Trust Your Gut (It’s Usually Right): My Journey to ReTreet, a New Business, and an Unexpected Opportunity

In business, I’ve learned that when in doubt, trust your gut. It's this quiet nudge that has steered me over the years. It’s never flashy, and it’s rarely a “massive payoff” moment. But if you stay the course, those small gut checks add up, and sometimes they lead you somewhere truly unexpected.

For me, those gut feelings aren’t random – I believe they’re God guiding me. He’s led me down paths I’d never have chosen on my own, and every time I listen, I’m glad I did. And here’s where my story gets interesting: today, I’m looking at an opportunity I could hardly have imagined back then, one that’s suddenly making all those little decisions make sense.

Playing the Long Game: Real Solutions vs. Sales Gimmicks

Running a successful business isn’t just about putting a product out there and crossing your fingers that people buy. It’s about solving real problems, and the best products solve a clear, concrete need. I learned this the hard way, over years of trying, testing, and tweaking.

For the last decade, I’ve had the honor of building business after business with my partner-in-crime, Charles Groce of Pearl Street Consultants. We started in an unlikely way, brought together by a dear mutual friend and a talented brand developer named Merrilee. She was honestly the best – an artist who could make magic happen on her tablet. Even today, I’m in awe of what she created.

It all started with fancy wedding invitations for high-end clients on Etsy, which soon morphed into a little web development side hustle that grew into a full-fledged company: Avant Creative. Charles’s programming skills made it possible – he was (and still is) a genius – and I still don’t know how I landed in such talented company. But Avant Creative flourished, helping businesses build their brands and online presence.

Tragedy and a Turning Point

A few years in, the unexpected happened. We lost Merrilee – our friend, our pillar, and our partner. Business without her just wasn’t the same. Charles and I went our separate ways, though we kept in touch for client work over the years. I ended up working “real jobs” while Charles became my go-to programming whiz. We both stayed connected and kept looking for a reason to build something new together, though nothing ever seemed like the right fit.

And then, I joined ReTreet Resort Resort.

The ReTreet Opportunity – And a Gut Feeling That Paid Off

When I joined ReTreet, a startup treehouse resort in Alabama, they were 100% dependent on Airbnb for bookings, with a total of six treehouses. With ambitious plans to grow to 21 rentals on 40 acres, I knew there had to be a better way. Relying solely on third-party platforms wasn’t going to cut it. Within my first week, my gut told me to try something bold: influencer marketing.

So, I took a leap of faith and went all in. I began working with creators who loved what ReTreet offered – unique stays, stunning natural settings, and a chance to disconnect. Our goal was simple but ambitious: reduce our dependence on third-party booking tools and drive direct bookings.

What I didn’t expect was just how well this decision would work. Fast forward two years, and here’s where we’re at: I’ve worked with over 100 creators, cut our marketing budget in half, and achieved 80% direct bookings in just six months – and we’ve maintained that ever since.

The System Behind the Success

The secret? It’s a custom system that connects major software platforms, letting us manage ReTreet’s chaotic booking calendar through Hostaway and track influencer referral booking codes via our CRM. This setup allows us to seamlessly handle bookings while monitoring which influencers drive the most engagement and sales. And without Charles’s programming genius, this would have remained a pipe dream.

At ReTreet, the influencer referral program works like clockwork. Creators love selling ReTreet because they believe in it, and this partnership has driven a steady, high volume of direct bookings. Only after hearing from other vacation rental owners – many of whom struggle to get even 20% direct bookings – did I realize just how unique our results were.

Recognizing a Real Need

Charles and I had been looking for the right opportunity to build a business together again, and suddenly, the answer was staring us in the face. We had stumbled upon a real consumer need: helping vacation rental owners achieve direct bookings. The solution was one we had been quietly testing and perfecting over time.

After years of trying to jumpstart various side hustles, I see now why those projects never took off: none of them solved a pressing, widespread problem. But now, we’re diving back into business together with a game-changing solution. This time, I’m going to approach it with one foot in Web2 and the other in Web3, because my work with MAGNETIQ, Inc. has convinced me that Web3 is key to building community-driven services in an industry where so many owners work in isolation.

Looking Ahead: The Power of Trusting Your Gut

I’m grateful – grateful for this opportunity, grateful I’ve learned to trust my gut, and grateful for the people God’s placed on this journey with me. Charles, my partner in innovation, is as essential to this next chapter as he was to the first. Here’s to trusting our instincts, leaning on faith, and holding onto the people who make business feel like something more.

So here’s to the future – to trusting the journey and staying ready for the next gut-check moment.