For this episode, Alex and Pooh are joined by Jo and Vicky, the founders of The Canine Business Academy, two incredibly inspirational ladies doing great things. They get into detail around money, how to talk about it, break it down and be comfortable with it, and most importantly, around imposter syndrome and getting confident with yourself and allowing yourself to believe that you deserve to be successful. 

 

THE AIRBNB BLUEPRINT CONSULTANT - CONTACT US
https://airbnbblueprint.co.uk/join/ 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• When you share the fact that you are a business owner, you start to believe and act more like one. Take the right action and say goodbye to imposter syndrome.
• A lot of dog business owners started out offering services as a hobby because they like dogs. Many are stuck in that hobbyist mindset, and don´t charge enough.
• Understanding the market you are trying to serve is critical in all industries. The type of customer you want to attract dictates how you shape the services you offer.
• Keep persevering. It takes time to change your mindset and transform your business.
• Taking action is the thing that moves you forward fastest. Just taking courses and doing nothing leaves you going nowhere.
• Stop comparing yourself to others, especially on social media.
• Every business needs a purpose. Focusing in on a group of people whose problem you are there to solve helps you to identify the purpose of your business.

BEST MOMENTS

“You can change whatever you want to change in your business.”
“The two things that people always throw money at are their kids and their pets.”
“They're still running their business like a hobby, running themselves ragged and working so many hours for nothing.”
“It all comes back down to that societal pressure of, oh, you can't possibly do anything different.”
“There is an abundance of information out there to the point where it's paralyzing.”

 

EPISODE RESOURCES
https://.caninebusinessacademy.com
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lets-talk-dog-business/id1727170978

https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness
https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness

https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity/

Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705

7:11:4 hack - https://galaxy.ai/youtube-summarizer/unlocking-success-daniel-priestleys-7114-hack-for-entrepreneurs-sFkR34AMPw8

LINKS

FREE Airbnb Blueprint Coaching Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2342454789487705

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years. - 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

 

 

 

 

 

This Airbnb Blueprint episode is a 30-minute “selling to agents masterclass”. It is ideal for anyone who is playing with the idea of getting involved in building an Airbnb business or someone who already has a couple of rent-to-rent deals and wants to take on one more. Alex and Pooh explain how they find and create killer rent-to-rent deals through agents.

Learn how to network and seal your first deal, pass the checks agents carry out, identify the right properties for your business and much, much more.

THE AIRBNB BLUEPRINT CONSULTANT - CONTACT US
https://airbnbblueprint.co.uk/join/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• You have to find a way to make the deal work for everyone involved. If you don´t, nobody is going to sign on the dotted line.
• Start by targeting people who already know you. This approach overcomes the trust barrier.
• Once you have one rent-to-rent property running it becomes easier for agents to see that you know what you are doing. 
• You will be vetted by agents. They will charge hundreds to put you through their referencing process. Alex and Pooh explain what you will need to pass the vetting process.
• Before approaching agents, identify the market you want to serve and the type of property you need for that.
• Network to connect with agents. Which events to target is shared in the episode – it is not what you think.
• Forget cold calling the big agents. Two innovative ways to find smaller agents that will actually rent to you are shared during the episode.
• Write yourself a script, polish it and practice it. But be ready to answer questions at the end. You need more than just the script.
• Some agents will automatically think you are going to sublet the property. Be clear in your mind why what you are proposing is not subletting, so you can overcome that objection.

BEST MOMENTS

“When you're going cold through agents, especially when you're first starting out in this business, there's zero trust.”
“Think like an agent… understand their pain points.”
“Speak to whoever is in charge, if you can.”
“Make sure you know what you're looking for first.”
“Spend time nurturing relationships with agents.”

EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.yell.com
How to find small agents on Right Move - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/estate-agents.html

LINKS

FREE Airbnb Blueprint Coaching Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2342454789487705

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years. - 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

 

In this episode, Alex and Pooh are joined by Paul and Laura of VATNAV, a VAT consultancy service that has additional expertise in the Tour Operators Margin Scheme (TOMS VAT). They cover the dangers of SA owners not dealing with VAT properly and how to get it right.
We confirm on 14 February’25 that Sonder have sought permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal. Assuming permission is granted, this means that the decision will not stop with the UTT loss but we have continued uncertainty until the CoA hearing and result. Businesses using TOMS or wanting to use TOMS in the intervening period should consider the options and risks carefully”

THE AIRBNB BLUEPRINT CONSULTANT - CONTACT US
https://airbnbblueprint.co.uk/join/

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There is a lot of misinformation out there about TOMS VAT.
• There are VAT schemes that can benefit SA businesses. They are discussed during the episode.
• VAT is a tax on each transaction. 
• Determine when you need to register your business for VAT.

BEST MOMENTS
“On Facebook groups, everybody presumes that everyone is running their business the same way.”
“VAT is a tax on each transaction … it is literally unique to each individual transaction.”
“Each sale and purchase you make has its own VAT treatment.”
“For a lot of businesses … it kind of wipes out their margin.”
“This lack of clarity is the thing that's concerned me the most.”
“If there's going to be a VAT clawback, it could just kind of wipe everybody out.”

 

EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.vatnav.com
Over 16 years of experience VATNAV provides VAT consultancy services, and has additional expertise in the Tour Operators Margin Scheme (TOMS) rules, and other VAT issues affecting the travel industry.

VAT is important to get right for any business as it can often make a huge difference to profitability, cash flow and market value. To us, "optimising VAT" means firstly ensuring your VAT risks are minimised (i.e. that your VAT treatment and accounting is clear, accurate, and consistent). Secondly, ensuring that you are never paying any more VAT than necessary. VAT is rarely "black and white", the law is ever-changing and there are often multiple VAT options available - let us help you ensure yours is the most efficient for your business.

Contact Us at:
phone: 07971 642789
email: [email protected]
https://www.vatnav.com 

LINKS

FREE Airbnb Blueprint Coaching Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2342454789487705

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years. - 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

 

In this episode, Alex talks about rent-to-rent a strategy that you can use to get into the Airbnb business even if you don´t have the money to buy a property. With this approach you don´t need a large deposit, a mortgage and having poor credit is not an issue. 
It´s an easy way to get started so there are a lot of people doing this, which makes finding rent-2-rent properties harder. Alex shares several ways to find deals even in such a crowded market.

THE AIRBNB BLUEPRINT CONSULTANT - CONTACT US
https://airbnbblueprint.co.uk/join/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If you don´t have sufficient funds to buy a property, consider using the rent-to-rent strategy.
• In the UK, agents still control 90% of the available rental properties. 
• To rent from agencies you need to get through their vetting process. Often, they will not allow rent-to-rent.
• Going direct to landlords solves these issues.
  Offer the landlord a long contract. They like set and forget deals.
  Start by approaching landlords who already know you e.g. a family member.
• Anticipate the concerns landlords have about letting their property be used for Airbnb.
• Overcome those potential objections during your pitch.
• Demonstrate to the landlord that renting to you is less risky, will make them more money and improve their property. Alex explains how.

 

BEST MOMENTS

“You need significantly less startup capital than if you were going to buy a property.”
“Let everybody know that you are now a professional property investor who's educated, knowledgeable with training, and looking to get your first deal.”
“Do long term contracts of three years, plus guarantee their rent.”
“When a family moves into your property and signs that contract …. that essentially becomes their property. They have to do a lot of bad stuff for you to be able to get them out.”
“Once you've got that first property off the ground, it's going to get easier. The snowball is going to start to build.”

