Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian McKanna.
Hi Brian, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been an entrepreneurial person. From an early age, I started cutting lawns and picking up odd jobs to make money. In high school, I started my own vending machine company and grew it to five locations. I dedicate my entrepreneurial fire to my Opa (that’s German for grandfather). He owned businesses his entire adult life and taught me everything I know about sales.
I attended Lindenwood University on a full ride after winning the Joseph P. Sunnen Youth of the Year award (presented by the YMCA where I worked for four years).
In 2019, my wife Kat and I started brainstorming potential business ideas. We wanted to start something we were truly passionate about. After visiting a unique Airbnb in Jefferson City called the Haven House we decided to open an Airbnb of our own. After many months of searching, we stumbled upon a cute little river cottage off the banks of the Big River in beautiful Eureka, Missouri. We spent three months renovating and updating the cottage. In June of 2021, we opened our doors and have done very well so far with that property!
With the success of our first Airbnb, we decided to do another and thus STL Brick House was born! Built in 1895, this eclectic brick house is located 10 minutes from the St. Louis Arch and just 5 minutes from the Anheuser Busch brewery. This home features 12-foot vaulted ceilings, two murals painted by a local artist, vintage St. Louis antiques, and a 5-foot spiral gumball machine.
We take a lot of pride into branding and marketing our Airbnb’s. My wife and I were both born and raised in St. Louis county and still live in the area.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We had many challenges on our journey to entrepreneurship. Starting an Airbnb takes way more time and effort than most people know. Besides obtaining a property, furnishing it and listing it on Airbnb, there are many back-end business things to be done. Between our two bnb’s, we have made well over 100 trips to local thrift stores and estate sales. Furnishing each house is like moving into a new home (hundreds of trips up and down the steps carrying boxes/furniture). We both work full time jobs and spent many hours after work on our Airbnb’s.
We had a frustrating start with our first Airbnb. The cottage was updated with a new HVAC unit that worked on and off for the first two months. We were very worried that might hurt our reviews, thankfully the weather was nice!
There are other issues we faced, but none too big to conquer. For us, part of being entrepreneurs is facing issues head on and solving them quickly. Time is money and we only have so much money! We are a small family business determined to do whatever it takes to be successful.
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?
I am a salesman by day, representing several of the largest plumbing manufacturers in the US. I’ve only been in this industry for a few years but have had great success in my short time in plumbing.
I’ve authored three books which can all be found on Amazon (just search Brian McKanna). They are titled: How to Beat the Claw Machine, The Big Beautiful Purple Tree, and The Very Bloated Butterfly.
I spent two years on the radio as an on-air personality for NOW 96.3 and as a producer for FM News Talk 97.1. I also interned as a booth assistant for Chris Kerber and the St. Louis Blues broadcast on KMOX.
I love to wind down in the evenings by cooking and listing to Howard Stern. My wife and I will be married 4 years in May. We have five cats together that we love dearly. Besides owning the Airbnb’s, I am also part owner of Center Ice Brewery in midtown.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My biggest advice when it comes to networking is to get involved on Facebook. There are a lot of groups that pertain to specific topics or industries with thousands of members. Through Facebook groups, I have made connections in the media that helped promote my books and Airbnb’s.
Be creative in your networking. Ask to sit in on a local chamber of commerce luncheon and introduce yourself to all the business owners. Send handwritten letters to anyone you are interested in knowing or doing business with. They will be shocked to receive a handwritten letter and respect you. This has helped me make lasting connections with many people in my life!
The number one tip I can give to make sure your first impression is a good one: be friendly and ask lots of questions.
I don’t have one particular mentor, rather a group of people I’ve learned from. No one person is well-rounded enough to teach you everything you’ll need to know. I have several people I speak with that advise me on business and life.
Contact Info:
- Email: brian@stlbrickhouse.com
- Website: www.mckannaland.com
- Instagram: @stlbrickhouse
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/stlbrickhouse/ | https://m.facebook.com/twinrivercottage/
