Are you building the business you actually want?

Does this sound like your day to day activity?

• Replying to owner queries
• Answering booking questions
• Tweaking your pricing
• Arranging repairs in the property
• Responding to reviews

All necessary? Yes.

But when did you last step back and ask whether you’re building the business you actually want in five or ten years?

This isn’t about a “what went well, what didn’t” list.

That’s useful, but it’s not the same as asking where you’re heading and whether your daily decisions are taking you there.

Making space to think

I’ve learned this the hard way: when you’re deep in the details, it’s almost impossible to see the direction you’re travelling.

To overcome this, I deliberately step away and follow a simple process.

Our office sits near one of the most iconic locations in Scotland: the three bridges over the Firth of Forth.

When I need to clear my head, I walk across one of them.

The wind cuts through you, the river stretches out below, and suddenly the urgent email or the tricky issue feels smaller.

That view forces perspective.

It reminds me that what I’m building today shapes what I’ll have in five years, and I’d better make sure I’m heading in the right direction.

Another option is to embrace the growing trends for retreats with other business leaders where attendees are encouraged to zoom out and talk about the hard strategic questions rather than firefighting the daily tasks.

This could be an international escape to a comfortable and beautiful destination, or it could be an hour out with other professionals at a local restaurant.

It doesn’t have to be expensive.

But for taking that step back to a wider view on your business, mental and physical distance does need to happen.

Know where you’re going

If you want to manage 50 premium properties in three coastal destinations, your processes and marketing needs to reflect that now.

Your website should speak to the owners you want to attract, not just the ones you have.

Your email campaigns should showcase your expertise in those specific locations and property types.

Your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) should target the right search terms for premium guests and quality owners.

If instead, you’re marketing to anyone with a property and any guest with a budget, you’ll grow, but it may not be in the direction you planned.

Or perhaps it is exactly where you want to go?

But it needs to be a conscious decision: adopt marketing that matches your future.

Too many operators build marketing around what’s easiest today rather than what moves them towards their goal.

A website made live because you needed one quickly with no action plan to build one later that supports your future direction instead of your current needs.

Email campaigns sent only when you remember.

Social posts that don’t connect to your brand or the guests you’re trying to attract.

Five years from now, do you want to be known for budget breaks or boutique stays?

Big portfolios or hands-on curation?

That answer should shape every piece of content you create, every owner you pitch to, and every channel you invest time in.

Owner acquisition and retention

Your future portfolio depends on the owners you attract and keep.

If you want long-term relationships with professional, engaged owners, your marketing and servicing needs to demonstrate that you’re a serious partner.

That means regular updates, transparent reporting, educational content that helps them understand the market, and a brand that makes them proud to work with you.

Focusing on volume over value might get you more properties short-term, but it rarely builds the sustainable, profitable business most operators want in ten years.

One quarterly question

Strategy isn’t a one and done process.

Step away from the to-do list once a quarter and ask: “if we keep marketing like this, where will we be in five years?”

If the answer doesn’t match where you want to be, change something now.

You don’t need a formal retreat or a dramatic location.

But you do need to create the space to think beyond today’s tasks.

Walk somewhere that clears your head.

Talk to other operators or business leaders who’ll challenge your assumptions.

Give yourself permission to step back from the details.

The big picture doesn’t take care of itself.

You have to look at it deliberately, and often enough that your daily work actually supports it.