Avery: Hey guys, welcome to another episode of the short-term show. Today we have a really cool guest. Her name is Erica Dike, and she is a designer, but she has a different approach than other designers that we’ve had on the show before. So, I think you guys are going to find this really interesting. I’ll go ahead and introduce her now. Hi, Erica, how are you?

Erica: Hi! I’m doing well, thank you so much for having me on your show.

Avery: Thanks for coming on. Can you just kind of give yourself a brief introduction of what it is that you do in the design world?

Erica: Yeah, sure. So, I am an interior designer. I work with busy professionals to design their residential spaces as well as their short-term rental spaces. But I do something called a data-driven approach to design. My background is in business analysis, and when I got into the short-term rental field, I decided to merge those two together. Because with short-term rentals, you’re not just designing a space; you’re designing an investment property. So designing it with data is kind of the only way to guarantee that investment.

Avery: That’s fascinating. Could you tell us more about how that works?

Erica: Absolutely! Over the years, I’ve worked with different investors, and I’ve been doing this for six years now. I just finished my 73rd short-term rental, so I’ve had a lot of time to hone and fine-tune this approach using data. That’s what I did with all 73 rentals.

Avery: Wow, 73! That’s a lot. What markets are those in?

Erica: They’re all over! I’ve done projects in places like the Poconos, Houston, Dallas, and Arizona. It’s kind of all over the place. I offer both in-person and virtual design, so I don’t have any service barriers when it comes to working in different markets.

Avery: That’s great. Do you have a favorite market you’ve designed in so far?

Erica: I do have a favorite market, but I actually haven’t designed in it yet. I’m hoping to do something in Florida soon!