Danni Higgins

Danni Higgins Helping investors turn short-term rentals into scalable, profitable portfolios
STR Cohost | Property Manager
CEO, Rise & Shine Retreats
đź“Ť Portland, Maine

05/10/2026

A lot changes over time.

Businesses grow. Priorities shift. Seasons come and go.

But being a mom? That part stays.

Part of the reason I built this business was for more freedom — freedom to be present, to travel, to build a life that actually felt like ours.

And somewhere along the way, the reason behind all of it started calling me Mom.

To the parents building businesses while raising tiny humans at the same time — I see you.

Happy Mother’s Day 🤍

05/07/2026

Everyone’s out here building AI agents and I’m over here cracking the code on the world’s first co****le bag retrieval system.

Patent pending, obviously.

But honestly, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how AI fits into business operations lately.

Not in a “robots are taking over” kind of way.

More in a “there are probably things founders are still doing manually that they really don’t need to be” kind of way.

A lot of what I’m exploring right now is around communication, systems, workflows, and reducing the amount of operational noise that slows businesses down.

The goal was never to build a business that required me in the middle of everything forever.

Anyway. The dog may currently be my strongest AI integration.

05/06/2026

Nobody told me entrepreneurship and toddlerhood would have so much in common.

Both involve zero sleep, constant negotiations, and a lot of cleaning up messes you didn't make. But here we are, building anyway.

Founder parents, comment below. I want to know I'm not alone in this.

05/01/2026

There’s a moment that hits different when you’re giving advice and realize… you’re talking to yourself from five years ago.

That happened recently.

I was talking with an STR owner who had been doing this for a while and was still drowning in Airbnb messages, handling every inquiry herself.

No systems. No support. Just white-knuckling every notification.

I know that version well.

I stayed in operator mode far longer than I needed to, thinking doing everything myself was the way to grow. It wasn’t. It slowed everything down.

What I wish someone had told me earlier:

You can do anything, but not everything, all at once, and not alone.

That conversation felt full-circle.

It’s also why I care so much about this work. Not surface-level advice, but helping owners get out of the grind faster and into real momentum.

What are you still holding onto that someone else could take off your plate?

How did a single phone call turn into $80,000 in only 6 months?It sounds like a short amount of time, however, connectin...
04/28/2026

How did a single phone call turn into $80,000 in only 6 months?

It sounds like a short amount of time, however, connecting with old acquaintances proved that curiosity doesn't always kill the cat.

I wanted to expand to Mount Desert Island. I barely knew anyone there and had no business doing it.

But I remembered my old landlords from 10+ years ago. They were cool people with a cool house. I thought, "I wonder if they still live there?"

Found his number. Called. He picked up (miracle). I explained what I was doing, asked if he knew anyone selling.

He said: "Why, are you looking to buy?"

I had this feeling—you never say no to this question.

"Well, I've got a place in Southwest Harbor. Let me send you some photos."

Before I even saw the pictures, I knew. This was it.

→ Off-market deal
→ Came fully furnished
→ Seller financing
→ Closed in April 2024, listed before Memorial Day
→ Made $80K by end of September
→ Year two: $95-100K
→ Not waterfront, just strategic amenities (hot tub in a garden, multi-generational layout, peaceful acre of land)

We put $30K into it—added the hot tub, fire pit, a few key pieces. We had to trench the driveway to run power to the hot tub. My friends showed up mid-renovation and were obviously confused.

Now it's one of our top-performing properties. Sean and I have decided: we'll sell everything else before we sell this one.

Your network isn't just who you know sometimes it's who you *remember* to call.

What is one phone call you can make today that could change everything?

04/24/2026

"The STR market is too saturated to make money anymore." — Someone who hasn't seen what's actually possible.

Here's the secret, the STR market isn't oversaturated, it's more strategic. And that's great news if you're willing to learn how the game has changed.

Back in 2017, you could put up a cute tent in your backyard and make money. Now, Airbnb's been around long enough that guests know what great hospitality looks like. They want experiences. Places where they can build memories, not just a bed for the night.

