Ep 244 - From Banking to 96 STRs: Why Fouad Built a Bankable Airbnb Empire

Short Term Rental Secrets Podcast

Fouad spent 20 years in banking and 11 more consulting banks before walking away from corporate life when his wife’s income surpassed his.

What happened next?

A wild ride through the world of short-term rentals, driven by family, strategy, and a long-term vision few operators ever reach.

In this episode, Fouad breaks down:

• How a personal medical emergency forced him to buy his first Airbnb
• Why most operators price listings wrong—and how he uses math instead
• The real difference between luxury and comfort STRs (and why he runs both)
• His custom tech stack using Go High Level
• And the real reason he’s scaling to $12M/year before exiting

This one’s for the operators who want to scale smart, stay profitable, and build something sellable.

What you’ll learn:

• How to scale with dual verticals (luxury + comfort)
• Why you must reverse-engineer around your exit
• How banking lessons apply directly to STRs
• Why pricing = math, not emotion
• How Fouad thinks about purpose and legacy

Ready to build a business that banks would beg to fund?

Fouad shows you how.

03:30 – Breaking the Golden Handcuffs: Why He Left Corporate

07:00 – First STR Deal: Starting Small With Big Vision

10:00 – Smart Risk: Learning to Bet on Yourself

13:00 – From 1 to 10+ Units: Scaling With Confidence

17:00 – Wealth Mindset: Thinking Like an Owner, Not an Operator

20:00 – Cash Flow vs Time: Redefining Success Metrics

24:00 – Building a Business, Not a Job: Systems and Team Growth

27:00 – Lessons From the Field: What He’d Do Differently

30:00 – Purpose-Driven Investing: Time, Family, and Freedom

Guest Bio:

Fouad Bazzi is a professional in the short-term rental (STR) industry. His activities include owning, managing, and building new build-to-rent properties, as well as consulting and educating others in the STR space. He also owns a pool servicing company that specializes in serving STR properties.

Guest Link:

https://www.instagram.com/fouad_airbnb

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