LINKS

FREE Airbnb Blueprint Coaching Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2342454789487705

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years. - 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

In this episode, Alex and Pooh talk about imposter syndrome, something that holds a lot of would-be property entrepreneurs back. Using their own experiences and those of their mentees, they explain why so many of us struggle with imposter syndrome.
Alex and Pooh share simple yet effective strategies anyone can use to overcome limiting beliefs, a lack of confidence and the fear of putting yourself out there and letting people know what you do. 

THE AIRBNB BLUEPRINT CONSULTANT - CONTACT US
https://airbnbblueprint.co.uk/join/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Thinking you are not smart enough, good enough or rich enough to be involved in property is a very common form of imposter syndrome.
• Property is not a big boy’s game. Anyone can learn to do it and use low capital techniques to get started.
• Helping people with money find the deals they don’t have time to search for is a quick way to build a cash fund and make connections.
• Don´t fake it until you make it. Be honest about what you do, but always include the fact that you are a property investor in your identity, even if you are just getting started.
• How you see yourself massively impacts what you achieve. 
• Getting a mentor enables you to get out of your comfort zone and quickly make progress.
• Delete and block the haters on social media.
• Be yourself.
• Having a lack of confidence and being afraid of putting yourself out there is normal and can be overcome.

BEST MOMENTS

“You've just got to say they can do it. We can do it.”
“Be genuine, be honest, be you.”
“You've got to find a way to let go of imposter syndrome.”
“If you can find the deal, you can absolutely find the money.”
“For social media videos, it's just a matter of doing it. There are no magic answers.”
“One of the first big steps. It's self-acceptance of, okay, the way I'm feeling is normal. “

LINKS

FREE Airbnb Blueprint Coaching Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2342454789487705

EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.toastmasters.org

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years. - 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

In this episode, Alex and Pooh discuss what to do when guests refuse to leave, a situation they have faced and resolved. They discuss why calling the Police is rarely an option, and why often it is not a simple case of physically kicking them out and changing the locks. Alex and Pooh also explain why taking them to court is rarely the right first step. 

How to minimize the risk of this happening to you and where to get help with overstayers is also covered in great detail.

 

FREE Airbnb Blueprint Coaching Community - 

https://airbnbblueprint.co.uk/join/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Guests have no legal right to overstay in serviced accommodation or a hotel room. 
• This is a civil matter, so the police will rarely intervene.
  Properly vetting your guests greatly reduces the chances of guests refusing to leave.
• Do not rely on the OTAs of platforms like Booking.com.
  Always verify the ID of all guests. 
• Make sure guests actually sign the terms and conditions and contract. 
• If a company makes the booking e.g. For employees, who signs the contract and terms and conditions are a bit different. Alex and Pooh explain why and what to do.
• If a 3rd party booked your property for the guests they will not help you remove them if they refuse to leave. The problem is still yours. 
  Using a solicitor and taking overstayers to court works but it is expensive and takes a long time. 
• If you say the wrong thing you can inadvertently open the door to overstayers being able to use squatters’ rights against you.
  

BEST MOMENTS

“With all education, it's about the good, the bad and the ugly, and in this episode, it’s going to get ugly.”
“There are certain procedures that you have to comply with. There are certain things that you can't even say.”
“I called the police, and they said, why don't you call citizen advice for guidance.”
“You have to fight your corner to the end to get the insurance back.”
“Due diligence can massively help to minimize this risk.”

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years. - 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

In this episode, Alex and Pooh talk about mindset. Running an Airbnb business is not always easy, especially at the start. There are downsides as well as upsides and you need to become resilient enough to deal with those issues, which means developing the right mindset. Alex and Pooh explain how to do this.

Including how to develop the right mindset and understand your motivation so you can tap into that to keep yourself going when things get tough. They share the strategies they use to deal with feelings of overwhelm and crises of confidence, which all entrepreneurs encounter.

