How One Rental Became an Airbnb Business | Tina T.
What does it take to turn one rental property into a growing Airbnb business?
Get To Know Tina T.
A neighbor gave Tina T. the idea to try Airbnb, and a $5,000 purchase gave her nearly everything she needed to furnish her first property. When it stayed booked, she began converting more of her long-term rentals. But Airbnb is only one part of Tina’s life. She created Camp Spinoff, a summer camp where teenagers learn to DJ and produce music, and trained her Belgian Malinois to detect bed bugs before starting a new career working with detection dogs. Tina talks with Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano about recovering from a serious car accident, learning to delegate, setting boundaries, and making room for the many things she wants to build.
Turn One Rental Into an Airbnb Business
Tina T.’s Airbnb business started after she noticed people carrying bags and speakers in and out of her neighbor’s house. When she called to ask what was happening, he told her he had been renting the property through Airbnb.
After a tenant moved out of one of her long-term rentals, Tina decided to test the idea herself. Furnishing an entire house required an upfront investment, but she found someone leaving Las Vegas who wanted to sell everything inside her four-bedroom home.
“I offered her $5,000 for everything in her house.”
The purchase included nearly everything Tina needed to prepare the rental:
Furniture for the four-bedroom property
Forks, glasses and other kitchen items
Sheets, linens and household supplies
Cleaning products
Enough belongings to furnish nearly the entire house
The property booked quickly and stayed booked. Each time another long-term tenant moved out, Tina had an opportunity to convert the property into another Airbnb.
Let the Crazy Idea Snowball
Camp Spinoff began while Tina was listening to DJ Revolution describe trips where radio DJs gathered, traveled and spent time together. The camaraderie reminded her of summer camp.
Her first thought was to create a camp for adult DJs. She quickly realized that version could become more about partying than learning, so she changed the idea: a summer camp where kids could learn from working DJs.
“The more people I talked to about it, everybody wanted to be involved. And then getting sponsors, it just kept snowballing from there.”
Turning the idea into a real camp required Tina to:
Find people who believed in the concept
Ask trusted business minds for honest feedback
Create a name and purchase the domain
Bring DJs and other supporters into the project
Find sponsors to help fund scholarships
Camp Spinoff now gives teenagers ages 12 to 17 a traditional sleepaway camp experience while teaching them how to DJ and produce music. In its return to Nevada, 34 of the 40 campers attended on scholarships.
Invest in Yourself
Tina’s move into detection dog work began after she adopted a Belgian Malinois named Tommy. She originally wanted a protection dog, but soon saw a way to connect Tommy with her Airbnb business by training him to detect bed bugs.
Instead of paying someone else to train Tommy, Tina enrolled in an immersive two-week course alongside police officers and experienced dog trainers.
“Why would I invest money in a trainer when I can invest in myself?”
That decision allowed Tina to:
Learn how detection dogs are trained
Teach Tommy to identify bed bugs
Use him to inspect Airbnbs, hotels and health facilities
Return for more advanced training
Begin working with an explosives detection dog
A personal project became an unexpected career change. Tina now works with two detection dogs, one trained to find bed bugs and another trained to detect explosives.
Build a Business That Can Run Without You
A serious car accident left Tina bedridden and temporarily using a wheelchair. She could no longer visit her Airbnb properties or handle every repair and project herself.
Tina turned to a retired Marine in her neighborhood who had already helped with small handyman jobs. She began walking him through the work by phone until he understood how to manage the properties without her.
“I would have never outsourced all the property work that I was doing.”
The forced change helped Tina:
Delegate the physical work at her properties
Manage reservations and communication from her phone
Stop visiting every rental herself
Free up time for detection dog work
Recognize when doing everything was no longer sustainable
The accident changed how Tina thought about capacity. Delegating gave her businesses room to operate while she recovered and made it possible for her to pursue a new career without abandoning what she had already built.
Resources Mentioned
🔗 Email Tina T: tina@djtinat.com
🔗 Learn more about Camp Spinoff
🔗 Check out Camp Spinoff on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
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