We're Hiring!

Apply on Indeed

Are you yearning for a working environment that nurtures a sense of belonging, offers an authentic opportunity to grow personally & professionally, and cares deeply about people?  Wegotchu! 

Are you an elite performer who excels at everything you do, and who thrives in a challenging environment where a lot is needed of you?  Rather than following others blindly, do you love deeply understanding the why behind what you’re doing, and thrive on holding responsibility to make great sh!t happen?  We need you!

We’re different - both in what we do and how we do it.  We’re looking for someone who’s resilient, courageous and open minded - you meet challenges head on, and love soaking up the wisdom of the people around you.  In turn, we offer an environment that warmly appreciates your talents & energy in genuine, wholehearted ways.  Let’s build community & grow together!

WHO WE ARE

We’re a small & mighty cottage rental business making some great sh!t happen.  We’ve been renting out our three large Muskoka lakeside cottages for more than 15 years.  We excel at what we do by being human - offering enlivening experiences & authentic connections to our guests & ourselves.  We’re heartfelt about giving people from all walks of life a fair shake at enjoying fabulous cottage getaways, while also working hard to be a thriving business.

NON-NEGOTIABLES

We’re looking for someone who will thrive in our working environment, and who wants to create deep bonds both with the people we work with and with the work that we’re doing.  We choose our co-creators carefully.  You must possess all of the following:

• Integrity: You’re respectful & truthful with yourself and others.  You seek to intentionally align your behaviours, actions and choices with your values, principles and ethics.  You possess a strong sense of self-awareness and know who you wish to be in this world.  You value openness & honesty.  You are responsible and accountable for your actions, both positive and negative.  You’re reliable and trustworthy.  You help those in need without sacrificing your own health.  You’re patient and flexible, even when unexpected obstacles pop up.
  
  

• Intelligence: You continually seek knowledge and have a deep love for transforming that knowledge into wisdom.  You express gratitude when others help or share wisdom with you.  You’re open to, and conscientious about, integrating new ideas into your working model and value system.  You’ll be working with very smart, quick-witted people, who love to dig deep and explore what it means to do great work while still being our favourite version of ourselves.  Will you be comfortable working with us?
  
  

• Energy: Your energy is high - you’re more bounding Border Collie than lapdog - and you love working hard.  (Though part of how we’re different is that we’re also exceptional at working smarter, not harder.)  You’ll be working with people with alot of passion & commitment, who work hard and continually get great sh!t done - people who are exceptional at holding responsibility, and holding each other to account.  Will you be comfortable working with us?  Top tip: If you prefer to stay behind your computer and ruminate rather than taking action, you won’t like it here with us.
  
  

• Possibility mindset: You believe in can over can’t, possible over impossible, and creating win-win over win-lose situations.  Your glass is perpetually half-full.  Rather than feelings of greed, jealousy, anxiety, fear and hopelessness, you wake up feeling trusting, giving, encouraging, optimistic, relaxed and hopeful.  You believe there are opportunities everywhere (just like this one!)
  
  

• Growth mindset: You believe that our most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.  Instead of being discouraged by feedback, you’re energised and motivated to improve.  You know that you can ask for help, are self aware enough to know when to ask, and you do so regularly.  And you know that you get better with practice.  Rather than being worried, stuck, limited, or boxed-in, you are determined, tenacious, empowered, unlimited and unstoppable!  (Wanna work with us?  Let’s make it happen!)  

We’re going to wait patiently for the right co-creators to join us, so avoid wasting your valuable time & energy (and ours!) with applying if you don’t already possess the above Non-Negotiables.  And if you do possess, and have been embodying, them for eons, whoot whoot!  Let’s delve into what you need for this particular position:

“Daring leaders who live into their values 

are never silent about hard things” 

– Brené Brown

JOB OVERVIEW

As long as you possess the above Non-Negotiables, we’re open to hiring either a Manager or Coordinator depending on your level of experience.

