Mastering the art of resilience

When you last traveled, where did you stay? Was it a hotel? Or did you opt for the alternative and rent a room, or maybe an entire house, from a local? Perhaps you’ve taken a “workation,” renting a home for several weeks or a month and working remotely.

The idea of staying in a stranger’s home may have blown your mind a few years ago. Today it’s not just a standard practice – it’s actually the preferred accommodation for tens of millions of people worldwide. But it isn’t easy to become an entrepreneur or completely revolutionize the travel industry.

In this episode of the Tony Robbins Podcast, we are bringing you back to Business Mastery one more time. You’re going to hear from Joe Gebbia, one of the co-founders of Airbnb, about how they transcended cultural boundaries and were ultimately able to turn a floundering idea into a global business valued at $113 billion in 2021.

The humble beginnings of Airbnb

Airbnb started as a solution to a pressing problem: co-founders Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky couldn’t afford rent, so they opened up their San Francisco apartment for guests to stay in. They soon realized they were onto something bigger than just a way to avoid being evicted. So, along with their old roommate, Nathan Blecharczyk, they started building it into a business. That was nearly 10 years ago.

Airbnb has evolved substantially since then, though it was by no means a straight path to success. In fact, they launched and relaunched a number of times with no investment. They found themselves up to their ears in debt, rejected by investors over and over. They were very close to flatlining on more than one occasion.

So what were their biggest pain points – and how did they find opportunities for massive growth where there were seemingly none?

Building trust and raving fans