Dominik Pantelides’ Post

🌟 From Hardship to Headlines: The Airbnb Story 🌟 Ever wondered how Airbnb morphed from a struggling startup to a global travel powerhouse? 🌍✈️ Dive into the incredible journey of Brian Chesky, from days of barely making ends meet to redefining the essence of travel and accommodation. 🏡💼 👀 Watch how cereal boxes turned into a funding breakthrough and a simple idea captured the hearts of millions. This isn't just a story about success; it's about perseverance, innovation, and daring to dream big. 📢 We want to hear from you! What challenges have you overcome on your journey to success? Share your story in the comments below! #AirbnbStory #EntrepreneurJourney #DreamBig

A few months ago, one of our team members, feeling pretty confident, booked a flight for a client. All looked good on our end until the client called the next day, “I just got two booking confirmations for the same flight. Did you mean to book me twice?” I froze. My heart sank. “Wait, what? Are you serious?” I immediately jumped into our system and yep, there it was. Two identical bookings for the same person. Same flight. Different PNRs. In Travel, one small mistake could cost you heavy! I wanted to crawl under the desk and never come out. I’ll be honest. I panicked. My first instinct was —“Who did this?!” But then reality kicked in. I realised I wasn’t mad at anyone. I was mad at myself. It wasn’t just a booking error; it was a sign that we had skipped over the basics. Our system, which was supposed to catch these things, didn’t. I thought about it for a second. "Okay, time to fix this." First thing, I picked up the phone and called the client. “Hey, I’m really sorry about the double booking. We’ll fix this right away. And I promise you, we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.” That “oops” moment became a turning point for us. We turned our meeting room into an interrogation zone—whiteboards filled with scribbles like “WHY didn’t we catch this?” and “Where did our logics failed?” That day, we then didn’t just patch up the glitch—we took a hard look at how we were building things. What were we overlooking? What small mistakes were we letting slide? And, since that day, we started owning our mistakes openly. If there's one thing that mistake taught me while building QuGo , it’s this: growth doesn’t come from avoiding mistakes. It comes from how you handle them when they inevitably happen. If you are a corporate and looking for a Travel solution or are struggling to keep your travel cost low, know that at QuGo , we are building a solution that values 'you'! Do reach out to me on udit.tarkar@qugo.io #startup #product #corporatetravel

The Ups and Downs of Creating Airbnb Airbnb's journey from a small startup to a global hospitality giant is filled with triumphs and challenges. This analysis highlights key moments, from initial struggles and creative solutions to rapid growth, regulatory hurdles, and the impact of COVID-19. Despite setbacks, Airbnb's resilience and innovation have made it a leader in the industry. #AirbnbJourney #StartupSuccess #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #HospitalityIndustry #Resilience #TechStartup https://wix.to/A7MbUXn #newblogpost

From Struggle to Success: The Airbnb Story ✨ A year after graduating from college, Brian Chesky was broke, living in a cramped apartment, and unsure of his next steps. With rent overdue and no job in sight, he turned a moment of hardship into a moment of opportunity. In a burst of creativity, Chesky rented out air mattresses in his living room to travelers — and Airbnb was born. 🛏️💼 What started as a small solution to a personal financial challenge has now grown into one of the most disruptive companies in the world, valued at billions of dollars. 🌍💰 This story is a powerful reminder that success often arises from struggle. Sometimes, our greatest breakthroughs come from moments of uncertainty and adversity. Brian's journey shows us that persistence, creativity, and the willingness to take risks can lead to unimaginable opportunities. 🔑🚀 Next time you're faced with a challenge, remember: It might just be the first step toward your breakthrough. 💪🏆 #Motivation #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Innovation #Persistence #Airbnb #SuccessStory

What started as an idea has grown into a flourishing business, helping our guests reconnect with themselves, their loved ones, and the beauty of nature. Here's what we've achieved together this year:  🌟 Key Highlights 🚀 Traction: In just 9 months, we've launched 4 homes across 2 stunning locations in Sweden 🧡 Market validation: Achieved an 85% occupancy rate & welcomed over 120 guests with an average 4.9-star rating (without any marketing!) 👩🚀 🕵♀️ 👩💻 Team: Built a world-class team by welcoming 3rd co-founder Eugene (2 exits, experience w. managing 250 properties), plus onboarding 4 part-time talents (finance, ops, guest communication and cleaning) 🌳 Scaling in 2025 🗺️ New Locations: Confirmed 1 new location and min. 10 spots secured for new homes in '25 💻Platform: Launched new website to drive direct bookings & set up our tech platform to automate operations & enhance customer experience (Property management System, AI concierge service & AI pricing tool) 🏡Manufacturing: Designed 3 new houses, including a larger (still small) unit for 4 guests, and secured 20 houses for 2025—saving €200,000 in the process. 💸Funding: We are on track for our first close in a few weeks (happy to share more) Curious about personalized cabin retreats in nature? Let's have a ☕ chat in the next year. Your Havn team, Cayo, Kim & Eugene ✌ #StartUpJourney #FounderStory #Impact #NatureRetreat #Scaling

