Today we’d like to introduce you to Dalton Riggins.
Hi Dalton, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started out in business selling knives door-to-door. I worked my way up through management as one of the youngest managers in the company and become a top 20 national performer. I explored different opportunities in the company, namely advancing their new retail division for a few years before wanting to begin my own venture. After some reading and testing, I began an Airbnb business. Unique to my business was the fact that I didn’t own any real estate property to rent. Instead, I contacted luxury apartment complexes that had vacancy during COVID and took batches of apartments at a time. We targeted traveling contract workers like hospital nurses in need of multi month stays but would ultimately serve a broader customer base. The business grew extremely quick and easy. So much so, that I began to feel the “bubble” surrounding the industry. I decided to pivot and begin acquiring real estate to own in anticipation for the downturn. Sure enough, regulation, over saturation, macro economics, etc. all began to negatively impact the travel industry that had been booming for 3 years. Now, after 3 years, instead of renting 24 doors, I own 24 doors. Additionally, I have expanded in to doing fix and flips, foreclosure sales, and private money lending on real state transactions. Outside of my business, I have a 7 year old son who is my world. He is my little mini me and everything I do is in the spirit of being able to give him everything he ever needs and never having to miss a moment of his life because of work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing is ever smooth in starting or running a business. When you are a new or especially a unique or unorthodox type of business, you have the added challenge of educating and selling people on your particular way/brand/service/product, whatever it may be. This is all is a prerequisite before you can even begin to then pitch them on why you’ll even be successful or a good fit for them. Basic human psychology tells us that when people don’t understand something, the brain’s default mechanism is to just say no and reject it. Facing the “educate the customer” challenge prior to even pitching them makes everything so much harder. For me, I had to get luxury apartment complex landlords that were part of large corporations to let little old me come in and convince them that, together, we were solving a problem that they did not know existed. At a minimum, they needed to understand that they were getting occupancy and I was solving a problem. And as long as I, or my business, didn’t cause them any problems, then it would be a win-win.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We specialize in furnished rentals for short/mid-term length of stays. Our typical customer is a traveling contract worker like a hospital nurse or someone in between homes during escrow closings. I am most proud of our organic growth and ability to adapt as the industry has changed. While I don’t believe we are the best, the cheapest, or the biggest, I think that as a business, we know who our customer is and we are built to serve that customer specifically. Knowing who and what you are in business and life is not without it’s challenges but is an empowering feeling nonetheless.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Usually the most surprising thing people find about me when first getting to know me is that I have no sense of smell. My mom and I both are without it and have been our whole lives. Additionally, I have never drank alcohol in my entire life but I am still usually first on the dance floor.