The people who are struggling? They're still running their listings like 1980s landlords—basic amenities, no real hospitality, treating it like a rental property instead of a guest experience.

But here's what I'm seeing work incredibly well:

→ Shifting from property owner to hospitality provider
→ Updating listings with real amenities that guests actually care about
→ Creating spaces that feel special, not just functional
→ Building systems that let you deliver all of this without burning out (I do it in 10 hours a week)

When you rise to the level of education the market now demands, the bookings follow. The profit follows. The freedom follows.

I'm still running 35+ listings across Maine. They're still booking. Still profitable. Still funding the life I want to live.

Not because the market handed it to me, because I adapted my strategy when the market evolved.

So here's my question: Are you avoiding STRs because the market's "too crowded," or because you haven't learned the strategy that works in today's market?

If you want help jumping into the STR market or scaling your STR business with a strategy that actually works, comment STR.

2 years ago: 60 hours a week managing 15 properties, constantly putting out fires, always on call.Last month: 6-10 hours...
04/16/2026

2 years ago: 60 hours a week managing 15 properties, constantly putting out fires, always on call.

Last month: 6-10 hours a week managing 35 properties, spent the month in New Zealand with my family.

What changed? I stopped being an operator and started being a CEO.

Here's what that actually means:

1. Hired a VA to handle guest communication
2. Built SOPs so my team doesn't need me for every decision
3. Automated check-in with smart locks and digital guidebooks
4. Created financial dashboards so I can see performance at a glance
5. Stopped micromanaging cleaners and started trusting my systems

The properties didn't suffer. Revenue went UP 49% because I finally had time to focus on strategy instead of scrambling.

Your STR business doesn't have to keep you hostage. But you have to be willing to let go of control to gain actual freedom.

What's the one task you're still doing that someone else could handle?

04/14/2026

This is the property where it all started.

In 2017, Sean and I bought this building in Maine. We lived in the worst unit - and I mean the WORST. Outdated kitchen, cramped space, constant noise from tenants above us.

But we had a plan: sacrifice now, build freedom later.

We rented out the better units. Learned property management the hard way. Made mistakes. But we also learned what actually works.

That one building taught us:
→ How to screen guests properly
→ What amenities actually drive bookings
→ How to manage maintenance without losing our minds
→ The financial model that would let us scale

We don't live there anymore. We have a home in Maine now. But that building was the start of our financial freedom - now we own 8 listings, manage 35 others, and have the freedom to travel with our son.

I'll never forget that first, rundown unit. It was the price of admission to the life we have now.

What sacrifice are you willing to make today for the freedom you want tomorrow?

POV: the many sides of being an airbnb owner. You can feel all the emotions in one day.The strategic investor analyzing ...
04/09/2026

POV: the many sides of being an airbnb owner. You can feel all the emotions in one day.

The strategic investor analyzing numbers and scaling to the next property. The problem-solver handling the unexpected 3am maintenance call. The mentor teaching other hosts how to build this business. The business owner who actually gets to be present with her family because the systems work.

Some days you're all of them before lunch.

That's what I love about what we've built with Rise and Shine Retreats in Maine… it's not just one thing. It's a real short-term rental business with real challenges and real freedom on the other side of getting the systems right.

Shoutout to Marissa Campbell for capturing all of that. If you need a Maine photographer who gets it, she's your person.

04/07/2026

Rewind to 2017. We didn't have a short-term rental roadmap. We didn't have mentors telling us the right moves. We just... jumped.

Bought a multi-unit property, moved into the worst unit, and figured it out as we went. It was uncomfortable, it was uncertain, and honestly? It was terrifying.

But that leap? It's what got us to 35+ listings, 2 months in New Zealand with our son, and a business that actually serves our life.

I'm not saying you have to sacrifice the way we did. I'm saying the scariest part is the jump and on the other side is everything you're working toward.

What's keeping you from taking the leap?

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Portland, ME

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