The WFH (work-from-home) Guest Experience & Marketing Manager/Coordinator reports to the Business Manager and is responsible for ensuring that every guest has a FANtastically memorable experience with us, from their “love at first (web)site” initial exposure, all the way through to their future getaways with us as fans (see what we did there ;)  

On any given day, 25% of your time will be hands-on, generating bookings with your exceptional customer care skills (over phone, email, social media, and the like), while the remaining 75% will be devoted to executing strategic business, guest experience & marketing projects.  

Projects range from straightforward (mapping our guest’s experience, keeping our website up-to-date, and devising advertising campaigns) to sociable (connecting with past guests, engaging with social media influencers, connecting with the local community) to creative (producing inspiring promotional or marketing material, arranging raffles for free getaways, finding ways to surprise & delight our guests).  

Success in this role involves being exceptional at shepherding our guest’s inquiries into bookings and translating that hands-on insight into wonderful guest experiences & impactful marketing that comes to life through our brand.

To help you visualise the fun & challenges of this position, we’ve pulled together a first-hand view of what “A Typical Day” often looks & feels like, which we’ve included at the bottom of this posting.  

RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES

• Nurture, safeguard & grow guest relationships from first point of contact to becoming fans

• Care for multi-channel communications with guests (including phone calls & social media, etc)

• Accountable for meeting both strategic & financial goals for guest bookings

• Develop & execute innovative marketing strategies to attract guests

• Improve, embed & manage our brand to set us apart from competitors

• Create & embed guest experience mapping for a FANtastic experience from start to finish

• Lead, mentor & collaborate with teammates in providing exceptional guest care

• Manage & deliver business, guest experience & marketing improvement projects

• Track & report on guest experience & marketing initiatives, backed by metrics & hard data

Manager level:

• Create, embed & manage our guest experience strategy

• Create, embed & manage our marketing strategy (including advertising, social media, content & partnerships)

• Compel senior management toward investing in innovative, intelligent & transformative guest experience & marketing initiatives

LOCATION

We’re looking for someone who’s comfortable working from home and eager to routinely commute to the cottages to connect with the space & each other.  In the first year, you’ll be required to commute at your own expense once a month, and after that, once a quarter.  We’re located in Muskoka.  If in doubt, check us out on the map below.

“A true leader is not someone who feels fully informed 

but someone who continuously receives insight and guidance.”  

–Martha Beck

SCHEDULE

You must have the ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and holidays.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are open to hiring either a Manager (who will come prepared to lead us in our strategic direction as well as making some great sh!t happen) or a Coordinator (who will come prepared to learn and grow toward becoming a Manager by soaking up insight, wisdom & experience).  In either case, we’re adamant that being hands-on with our guests provides us invaluable wisdom to excel at this position - if you think that connecting with guests is “below your pay grade”, you won’t enjoy working with us.  (And if you think connecting with guests is exciting & inspiring, you’re gonna love us!)

Education:

• University level education with honours (or equivalent showcasing of your intellectual prowess)

Skills & Experience:

• Customer Care: Charming, laidback & fun-loving guest care & connection skills - in person, on the phone, and in writing

• Marketing: Deep understanding of the power of Marketing, with a strong preference for modern (sticky) marketing techniques & story-telling (Manager - 5 years experience; Coordinator - commensurate degree or 2 years experience)

• Strategy: Ability to translate modern marketing concepts (ESP/CSP) into a cohesive marketing strategy for a cottage rental business (Manager - 5 years experience; Coordinator - passion to learn & grow in this direction)

• Social Media: Skilled in social media marketing & management, especially in community building & human-to-human connecting (Manager - 5 years experience; Coordinator - 2 years experience)

• Experience Mapping: Skilled in guest experience mapping with emphasis on feelings & needs (Manager - 3 years experience; Coordinator - passion to learn & grow in this direction)

• Analysis: Skilled in developing & analysing metrics and unobtrusive methods for measuring guest experience (Manager - 3 years experience; Coordinator - passion to learn & grow in this direction)

