Meet Jordan + Jason Phelan | Owners of Wild Acre Cabins

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan + Jason Phelan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan + Jason, do you have a budget?
Yes! At the end of each year, we look at the previous years’ business performance and create a budget for the following year. The goal is to live on 50% of our earnings and save the other 50% to invest. Once we have all of the categories allocated, we automate payments to each category’s account. It takes the self discipline out of the equation so we are only allowed to spend what we have already allocated. We budget for large upcoming expenses for that year and also keep an emergency account for any unplanned expenses.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We own and operate a small cabin village in Grand Lake, Colorado. We purchased a very dilapidated property with four cabins on it and set off over the next year and a half to bring them back to life. With Jordan being an architect, we wanted to create a modern living experience on the interiors while keeping the original rustic charm on the exteriors. We are most proud of the blood, sweat and tears that we poured into the property to make it what it is today. We were both working full time in Denver while the renovation was taking place and we spent nearly every weekend driving to the cabins and working 12+ hour days on them. Because of the timeline we set out to achieve, we also sacrificed our social lives and many other goals during this time as we knew when we hit the finish line, all of the hard work would pay off and we would earn the financial freedom that enabled us to no longer work at our day jobs. The project overall has taught us what our limits (and enjoyment limits) are and how we view future projects we pursue. As a husband and wife team, it has also taught us much about working together, communication and patience in a way we would not have discovered otherwise. We love the vacation rental industry because we ourselves love traveling and the outdoors and it gives us great satisfaction to welcome others with that same passion into the spaces we have designed specifically for their enjoyment. We love curating guests stays down to every tiny detail and we will always be focusing on ways to give guests the best possible vacation at our property.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When our friends come to visit we like to give them a good taste of the mountains and the city. Some of our favorite places in the mountains include RMNP and the town of Grand Lake. Most of the time that means hiking, camping, kayaking and/or skiing followed up by craft beer of course. We typically cater friends visits more to their personalities and interests as we enjoy constantly exploring new places versus going back to the same spot every time!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We attribute a huge portion of our success to Bigger Pockets. We have been listening to their real estate podcast for several years and have soaked up every little detail about all of the facets of real estate and how we can best apply it to the lifestyle that we desire. Jordan also attributes her success to her parents who are also both entrepreneurs and exposed her to the idea at an early age. They made a point to educate her on the importance of finance, hard work and self-discipline that any entrepreneur needs to excel.

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Website: www.wildacrecabins.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildacrecabins/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildAcreCabins

Image Credits
@bluebirddayphoto – photo of us with umbrellas @danieljbrenner – photos of cabins