Shun Henry has dedicated her life to the service of others. Spending 21 years in the Army now Real Estate Investor, AirBnB Host, and consultant with over a half a million dollars invested in real estate. In her new book, When The Bank Says No! Airbnb Hosting Without Owning The Property, she is teaching others how to create a revenue stream without owning the property utilizing the financial resources that they already have. She is a firm believer that if you can do a thing, you can teach a thing.
LM: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
SH: I am a dedicated mother of an amazing 18-year-old young man and a dog mom to a 90 lb 2yr old German Shephard and serial entrepreneur. My passion has always been people. I moved to Atlanta in 2005 pursuing my dream of being a wardrobe stylist. I was blessed to intern for two great stylists that afforded me the opportunity to dress some beautiful celebrities and even get my name in a magazine. From there I opened my clothing store, SA boutique, which catered to fashionable women with curves. With real estate dreams and an already 2x homeowner, I started my Airbnb business which then created an opportunity for me to be a landlord after moving from one house into another. All of this while serving in the GA Army National Guard. I rose to the highest position I could in my job field as the State Food Program Manager with only one more rank promotion to obtain, Sergeant Major, but my passion is driving me in another direction which is to focus on real estate investing, speaking and helping others reach success. Therefore I will be ending my military career on Feb 15, 2020, with 21 years of service to become a full-time entrepreneur at SWINC.
LM: Tell us about your business.
SH: SWINC LLC is a consulting firm focused on real estate. We teach others how to be successful in AirBnB hosting. Our services include 1 on 1 or group consulting, lease assumption and host partnerships. With our properties, we offer traditional renting as well as Airbnb hosting. We are also recognized as a Disabled Veteran owned business which lands us many opportunities in our Government Contracting department.
LM: What prompted you to start your business?
SH: The bank wouldn’t loan me 100k to buy another home so that I could be a traditional landlord or become a host on the Airbnb platform.
LM: Have you always aspired to be an entrepreneur? Why or why not?
SH: I started the entrepreneur journey at 13 as the Avon lady in my apartment complex. Joining active duty military at 17 further let me know that I enjoyed working for myself.
LM: What’s the best part of being an entrepreneur?
SH: The creative control. Owning your own time.
LM: What’s the worst part of being an entrepreneur?
SH: No guaranteed paycheck.
LM: Who’s your inspiration? Why?
SH: I’m inspired by everyday go-getters. People who don’t settle for what has been given to them but instead use it to make something great that will service others
LM: List some of your greatest achievements
SH: Being a Mom to an amazing kid. Retiring from the military. Buying my first home at 18. Being resilient when adversity hits. Being my own person not seeking validation from anyone.
LM: Name a time when things didn’t go right. What happened and how did you get past it?
SH: Well I’ve been divorced 2x with a failed engagement between that. The bank wouldn’t give me a loan and I started my business anyway. As an entrepreneur, we face many obstacles and without perseverance and a determination to succeed you will be defeated.
LM: Where do you see your business in 3 years?
SH: I see multiple-unit properties where I am able to have a mixture of traditional renters and transients. My speaking side of the business would have expanded allowing me to reach many audiences who want to start, grow or get better at what they are doing. Lastly, I will have flourishing partnerships with other entrepreneurs in real estate and other businesses.
LM: What advice would you give a new entrepreneur?
SH: Keep going! You will never be comfortable where you are if you see yourself past where you are now.
You can connect with Shun here:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Shunhenry
Website: http://www.swincllc.com
Podcast: http://anchor.fm/shunhenry’sbecoming