Renting out your own apartment or room can fill your wallet. The following applies here: Whoever has good ratings also gets the most guests. Chic accessories, special shower gel, interesting decorations and a stocked fridge all contribute to this. But they are usually very expensive to buy and the rental income is quickly used up again. Four start-ups from Cologne have developed a concept that benefits guests, landlords and providers alike benefit be able.
Hello dear Roamlike team, can you briefly introduce yourself and your business idea?
We four entrepreneurs have been friends since school days. This long friendship makes our togetherness particularly pleasant. The five other team members also fit in very well here. With our business idea, we have made it our task to place interesting branded products in holiday homes unforgettable experiences create for guests. Every side involved can benefit: the guests through a higher quality holiday, the hosts through cost savings and the brand partners through the opportunity to market products.
How did you come up with this business idea?
I (Jens) was a superhost on “Airbnb” myself and rented out my apartment in Cologne. It struck me how well many of my products were received by the guests. Our start-up Roamlike now offers this effect to many brands.
Please describe your everyday life before founding the company
We started Roamlike alongside our full-time job and always developed our business idea after work and at the weekend. After a while we reduced what was then the main job to a part-time job, so we had four days for Roamlike and three days for the regular job. After founding the GmbH, we resigned and have now been working full-time at Roamlike for almost a year.
How long did it take to plan and implement “Roamlike”?
We work every day to implement Roamlike. The strategy and corresponding planning are also changing regular reviewswhich we insert in order to check the current price and improve it if necessary.
What have been your biggest challenges in starting a business so far?
We didn’t have “one big challenge”, but many small challenges and pitfalls in everyday life. Thanks to the strong team, open discussions and intensive learning from our customers and users, we can successfully overcome these hurdles.
Did you take part in start-up competitions?
Yes, we have applied to various start-up competitions. We have e.g. B. won the “Wirtschaftsjunioren Köln Award” and the “Hochschul Award” from Macromedia Munich. We are currently participants in the “Breakthrough Awards”.
Did you create a business plan?
Yes, we have drawn up a business plan. In retrospect, a sophisticated strategy paper would probably have been just as good a working basis.
How do you finance yourself? Did you use outside capital to start your business?
We not only used equity to set up our company, but also borrowed capital.
Where do you see yourselves in a year?
We are currently realizing the partnership with a large one booking portal. This enables us to reach over 1,000,000 travelers for whom we want to give great travel experiences.
Do you have role models from the start-up scene?
We don’t have a special role model. We are inspired by many successful people.
Your tips for entrepreneurs
If you want to start your own business, you should learn quickly and have intensive discussions with the right target group to lead.
To the Roamlike website (external link)