We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Wolfe and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Ashley, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success in vacation rental management is that I’m personally invested in not only the company but in properties managed by the company. Being personally invested in real estate is a great way to think and plan your future. You’ll have so many strategies and steps to consider that affect your future when you own real estate.
When I think back to other businesses or companies I’ve created and operated, the future of those companies was not as solid as Coast & Country Cabins. My husband and I own two of the 17 properties that I manage. The bills and mortgage for those two properties are due like clockwork, in addition to our primary residence and cost of living. This puts a healthy pressure on me as a business person and property manager to fill the calendar with guests who pay to stay there, keep them happy, maintain the properties well and keep guests coming back. In a way, it’s a forced commitment that I can’t just walk away from like I could from my yarn dyeing business or when I sold soap and lotion. This is REAL estate. Real bills, real equity building, real paying clients. It’s a real company I’ve created.
Along with investing our money into real estate then building a company around that, I’ve become an expert in creating systems and automations that do a fair amount of work that run my business in the background. This is another example of a forced creation but one that I couldn’t do business without. I live at least four hours away from all 17 properties, always have. In creating systems that are repeatable, like a checklist for housekeepers, or step-by-step process in reporting problems, I am removing myself from being so hands-on in daily business operations. This type of remote business operation style has allowed me to keep my full time W2 job (yes, you heard that right, I’m still an elementary school librarian). Since 2018, I’ve figured out how to operate and scale my property management company while working full time in order to bring in more monthly income to supplement my teacher income AND create a more secure retirement package in owning rental properties.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My public school teaching career began in 2004. I’m over 20 years in and not stopping until I hit that magical number for full retirement. If you asked me if I was going to stick with being a teacher/librarian five years ago, I would have literally died in front of your eyes. I told myself (and lots of other people, including my boss) that I was leaving teaching, come hell or high water. But then my management company started to become more and more on auto-pilot at the same time as it was growing to 17 properties. How could this be? The systems and automation I mentioned earlier. And I can’t leave out the local, boots-on-the-ground teams that are at the properties day in and day out.
Now, I have committed to eight more school years until I can retire. I’ll keep growing the company and hire more employees so I can continue to scale. My teacher retirement will be a sure thing just like my management company is a sure thing. I’ll have both – not one or the other. It took me a few years to stop whining like a 1st grader about “having” to go to work. I started enjoying being a teacher more. I reminded myself daily of all the reasons my life is enriched because I work in an elementary school. Above all, I told myself I could do both, easily.
Being a teacher is part of who I am. So many skills and characteristics of my teaching life spill over into my real estate investor and hosting life. Above all, I’m a teacher who shows other teachers that, YES, you CAN become a real estate investor, even on a teacher’s salary. We don’t have to wallow in being “teacher poor” just because other people choose to believe that. Teachers can get creative, like I did, to get their first rental property, then their second, and on and on. We can take risks and learn more about the rewards. We can make six figures as a teacher without having to leave the profession. It took me five years to do it but I did. Eventually, I’ll mentor and coach other teachers on how to do the same.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In the Midcities area of the DFW Metroplex, we’ve got a small town feel with access to big city adventures. I’d love to start close to home with some pizza, karaoke and beers at Valentino’s NY Pizza. We’d probably end up poolside at one of my friend’s houses to soak up the sun and play a game I created myself, Cards Against Educators. We would laugh our ass off for a few hours and call it a night.
Trivia at Turning Point Brewery on Tuesdays is not to be missed. A nice dinner at Truluck’s or Kirby’s in Southlake would definitely be on the agenda. I wouldn’t even put it past me to frequent Spa at the Village in Colleyville for some relaxation and rejuvenation.
If I these locations were still with us, I would make a whole night of going to dinner on the rooftop at Reata then seeing the late improv comedy show at Four-Day Weekend, just like my bachelorette party. We couldn’t forget about walking around Sundance Square to find some club music to dance to like we were in our 20s again.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The people who I surround myself with are the ones who deserve this credit. My parents raised me to be unique, be interested in different areas of life and be an entrepreneur. They nurtured my creative spirit and allowed me to stretch my wings early on in my childhood. My mom and dad held me close and let me fly at the exact same time. As a parent, this seems nearly impossible to think of doing with my own son, but I know I want to.
My son and husband are my other cheerleaders, supporters, listeners and inspiration. My family is the reason I look to the future and hold myself responsible for creating our version of wealth. It’s not all about the money. It’s about the legacy I’m forming now for my future, my son’s future and the options I want to make sure are there for us when we need them.
My friends. They help make my life more fun, more exciting and less serious than it needs to be. My childhood friends are now my adult friends and even co-workers. My life is richer because of all these people, now and forever.
Website: https://www.coastandcountrycabins.com
Instagram: @coastandcountrycabinstx
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coastandcountrycabinstx
Other: LinkTree
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