about
I grew up on a farm in central Texas, homeschooled by my parents alongside nine siblings in a traditional faith-based community.
Best childhood ever.
Grandma Jan sparked my love for art with kitchen table art class. I’ve been dreaming up business ventures ever since I can remember: from home-brew soda to antique repair, and plenty in between.
At 24, with a whole lot of help, I turned $20k of savings and a dream into a modern village of lakeside cabins. I poured everything I had into that 5-acre slice of Texas, and Live Oak Lake welcomed its first guests just ten months after groundbreaking.
But two weeks later, disaster struck: Airbnb suspended our account. No warning, no explanation.
With a loan payment looming, I had to get creative.
I paid a local influencer a few hundred dollars to post an Instagram giveaway, and within days, we had $40,000 in direct bookings and thousands of followers — from scratch!
Within a year, we built an audience of over 100k which drove 80%+ direct bookings and 95% occupancy.
Guests returned time and again, drawn by timeless design, authentic storytelling, and experiential hospitality. And this was the beginning of a whole new chapter...
People are hungry for one-of-a-kind experiences. Spaces with soul, and that tell a story. And anyone with a dream and some good old-fashioned work can make good on that opportunity.
Today, Helen and I live on the same farm where I grew up. We’re raising our boys — Lucas & Ezra — the same way we were raised. I’m grateful for the life I’ve been given, and I make it my aim to pay it forward.
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Thanks for stopping by.
—Isaac