THE AIRBNB BLUEPRINT CONSULTANT - CONTACT US
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2342454789487705

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Educating yourself properly about the Airbnb business model is invaluable. You greatly reduce stress and save time and money.
  You have to be realistic. At some point you will doubt yourself. If you don´t have the right mindset you will give up.
• All entrepreneurs experience massive highs and deep lows (valleys of despair). Prepare yourself to ride those waves.
• You need a strong why. A reason to put in twice the work for half the money for 6 months, a year, maybe more.Surround yourself with people who are on the same journey and at a similar stage as you.
• You need people who are going to listen, be sympathetic, and help you to turn your thought processes around.
• You need to take your partner with you. They need to be prepared for the short-term sacrifices that will need to be made.
• Don´t get too ahead of yourself. You need to achieve short term goals to reach your ultimate goal.

BEST MOMENTS
“Before people come to any kind of business, they need a reason that's bigger than themselves.”
“There´s going to be a period of time where you have to put in the hard yards. Just accept that.”
You´ve taken that money and switched it into freedom.”
“Unless you are Elon Musk, which most of us aren´t, then it´s back to earth with a bump.”
“If you are with someone who is really negative, who is holding you back, that can be really toxic to allowing you to be successful.”

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years. - 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

For 2025, Alex and Pooh are taking a fresh approach to the podcast. It is now called the Airbnb Blueprint podcast and will become much more of a training podcast. Whether you are just getting started in the industry or are already in the game and are looking to scale, grow, systemise, automate and build a more remote business you will find everything you need to know, here. 

For this episode, the focus is on providing you with an overview of the current UK Airbnb market and the realities of doing business in this environment. 

THE AIRBNB BLUEPRINT CONSULTANT - CONTACT US
https://www.facebook.com/groups/airbnbblueprintcoaching

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In today´s more regulated and crowded market you need to be able to adapt what you offer.
Diversification is key. Putting all of your eggs in one basket and only renting out properties is no longer a wise strategy.
Having one or two rental units and hoping for the best doesn´t work anymore.
The Airbnb market is flooded so you need to be creative to get people to click on your link and book with you.
There are no shortcuts, if you do not know your stuff and set things up properly, you will be weeded out.
You need training from someone who is active in the market. Someone you resonate with. 
The right, fully up to date, training and mentoring will save you a fortune and enable you to grow fast.
As your business progresses, your mentor needs to teach you more advanced skills and strategies. Unfortunately, very few mentors in the Airbnb space offer this level of support and advice.

BEST MOMENTS

“The Airbnb Blueprint journey is about … unlocking that door to as many other people as we can.”
“This is about the truth, nothing but the truth. No bulls**t, no fluff.”
“Be a little bit more creative and make sure that you're building multiple streams of income around serviced accommodation.”
“There's a lot of things that are missing from the current training space.”

RESOURCES

Want to keep learning? Join our FREE Airbnb Blueprint Coaching Community on Facebook, where we offer weekly training, bi-weekly webinars, interactive Q&A sessions, scripts, templates, VIP coaching giveaways and so much more!

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years. - 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

Meet Tokeet Channel Manager, your ultimate all-in-one property management solution. It’s the game changer designed to boost your profits while simplifying every aspect of your operations. Join 60,000 rentals across 95 countries who trust Tokeet. Click below and discover Tokeet - the business partner you never knew you were missing!

Link: https://www.tokeet.com/?ref=ztfjzgj

THE AIRBNB CONSULTANT - CONTACT US

 https://calendly.com/airbnbconsultant/15min

In this episode, Alex talks about something that catches a lot of SA owners out – head leases on flats, in particular those that are located in large blocks. Alex explains why they are often an issue and some of the other risks attached to using flats located in large blocks as serviced accommodation. He also explains, in detail, how to avoid and manage these potential risks

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Flats can still offer a good return on your investment, but they are a lot more complicated to run.
• Head leases trip a lot of SA owners up. You need to understand them and what the legal implications are.
• Often, head leases contain clauses that mean you cannot legally use them as part of your SA business.
• Flats in large blocks also come with potential issues relating to noise, neighbour disputes and navigating management company rules that could ultimately lead to fines and/or eviction.
• Getting too many noise complaints can lead to your getting kicked out of the block.
• Noise issues can end up becoming a council matter, which can affect your relationship with them and therefore impact the other properties you own in the area.
• Have notices up in the property to remind guests that they are in a block of apartments and that they need to be respectful.
• Be very clear about where guests can and cannot park.
• Check and fully comply with the management company rules. If you breach the rules you can lose your lease and be evicted.

