 billion in rental revenue.
If you're navigating the complexities of short-term rentals, this episode offers insights you won't find in a press release. Brian shares what it takes to build trust at scale, how to grow without losing your identity, and why consistency still beats tech when it comes to guest experience.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- What inspired Brian Egan to leave a career in law and launch a brand focused on rebuilding trust between guests, owners, and property managers
- How Evolve’s approach challenges the traditional property management model and redefines what it means to scale in a low trust category
- The early struggles of building Evolve and why Brian believes trust, not inventory, is the key to winning in vacation rental
- How the short-term rental industry lost its identity and what it takes to build a brand in a fragmented, tech dominated space
- What most founders miss about balancing owner expectations, guest satisfaction, and profitability at scale
- Why consistency, experience, and human connection, not just tech, are shaping the future of vacation rentals
We Say What Others Won’t
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Resources mentioned in the show:
AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.
Connect with Brian Egan on LinkedIn to learn more about Evolve Vacation Rental.
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Guest Appearing in this Episode
Simon Lehmann
Simon Lehmann is the CEO of AJL Atelier, a strategic advisory firm for the global short-term rental industry. He has decades of experience in vacation rentals, travel tech, and hospitality, and has advised hundreds of operators, startups, and investors across EMEA, North America, APAC, and LATAM. He’s also a frequent speaker and moderator at global events like VRMA, Phocuswright, and Skift, covering STR tech, market consolidation, and professional hosting. Simon was Co-Founder & Chairman of Vacasa Europe, President of PhocusWright, and a Board Member of HomeAway. He also held executive roles at Interhome, Hotelplan Group, and Swissport.