• Project Management: Ability to plan & organise toward the completion of a project, from concept to realisation - formal project management accreditation is NOT required (Manager - 3 years experience; Coordinator - passion to learn & grow in this direction; )

• Writing: Ability to compose engaging, compelling & lighthearted text (aka copy) for guest care & marketing  - we’re a no-office-speak kinda place (Manager - 5 years experience; Coordinator - 2 years experience)

Optional (not required but a great bonus):

• Brand: Skilled in brand development & management (Manager - 5 years experience; Coordinator - passion to learn & grow in this direction)

• Pricing: Competent in the psychology of pricing  (Manager - 2 years experience; Coordinator - passion to learn & grow in this direction)

• Visuals: Preference for someone skilled in product development and/or interior design 

• Tourism: Preference for experience in tourism & hospitality / short term rentals

Personal Attributes:

All of the Non-Negotiables above plus you possess a:

• Deep love of people & connecting with them (if not, don’t apply!)

• Great joy in engaging on social media

• Comfortable, confident & charming phone presence

• Extraordinary capacity for organisation and finding order in chaos

• Love for puzzles and rising up to a good challenge

• Ability to stay focused on the big picture, while also having exceptional attention-to-detail

• Passion for nature and/or cottage getaways

And you are:

• An elite performer (you’re notably effective at getting great sh!t done)

• Smart AF (yup, we wrote that ;)

• An explorer at heart (you love to delve into the unknown)

• Boundaried, with high emotional maturity 

• Curious & open-minded

• Pumped by the challenge of tapping into your creative side!

• A feminist (seriously, you’ll be surrounded by deeply motivated women so get used to it)

• Confident & humble

• Respectful (if you enjoy belittling yourself or others, or engaging in gossip, mooooove along)

• Trustworthy

• Great with money - both yours and other people’s!

• Resilient (you’re comfortable with, and embracing of, uncertainty)

• Agile / adaptable, with a positive attitude

• Self-aware and genuinely invested in personal growth

BENEFITS

• WFH - Work from home position

• Bonus pay

• Flexible working

• High autonomy

• Growth opportunities both professionally and personally

• Annual personal & professional development budget

• We excel at acknowledging & appreciating one another

• Mentoring available (30+ years of entrepreneurial, business, consulting, operations, technology, Agile / Lean, and personal growth)

• Opportunity to exercise left brain (logic, science, time & communication), right brain (creativity, art, intuition & imagination) & heart

• Aaaaand free cottage getaways with your loved ones :)

All the best,

Laura (and the whole Trenanthia Cottage caboodle)

Apply on Indeed

A Typical Day

I like bounding out of bed to check the inbox in the morning - seeing who’s looking for what sort of getaway and connecting with them.  We get emails from past, present & potential guests.  Most of the year, there’s only a few emails, and during the couple months of peak booking season, there’ll be twenty or more.  Whenever it’s possible, I reach back out to the guests on the phone which gives us a chance to genuinely connect - asking how their week is going; getting an update on their loved ones (including the wee furry family members); and sharing a bit about myself & my life.  I love getting to really know one another and deepen our connection.  Of course, if anyone is ready to move forward with booking the cottage, I help them along in that process.

Next, I get the ball rolling with social media, seeing who’s saying what, building community and connection with some lovely peeps, both local and further afield.  It’s a time where I just let loose with being sociable, silly & real, all at once, which is inline with our overall social media strategy.

Quite regularly, I get an opportunity to really make a difference, like when I see someone we care about has lost a loved one.  I rev up my heartstrings and creativity to come up with a genuine way to let them know we’re hear with them.  Like when I found out this sweet pupper who’d been enjoying coming up to our cottage for yeeeeeears had passed away.  We framed a lovely picture of the pup relaxing at the cottage, and sent it along with a sincere message from all of us.  Even now, it still makes my heart well up thinking about it 🫶

I keep in touch by answering the phone and caring for both the inbox and social media throughout the day.  I also do various important elements of getting guest bookings, such as updating our dynamic pricing on booking sites like Airbnb; improving or creating special ads we have running; and reaching back out to potential guests who’ve gone quiet.

