Marisa Grover smiling in orange overalls next to a big fiddle leaf fig Lubbock, TX
Mom of 3
About Marisa

I built a business that ran my life. Then I built one that doesn't.

Hi, I'm Marisa! I run Simply Stay, a short-term rental company with 50+ properties across Texas and New Mexico, and I help other operators build the systems and teams that let them finally step back.

I didn't learn this from a course. I learned it running my own company, building it three times over, and finding out what actually holds up when I'm not there.

so pull up a chair, here's how I got here

My story

  1. 01
    How it started

    It started with a grandbaby.

    We moved from Utah to Lubbock and had our first baby. My parents wanted to come visit, so they bought a little house nearby and planned to rent it out on Airbnb when they weren't using it.

    It rented so well they never got to stay in it. So they bought another one. Then I went from 1 to 15. Then 15 to 30. Then 30 to 50.

    "All of a sudden, I didn't choose to have a property management company, but I had a property management company."
  2. 02
    The part nobody posts

    Then my phone ran my life.

    All through my pregnancy, I was the one answering every guest. Then I went into labor, and my phone still didn't stop. It went off at hospital check-in, and it kept going while I was in labor. Can we check in early? The light bulb is out. I couldn't even enjoy bringing my child into the world.

    1,500 WhatsApp notifications a day 600 emails 400 texts

    I was staging houses at 3am with two toddlers at home. I was leaving the dinner table. And I kept telling my husband, "It's going to get better. It won't always be like this." But with no real plan to change it, even I didn't believe my own words.

    When I got home from the hospital, I made myself a promise: my business was never going to consume my whole life and my whole heart again.

  3. 03
    The first hire

    My first VA had one job: dinner.

    I hired her for 3 to 7pm. That's it. All I wanted was to eat dinner with my family without my phone buzzing on the table.

    Then the shift got a little longer, because I realized how much I needed a break. Not long after, I hired again for the mornings. Today we have coverage all the time, and a Chief Operations Officer who started out as a VA and can now run the whole business.

  4. 04
    The hard lesson

    I've built my company three times.

    Twice I watched properties I had found, sold and onboarded walk out the door when a partnership ended. Both times, I started over from the ground up.

    That's why I'm so obsessed with systems. When everything lives in your head, you can lose it all overnight. When it lives in your systems, you can rebuild anything.

  5. 05
    Now

    About five hours a week. Phone in another room.

    Simply Stay pretty much runs itself now. I spend my time on leadership, and the rest of it on soccer practices, family movie nights and trips to Disney World every September.

    I've managed up to 75 homes at once, and I chose to stay smaller on purpose. Around 50 is where I'm happy and where I really thrive. I could grow faster. I just don't want what that would cost my life.

    "I get to be a mom full-time, and then just fit the business in the cracks of my life. And that's kind of what I teach you."
Marisa Grover smiling in a white top, sitting in a cane chair

When I started this business, everything ran through me. I was the only one who could make a phone call or answer a guest. Then I realized I wanted to bring my skills to the business and build up my team, not be the one everyone waits on. So once my operations and my team were in place, I changed my goal:

"I don't want to be needed. I want to be wanted."

Who I love to work with

I'm here for the messy middle.

Before short-term rentals, I taught high school and college, and I still love teaching. But one thing to know about me is that I don't consider myself a startup coach. If you're looking for someone to teach you how to start a short-term rental business, I may not be for you. If you already have the business and you're ready to take it to the next level, I think we'd be great friends.

Why the Systems Society exists When I got started, all I wanted was a place to ask questions and get support that wasn't $20,000. So I built one. $97 a month, cancel anytime, no contracts. See the Systems Society → Why Build Your Systems exists Some operators don't need more information. They need someone in it with them. I remember praying, really praying, for someone to just tell me what to do. Not another group call with 50 people asking questions that had nothing to do with me. Someone who would look at my business, my mess, my team, and help me fix it. I never found that person. So once I figured it out, I decided to become that person for someone else. See Build Your Systems → Why SimplyVA exists The biggest secret in business isn't a strategy. It's having people you can trust. My VAs are the coolest people in the world. After years of trial and error, I built SimplyVA so you can skip the expensive agency fees and hire VAs who are valued, fairly paid and genuinely invested in your success. I want them to earn every dollar they work for, and I want that for your team too. See SimplyVA →
What I believe

The rules my business lives by

  • If everybody's in charge, nobody's in charge.Clear roles beat good intentions every time.
  • Burnout doesn't equal success.Your quality of life is the whole point of building systems.
  • Experience isn't king.The right person, the right culture, and the right leader matter more.
  • Let them in.Trust your team with the real stuff. They'll surprise you.
  • You're not meant to do everything alone.Not in your business, and not in your life.
The not-so-business stuff

A few things you should know about me

I'm originally from Utah, and I live in Texas now. Same big skies, just a little more dirt.
I love fry sauce. It's a Utah thing. Don't knock it.
I don't really watch sports, and when I do, I cheer for both teams (to my husband's dismay). But I love going to games in person for the snacks and the shopping.
Orange isn't my favorite color, but I own orange shoes and pink shoes. You know, for the brand.
My greatest strength is that I have lots of ideas. My greatest weakness is that I fight myself all day long.
I can't do math in my head. I really can't. I still use my fingers to count. The right side of my brain is wayyyy stronger.
Total night owl. Do Not Disturb goes on at 8pm, and I'm still up at midnight.
I'm a "how hard can it be?" kind of person. Remodel a kitchen? Buy a van? If I'm dreaming about it, there's a good chance I've already started. My Pinterest boards don't stay hypothetical for long.

I've been where you are.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel.

I know what it's like to love the business you've built and still wish it needed a little less of you. Giving your team clear systems, direction and ownership can change your life.

That's the work I love, and I'd love to be part of that chapter for you.

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