Man, you won’t believe the ride I’ve been on with this whole “Rent Like a Champion” thing after it popped up on Shark Tank. I saw the episode and thought, “Hey, that’s a pretty neat idea!” So, I decided to dig in and see what this was all about.
First off, I started looking into what they actually do. Turns out, Rent Like a Champion is all about renting out homes in college towns, especially during big football games. It seemed like a cool way for homeowners to make some extra cash and for fans to get a unique place to stay.
I got curious about how much of an impact Shark Tank had on them. I mean, they were already doing okay, with sales around $2.3 million before the show. But after? Boom! They jumped up to $5.46 million. That’s a serious glow-up! It got me thinking, “Could I actually get involved in this?”
- I started to check out their availability, looking at different college towns.
- Their website was easy enough to navigate. They had listings all over the place, 21 college towns, to be exact.
- I put in some dates around big game weekends to see what would pop up.
Next, I wanted to see if I could maybe rent out a place myself. I’ve got a spare room that’s not doing much. I filled out their online form, just to see what would happen. It was pretty straightforward: basic info, a few details about the property, nothing too crazy. To find a way to talk to a real human, I called their service number and they are all friendly and helpful. They told me I could definitely make some money with my house during some college football event days.
Then I thought, “Why not try renting a place through them?” So I picked a random college football weekend and booked a small house. The process was smooth. It was like any other rental site, but this felt more personal, more tied to the whole college football experience. I paid through their platform, which felt secure enough, and just like that, I was all set for a weekend getaway.
The weekend arrived, and off I went. The place was exactly as described, no surprises there. It was close to the stadium, which was awesome, and I got a real feel for the local vibe. It was way different than staying in some generic hotel. I could see why people were into this.
And then I wanted to learn more about the founders. They are Drew Mitchell and Mike Doyle. The two guys were really into the business and the idea.
Final Thoughts
All in all, this whole “Rent Like a Champion” journey has been pretty interesting. From checking out their Shark Tank success to actually using their service and even considering renting out my own space, it’s been a cool little adventure. This service really taps into something special for college football fans, and it’s growing like crazy. And I can now make some money from my house. It definitely changed the game for event travel, at least in my book.