The rest of my day is typically filled with proactive work on projects or strategic initiatives.  One day may be making some great sh!t happen on our Guest Experience Mapping (which maps out how our guests feel from the beginning to the end of their engagement with us) such as looking closely at what it feels like as a guest arriving at one of our cottages.  How can I make sure that if they arrive after dark, it still feels warm & inviting (rather than cold & scary)?  How can I bring a bit of sunshine to the beginning of our guests’ getaway even when it’s raining?  I love the creativity and ingenuity of coming up with solutions that make a real difference to how people feel.

I make a plan (both functional & financial) to bring the solutions to life by working together with the rad & wonderful peeps who are local to the cottages.  Many times, they’ll take it and run with it.  Sometimes I go up to the cottage myself to help implement it, which is great fun working together with everyone.  I’ll also take the opportunity to really feel what it’s like to be a guest by staying over with my loved ones.  (Whoot whoot to free cottage getaways and soaking up nature from the lakeside hot tub!)  I also make a plan & then get ‘er done on how we’ll develop metrics and unobtrusive ways of measuring the guest experience before and after our changes so we know we’re getting it right.

I love that the planning uses my fabulous organisational & money-management skills, while the guest experience mapping has me tapping into the feelings & needs of our guests, and then devising solutions kicks in my creative side - I get my left brain, right brain and heart all engaged! 

Another day may be about managing the implementation of one element of our marketing strategy.  I might be arranging to have postcards designed & created to be left at the cottages for our guests to send to their favourite peeps.  I might be cultivating our email marketing list to be aligned with our guest’s interests (such as pet-friendly getaways versus paddling-on-the-lake getaways), and sending out some well-crafted emails that inspire & engage.  I may be working on an ad campaign to get our available dates filled, which will involve writing the ad content as well as posting the ads in places such as facebook/instagram or google.  I didn’t originally know how to use facebook’s Ad Manager, which I shared with the peeps I work with, and everyone supported me to find some online training that helped me to add that to my repertoire.  Sweeeeet.

I love learning and being challenged to look at our business from different angles - how can we enjoy our work, and feel like we’re adding to the world (rather than subtracting from it), while also finding ways to thrive as a business?  Love it!

Depending on my experience/seniority level (Manager or Coordinator, which is what I am, though I’m regularly pushing myself and my abilities to learn & grow into the manager position), we’ll either outsource our social media and/or marketing strategies, or I’ll create and evolve those myself.  I may also come up with entirely new marketing initiatives.  An example could be “Cottage Getaway Guides” that I share on our website and social media to help peeps identify if they’d enjoy a cottage getaway; how to book a dependable & exciting cottage for their loved ones; and inspiring them to imagine what it would be like to share time together at a cottage.  Perhaps once the stats I collect show us that these care guides are popular & helpful, I may choose to adapt the guides to a new target market of adults who have recently immigrated to Canada and haven’t yet experienced the quintessentially Canadian experience of going to the cottage.  I love helping peeps to feel comfortable & enthusiastic about their cottage getaways - especially their first!

As with all the planning, I carefully manage the project work that I, and others, are doing to make this great sh!t happen, which means coming up with the vision/intention of what we’re doing and why; making a high level roadmap toward our goal; breaking down that roadmap into matterful smaller chunks; and then managing us all toward completing our goal.  I soaked up a load of wisdom from the directors of the company on how to make an effective plan (using Agile & Lean techniques), and how to manage that plan to completion - it was wonderful learning & engaging together.

So that’s a typical day in my worklife: I have some consistent elements of my work (answering inquiries & getting bookings), which make up about 25% of my day, and then I pile into business, guest experience or marketing projects, which make up the remaining 75% of my day.  I love the balance of consistency and challenge, as well as the fact that I know I’m making a difference every single day - to our business, to my co-creators, and to our guests :)

Apply on Indeed