In this episode, Heather Bayer welcomes back her son and business partner, Mike Bayer, for a timely New Year's discussion on a topic that affects nearly every property manager: onboarding and training. After a holiday season filled with family chaos (a trip to the emergency room, and a broken hot tub!), Heather and Mike shift gears to reflect on the challenges of integrating new team members into short-term rental businesses. Drawing from Mike's personal experience onboarding at a new job in the pickleball industry, they reveal how even fast-growing companies can feel "held together by duct tape" without strong onboarding systems. This episode kicks off a multi-part series on training, development, and systems thinking in STR businesses - highlighting why formal training is often overlooked and how it can transform team performance, guest experience, and business efficiency. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 📣 Episode Sponsor: STRAIT Chat & the AI Ambassador Program This episode is brought to you in part by the STRAIT Chat Community - an exclusive space for short-term rental pros who want deeper conversations, smarter systems, and more collaborative learning. And if you're curious about using AI in your business - whether it's for guest communication, operations, or even marketing - check out our AI Ambassador Program. It's designed to help you learn, lead, and get hands-on with the tools shaping the future of hospitality. 🌐 Learn more and join us at VacationRentalFormula.com/AI Are you listening to this podcast on the move? Get to the show notes here: https://www.vacationrentalformula.com/podcast/VRS645

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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