Carrie Gaster Efird of Tybee Vacation Rentals

One Moxie Mama: Carrie Gaster Efird
Business Name: Tybee Vacation Rentals
Type of Business: Short-term, furnished vacation rentals on Tybee Island, GA
Location: 1010 Hwy 80 East, Tybee Island, GA 31328
Website: tybeevacationrentals.com

Carrie Gaster Efird was born in Savannah, Georgia to parents who are in the real estate and lumber and hardware industries. She has been married for 7 years to Scott Efird and has a 3 ½ year old daughter named Caroline. She has lived on Tybee for the last 6 years.

Carrie's husband is a residential contractor, who owns The Cottage Company. When she is not working on Tybee Vacation Rentals business or with Caroline, she is The Cottage Company's designer (by default). She reviews anything to do with the design details and, in her words, "gets to pick out the fun stuff, too: windows, paint colors, flooring, light fixtures, cabinets, landscaping, etc". She also does design consulting for remodeling projects and is currently helping a good friend with the interior finishes of her new 125-seat barbecue restaurant.

This past year Carrie served as vice chair for the Tybee Island Economic Committee. She also served for two years as Chairperson for a local nonprofit organization, Tybee Fest. One of her short term personal goals is to take more time for herself and family. In her free time, Carrie loves to cook and garden.

How She Got Started
All of my early work experience during and following high school was in retail management and food & beverage management. My last position before I started my company in 2000 was Store Manager and Area Supervisor for a local franchisee of Atlanta Bread Company, Donaldson Enterprises.

Getting Into the Vacation Rental Business
I am not the brainchild of this enterprise. My sister, Amy was renting out the ground level apartment in her home on Tybee and had so many requests from her individual website that she was turning people away. She started asking her neighbors if she could put those folks in their empty homes and came up with the idea that she (we) should get into this business. Amy called me up at the end of her busy summer, gave me her spiel and said, "…so you should quit your job and we can start this company…" It sounded like a pretty reasonable idea.

At the time, there were a few companies here on the island that were renting homes and condos. Most of them were real estate firms (all male-owned) that also had rental departments. We were going to specialize in vacation rentals. Using the internet to plan travel was a new phenomenon. Other Tybee companies that rented beach houses basically did it the same way they had been doing it forever. It was our mission to be more innovative and creative and not be like the good ol' boys. We were the new girls in town and we embraced technology and knew the importance of creating the best website. We wanted to set ourselves apart and improve the services and amenities available within our vacation rental market.

Here Come the Challenges
There are a few challenges that are ongoing. Initially, it was just Amy & me that staffed the office. We hired subcontractors for housekeeping and maintenance. At the time, finding good and reliable help for cleaning and repairs was a challenge - and still is now. Our office staff has grown to 5 full-time employees and several part-time employees. With increased staff, there always comes the challenge of managing and meshing the different personalities, keeping a cohesive group, and keeping them focused. And lastly, we have to constantly balance keeping both the property owners and our guests happy.

Taking That Leap of Faith
I was not so much afraid of stepping out. I just really liked what I did and was not necessarily looking to leave my company. I had been working for Donaldson Enterprises for about 4 years, had an awesome position, with great pay and benefits, and loved working for a super company. I never really even thought about failing in business, since I had run successful businesses for over 10 years. I felt that I had the business skills and sense (however, limited by the lack of a college degree). Additionally, I thought me and Amy were smart enough to figure it out- and if we couldn't, we could always ask either of our entrepreneurial parents.

Follow Your Strengths
Initially, Amy and I divided up who would do what based on our strong suits. I was responsible more for the daily operations and creating the systems for reservations, cleaning, linen ordering, supplies, scheduling and managing of cleaning and maintenance, etc. It was very similar to restaurant operations: how to manage the day-to-day activities and know what it costs. Amy was responsible for more of the marketing, business start-up and legal details, and the accounting side (thank goodness) of the business. We both did everything for the most part, at first.

My responsibilities have shifted in the last 3.5 years since having my daughter. I work from home now and am less involved in the daily operations of the company. Amy oversees the office staff and operations. Typically, I am involved in owner level issues and decisions, as well as, tasks that can be done remotely, like drafting company policies, ordering uniforms, researching, etc. The last year for me has also been focused on building our new offices, my husband was the contractor and I was the primary point of contact for the project.

Customers Before Opening the Doors
As I mentioned, Amy was basically asking her neighbors all summer if she could rent their homes for them! Our first property was hers and her neighbor's. Once we had passed our Georgia Real Estate exam and officially formed our company, we sent out letters to the community announcing that we were forming a new vacation rental company. We then asked our Mom, who is a very successful and well-known real estate agent on Tybee, to send letters to her clients and friends announcing "her girls'" new business. And finally, we utilized the internet to market the properties and our services.

Vacation Rental Marketing 101
We focused a lot of energy on creating a very user-friendly and modern website and participated in local event and community sponsorships. And, of course, word-of-mouth advertising on a small island helped us greatly. Our marketing strategy was in keeping with our company's mission statement:

We have not changed too much of what we started out doing, we keep focusing on how to do it better. One aspect of our marketing that is a new focus for us is working to bring all of the rental managers on Tybee together to meet and discuss issues. We talk about how we can collectively do a better job and how we can co-op advertising and PR for the benefit of all of our companies by promoting our destination.

Want to Have a Vacation Rental Business?
Do the research (very cliché, I know). I was fortunate enough to have my sister do a large portion of it. Be sure to partner with the right person. A buy/sell agreement is a good thing, especially if you are partnering with non-family. Get involved in the community and get to know other business owners in your field locally. Join and be involved in the local Chamber of Commerce and tourism-related organizations. Seek membership in national associations and look to others with more expertise in the industry. We are members of VRMA, Vacation Rental Managers Association, and have formed invaluable relationships with other rental company owners.

The Future Looks Bright
Aside from taking more reservations, one of our main goals is to collectively promote our destination, not just our individual business. We want to bring more travelers to Tybee Island and hope the end result will be more reservations for Tybee Vacation Rentals.

"Being There" for Caroline
Talk about the toughest thing I have ever done; managing teenagers was easier, I think. I have set up a workstation in my kitchen and can get a good bit of work done from there. Thank goodness for IM, email, and family. I have 3 sets of grandparents in town and there are times that they are lifesavers. The challenging part is taking phone calls and not having a screaming or whining little one in the background. I tell folks in advance that I work from home with a 3-year-old, so most people are very understanding. I try to do some work when she naps and after she goes to bed, so I can spend some undivided time with her throughout the day.