Startup Saturday #tagline Building on the raison d'être, or simply put, the reason for a business's existence, our subject matter expert Prakash Rao has picked two examples to explain the power of building a great WHY. Airbnb is often cited for its succinct and well-articulated pitch deck. Their tagline, ‘Book rooms with locals, rather than hotels, encapsulates their purpose perfectly. The entire company was built around this one phrase. Every product feature they introduced aimed to help locals rent their properties while providing customers with a better experience and value compared to hotels. Uber is another company with a clear purpose: ‘Next Generation Car Service. Notice that they didn't mention rides explicitly. It's about providing an innovative, value-added service where customers can book a car from their phone, know exactly when it will arrive, and track their journey. What’s your favorite #tagline? And why is it your favorite? Share your company tagline and tell us the story behind it. Gayatri Devi Kalyanaraman, Maggie Inbamuthiah, Vaishali James

🚀 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝟴 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗮: 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 🚀 Last month, I opened up about my quest to find part-time work to sustain myself while giving Deleg8—the dream project—the runway it deserves. As a single mom navigating the entrepreneurial seas, striking the right balance between passion and practicality is key. Here’s where my brainstorming took me: 1) Real Estate Ruminations 🏠: I've always had a knack for real estate (shoutout to my successful bed and breakfast venture!). The flexibility and the potential in real estate are enticing, but diving into this in Chicago means playing the long game. Plus, weekend work clashes with mom duties. However, I'm keeping an eye on the horizon—especially commercial and luxury sectors. Anyone with insights, I’m all ears! 2) Travel Trepidations ✈️: With a lifetime of travel experiences under my belt, selling travel seemed like a no-brainer. I even teamed up with a host travel agency! But, the reality of starting from scratch while juggling Deleg8 and personal commitments made me hit pause. Is embarking on two startups simultaneously a leap too far? Perhaps. 3) Doubling Down on Tech 🤖: Leveraging my existing expertise, I’m exploring teaching AI Technical Product Management and diving into part-time Technical Product Manager roles. It's about building on a solid foundation while navigating Deleg8's journey without spreading myself too thin. 4) Chief of Staff Exploration 👩💼: To get a taste of what's ahead, I've considered stepping into a chief of staff role for another founder. It's an opportunity to preview the challenges and triumphs on the horizon, learning from the inside out. Each option has its allure, but as I chart this course, I’m learning that flexibility, passion, and leveraging existing skills are my guiding stars. If you have any wisdom or opportunities, please reach out! #EntrepreneurLife #SideHustle #StartupJourney #TechInnovation #RealEstate #TravelPassion #AIProductManagement ✷ MARINA ✷ Follow & like 🙏🏽 ! #Entrepreneur #AI #tips #myjourney #positivevibesonly #fypage #fyp #marina #deleg8 #marina

In my journey as a startup founder, I’ve learned many valuable lessons. One of the most important is to keep building and remain patient for the right investor or investment to find me. But one poignant lesson stands out: Every “No” has been nothing but a seasoning to help me craft a better story. At the start, I doubted my vision and capabilities, but I’ve grown unapologetic in my belief in what we’re building. I’ve faced hundreds of reasons for rejection for Guestsnhost—from being told our market size wasn’t big enough when we offered a simple guest management and event ticketing system, to now hearing that our expanded one-stop platform for events and travel is “too broad,” despite market validation and competitor insights. Isn’t that funny? well, If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: Don’t let anyone tell you your ideas aren’t good enough. Keep building with whatever resources you have, even if it’s just laying one brick at a time.

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This transformation from a modest startup to a hospitality giant showcases the power of innovation and the impact of thinking outside the box. Airbnb's story is a testament to how a small idea can revolutionise an industry and connect people around the world. #DailySuccess #PositiveMindset #BestDayEver #BusinessSuccess #Networking #BNIRingwood #BNIFordingbridge #EntrepreneurLife #BusinessGrowth #NetworkToSuccess