Behind the Business: Building Ready Set Rentables

What goes into building a site like Ready Set Rentables (RSR)? Well, besides a lot of tea, and yes, I’m an avid tea drinker, there are color palette decisions, design re-dos, systems planning, and plenty of trial and error.

When I started RSR, I wanted to create a space where hands-on short-term rental hosts could find everything from design inspiration to practical tools that make hosting easier and more profitable.

No fluff.
No endless pages packed with ads.
Just genuinely helpful resources designed to make hosting feel easier, more creative, and a little less overwhelming.

The Spark That Started It All

It all began when I realized how overwhelming it could be for hosts to design rentals that not only looked great but performed well, without crushing their budget.

I wanted to create quick, easy-to-access resources that didn’t require signing up for an expensive course or mentorship just to get basic answers. More importantly, I wanted to build something that combined style + strategy in a genuinely user-friendly way.

My background is a bit of a mix: hospitality, operations and project management, a BFA in Visual Communication and Graphic Design, and life as an abstract painter Yes, that’s a mouthful.

That combination inspired me to build a hub where short-term rental hosts could find design resources, guest experience ideas, and practical business tools all wrapped into one creative ecosystem, Ready Set Rentables.

The Tools That Power Everything

Here’s a peek at the behind-the-scenes tools I use regularly to stay organized, creative, and mostly chaos-free.

Trello - My second brain. Nearly every idea, project, to-do list starts here.
Google Drive + iCloud - Where files and images are stored, organized, and easy to access.
Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop - Where most of the design magic happens for digital products, graphics, and social content.
Astro + Visual Studio Code - The tools I use to build the site and publish new content.
GitHub - Keeps track of site changes, version history, and backups.
Adobe Express - My go-to for creating quick videos and social media content.

The Ecosystem in Motion

Everything I build from the Behind the Stays blog to the design and guest experience resources connects back to one goal: helping hosts level up their rentals without needing a design degree or full marketing team.

Here’s how it all ties together:

Behind the Stays — Design ideas, hosting tips, and a peek behind-the-scenes of building RSR.
The Design Quiz — A fun way to discover the design direction that fits your rental.
The Experience Library - A growing collection of practical ideas for creating memorable guest experiences.
MarketLens — Quick neighborhood insights that help hosts and investors better understand a market.
RSR Playbooks — Step-by-step guides for improving rental design and the guest experiences.

There are also more free resources and tools to explore, all designed to keep hosting creative, strategic, and fun.

What I’ve Learned Along the Way

Building a brand from scratch while juggling creativity, technology, and business strategy isn’t glamorous 100% of the time. But it has been one of the more rewarding projects I’ve taken on, and I’ve learned a lot along the way.

A few lessons I’ve picked up:

Start messy. You’ll refine as you go.
Motivation gets you started. Systems help you keep going.
Creativity doesn’t need perfection. It needs consistency.

Looking Ahead

Ready Set Rentables keeps evolving with new tools, new guides, and ways to help hosts design rentals that guests love. The Behind the Stays blog is where I share those updates, along with design tips, guest experience ideas, and the occasional aha moment.

If you’re building your own hosting brand or dreaming up your next rental, I hope this gave you a little inspiration and maybe reminded you that building something great doesn’t have to happen all at once.

Nanette

Happy Hosting!