Get rid of what you don’t want to make room for what you do want.
What does throwing away a 60-year-old armchair have to do with making more than £300 from Airbnb the very next day?
Quite a lot, as it turns out.
In this episode, I explore something I first learned many years ago called the Principle of Vacuum:
Get rid of what you don't want to make room for what you do want.
It's a principle that has followed me throughout my Airbnb journey — sometimes without me even realising it.
I share how getting rid of furniture I'd inherited from my mother helped create my very first Airbnb room; how throwing away an appallingly uncomfortable futon eventually led to a sofa bed that's earned me more than £50,000; and how completely stripping out my master bedroom allowed me to see how one room could become two — floor space that has subsequently generated well over £120,000 in turnover.
There's also the story of a useless patch of bumpy lawn that I levelled in 2014.
Five years later, that empty space was the reason I came home from the Game Fair with something I had absolutely no intention of buying — particularly as I'd deliberately left my wallet at home!
A wood-fired hot tub.
That hot tub went on to become a major lead magnet for my Dome.
But the story that prompted this week's episode happened only a few days ago.
After eleven years of procrastination, I finally disposed of an old armchair that had been in my family for around sixty years.
Within 24 hours, the space it left behind presented me with a solution to a problem I hadn't known was coming — and helped me retain a guest booking worth more than £300.
Coincidence?
Maybe.
But I've seen this principle work too many times to ignore it.
Sometimes we become so accustomed to what we already have that it prevents us from seeing what could be there instead.
And that doesn't only apply to furniture or Airbnb rooms. It can apply to habits, working practices, attitudes, beliefs — and sometimes even relationships.
This week's Superhost Secret
“Create the space before you know what will fill it.”
Because the real power of the vacuum isn't getting rid of something once you've found something better.
It's having the courage to let go first.
Then seeing what moves into the space you've created.
This week's limerick
When something no longer serves well,
It's time to bid fondly farewell.
Create a clear space,
Put the vacuum in place,
What comes next, you never can tell!
Follow me on Instagram @SuperhostNeil for more Airbnb tips, stories and a bit of laughter.
And if you'd like to learn more about becoming a live-in Airbnb host yourself, follow the link below to register your interest in my free live webinar.
Register for my next FREE webinar on how to monetize your own home, here - https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/61WTjBMhTF2MPCh_WrcMbA
If you’re enjoying the show, hit follow and leave a review — it helps more people find it!