 

 

BEST MOMENTS

 

“If you were living in a block of flats, would you really want an Airbnb unit literally within spitting distance of your front door? ”

“If you're taking a deal from sourcers, you need to see that head lease and get a solicitor to look at that head lease as well.”

“If you don't do that, you can risk legal action from the freeholder which could include termination of the lease and being evicted from the property.”

“Many hosts mistakenly believe that once they sign the lease, they can just do whatever they want with the property, but the reality is quite different.”

“Keeping your neighbours on side is a fundamental part of a successful serviced accommodation business.”

“Maintain open communication with your neighbours and address issues as soon as they arise. ”

“It only takes once or twice for people to park in a neighbor’s spot to get their back up.”

 

 

 

HOST BIOS

 

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years.

 

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

 

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.

 

Meet Tokeet Channel Manager, your ultimate all-in-one property management solution. It’s the game changer designed to boost your profits while simplifying every aspect of your operations. Join 60,000 rentals across 95 countries who trust Tokeet. Click below and discover Tokeet - the business partner you never knew you were missing!

Link: https://www.tokeet.com/?ref=ztfjzgj

THE AIRBNB CONSULTANT - CONTACT US

https://bit.ly/JoinourABCcommunity

During this episode, Alex talks about a topic that has caused a lot of headaches for property investors and serviced accommodation hosts -  unscrupulous deal sourcers. He explains how people get scammed by deal sourcers selling  SA rent-to-rent deals that are too expensive, for properties that are not suitable for use as serviced accommodation or are of such poor quality that guests will not want to stay there.

Alex explains exactly how to avoid falling into this trap. Taking you through vetting the sourcer, assessing the property, working through the numbers to make sure it will be profitable, ensuring you are not paying above the market rate and more.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Getting out there yourself and speaking to agents and landlords is still the best way to find legitimate deals that work for you and your business.

• A legitimate deal sourcer who has good connections in the area you are interested in can use their network to find you the right deal. But not all of them have your best interests at heart.

• If you do plan to use a deal sourcer learn to differentiate a good deal from a bad one.

• Deal sourcers should be transparent. If you have questions about the area, council regs, average rent or occupation rates they should be able to answer them.

• If you want to know the sources of the data they share they should willingly show you.

• Walk away if they use pressure tactics.

• The exact costs involved in the deal should be laid out in writing.

• If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Always pause and break the numbers down yourself.

• Fully understand the costs involved in running the property e.g. maintenance and laundry.

• Look at what is happening to the area in the long-term, e.g. are zoning changes looming, is a road due to be built through the property?

• If it is in a block of flats or another community-controlled development double check SA is allowed and other restrictions.

BEST MOMENTS

“A  sourcer is someone who locates and arranges property deals for investors.”

“The property industry, unfortunately, is littered with horror stories of investors who have ended up stuck in bad deals ”

“A good sourcer should be completely transparent about the details of any property they present to you.”

“Make sure that you're not paying above-market rent.”

“Get independent property valuations.”

HOST BIOS

Alex & Pooh have built a portfolio of over 16 Serviced Accommodation Units and 10 Buy-To-Lets collectively over the last 5 years.

This AirBnB Business has allowed each of them to create their own tailor-made ‘lifestyle by design.’

Pooh chose to escape the corporate life as an electrical engineer instead to spend his time at home with his young and growing family, and Alex likes to spend most of his time in sunny Spain enjoying his love for road cycling or even hiking in the Tramuntana mountain ranges.