Steve Satoru Naito, founder of Anyplace, talks about his niche accommodations service that generated $6 million in revenue. Anyplace offers remote work-friendly accommodations with high-quality office setups. In this interview, Steve shares his entrepreneurial journey, the unique business model of Anyplace, and customer acquisition strategies in the competitive accommodation sector.
Anyplace's success is attributed to their unique sub-lease model, partnering with property management companies to control customer experience and rapidly expand their inventory.
Anyplace acquires customers through various channels, including direct bookings, SEO, and content marketing, while maintaining a focus on customer retention through discounts and incentives.
Deep dives
The Sub-Lease Model and Revenue Growth
Anyplace operates on a sub-lease model, partnering with large property management companies to lease and furnish apartments. They ensure high-speed internet and office setups to cater to remote workers. This approach allows them to control the quality of customer experience and expand their units quickly. Currently, they generate an annual revenue of $6 million and expect it to reach $10 million by the next year.
Acquiring and Retaining Customers
Anyplace acquires customers mainly through Airbnb, although fees can be expensive with a commission of around 15%. They incentivize direct bookings by offering discounts to repeat customers. Approximately 20% of their bookings in the past year came from returning customers. They also invest in SEO and content marketing to acquire customers directly.
Pivoting During the Pandemic and Expanding Partnerships
The pandemic led Anyplace to pivot from their original marketplace model to a sub-lease model in response to the changing needs of remote workers. They partnered with multi-family residential property management companies like Greystar, Avalon Bay, and UDR to expand their inventory. These partnerships allow them to scale their units and maintain consistent quality across different locations.
This founder found a niche that Airbnb didn’t reach and rode it to $6 million in revenue.
Steve Satoru Naito’s Anyplace, accommodations come with big monitors, high-speed internet, an office setup, ergonomic chairs, webcams, and key lights, all tailored to create an optimal environment for remote work and zoom calls.
In this interview, you’ll hear Steve’s entrepreneurial journey from Japan to Silicon Valley, the unique business model that sets Anyplace apart, and strategies for customer acquisition and retention in the competitive accommodation sector.
Steve Satoru Naito is the founder of Anyplace, which offers monthly, furnished accommodations designed for remote work. Originally from Japan, he moved to San Francisco to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams, and he has a background as a tech reporter for TechCrunch Japan.
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