About this episode

Josh Peterson shares his journey from a weekend side hustle to optimizing his short-term rental for significant growth.

Josh Peterson didn’t start in short-term rentals by chasing deals. He started by solving a problem. After too many mediocre hotel stays visiting his daughter at UNC, he bought a home near campus. What started as a second home quickly turned into a high-performing short-term rental—and then a full-on business. But here’s where it gets interesting. Instead of rushing to scale, Josh hit pause. He went back, optimized his first property, and unlocked a 35% revenue increase and a major jump in occupancy. In this episode, we break down: Why optimizing one property can outperform adding more The exact pricing shifts that increased weekday bookings How data, not instinct, changed his strategy What “champagne taste” looks like in a profitable rental Why niche markets (like college towns) can be a long-term advantage How to think about scaling without overextending If you’re thinking about your next property, this episode might change how you approach it. Resources mentioned: Check out Josh's STR at: https://phdstays.com/

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