The Boostly Podcast Turns 800!
Podcast: The Boostly Podcast
Host(s): Mark Simpson & Liam Carolan
Episode: 800 – "Behind The Mic with Mark & Liam"
Date: October 5, 2025
Theme: Reflecting on lessons from 800 episodes, personal growth, the evolution of direct booking strategies, and a look ahead at the future of hospitality and the show.
Episode Overview
In this milestone 800th episode, Mark Simpson and co-host Liam Carolan gather in-person for the first time to reflect on the journey, growth, and transformation of The Boostly Podcast and the direct booking movement in hospitality. Sharing insights from hundreds of guest stories, the episode covers favorite lessons, business pivots, guest anecdotes, AI's role in hospitality, and personal takeaways. The duo also discuss what's next for Boostly and their own businesses.
Key Highlights & Insights
1. Boostly By the Numbers (00:00–03:00)
- 800 episodes since June 2017, 456 guest interviews, 146 host success stories.
- Covered 57 countries, 6 continents, and 34 US states.
- 25,600 minutes of content, 4.97 average rating, over 1.4 million YouTube views.
- "This is the first episode that we are recording in person with my co host, Liam Carolan." — Mark (00:51)
- Massive international reach: 45% international, 35% UK, 15% Asia Pacific guests.
2. Getting to Know Liam (03:35–05:19)
- Liam’s journey: Grew Ginger and Gold in Norwich from just 4 rent-to-rent units to a 32-property, £1M/year agency with the highest Google reviews in the region.
- Importance of shifting focus from pure rent-to-rent to property management for scalability and lower risk.
3. Most Impactful Lessons from the Podcast (06:25–14:47)
Income-Generating Tweaks
- Liam’s top actionable takeaway: Switching from security deposits to a rental waiver after interviewing Sasha Tucker.
- "We only put this in in April and we've already made over two grand extra just in these tiny little amounts." — Liam (08:52)
- Implementation involved: Custom website pages, Stripe payments, simple backend Zapier automation.
- Guest perspective: Rental waivers offer “peace of mind” (13:03), reduce friction, and increase guest satisfaction.
Ancillary Revenue Streams
- Renting linen to property owners; offers quality control and another income stream.
Scaling Up Through Management
- Based on advice from top guests, Liam pivoted from rent-to-rent to management: “It’s very hard to lose money if you're a good manager because there isn't a risk.” — Liam (15:54)
- Learning to cherry-pick the right properties and homeowners.
4. The Power of Niching Down (29:45–31:58)
- Brian Hatcher, Andy Easton, and other niche hosts as inspiration.
- “Andy Easton from Beach Retreats... He only takes properties which [are] 150 meters from the coast. On that basis I started looking about what I was taking on... I was failing because I was just trying to do so much.” — Liam (31:28)
5. Lessons on Follow-Up and Systems (17:30–20:52)
- Leveraging CRMs (e.g., Boostly Go High Level) to systematize lead follow-up and conversion.
- "The follow-up is everything. And you're right, the CRM is super effective with that because you get reminders, you get notifications, you can get texts." — Mark (19:23)
- The host’s story about why quality follow-up wins business, illustrated with a real-life copywriter hiring example.
6. Digital Footprint & New SEO (23:00–24:58)
- Increasingly, hosts are discovered via AI (ChatGPT) recommendations thanks to broad digital visibility.
- Positive mentions across forums, blogs, and social amplify ranking in AI-powered search.
- Tools like Peak AI help analyze your LLM (large language model) exposure.
7. AI and the Podcast’s Future (26:10–29:45)
- Boostly’s 426 hours of content trained into a bespoke AI chatbot (powered by Delphi).
- “Anybody can come and talk to it at any point, in any time. They can ask it a question specifically about their business... and they don’t have to listen to 426 hours of content.” — Mark (27:07)
- AI as the future for personalized, scalable hospitality learning tools.
8. The Power of Consistency, Community & Networking (31:58–38:52)
- Milestones like being featured in the Hospitable Host book emerged from the podcast’s network.
- “Your network is your net worth.”
- Having access to a “little black book” of contacts across software, tech, and hospitality.
- Social media visibility and omnipresence (referenced hosts: Avery Carl, Daniela Skoal, Laura Muse) build trust and drive referrals.
9. Marketing Beats Mere Quality (33:22–35:35)
- “You could be the best business, but if nobody knows about you... you’re never going to win.” — Liam (33:45)
- Importance of proactive outreach, repurposing content, and maintaining omnichannel marketing.
10. Reflection, Growth, & Mindset (38:52–41:53)
- Podcasting as personal and professional development: builds confidence, expands perspective, and cements a learning culture.
- “It's not just built the business that has helped me grow the business, and… it's helped build me." — Liam (38:53)
11. What’s Next for Boostly & the Podcast (41:53–43:53)
- The podcast cadence will slow; new "Journey to 1000" series will document the growth of Boostly Connect.
- A forthcoming third book, drawing on host stories from the show.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On Income Ideas from Guests
- “The standout one is actually one quite close to home... Sasha Tucker... I said, what is one income generating trick that if you was to start this business again tomorrow, what would you do? And he said... instead [of] the security deposit, they could then pay this rental waiver.” — Liam (06:41)
On Implementation
- “I simply, I use the Boostly website. I built out a new page in the back end. As soon as people book, they get the email which says, hey, please choose your stay protection... there's two different stripe accounts. One goes to one place, one goes to another pot.” — Liam (10:08)
On Reverberations Within the Industry
- "The reason they get more success is because they're putting themselves out there more. Whether it's being found on ChatGPT or on social media or from a YouTube video they've made, it just builds that trust." — Liam (25:24)
On the Power of Consistency
- “If you can get past episode 12, you're in the top 1% of all podcasts that are out there because not many people make it past those numbers.” — Mark (47:33)
On Failure & Mindset
- “You start to see that failure isn't final. As Churchill said, there's hosts we've interviewed who have failed in a lot of things they do, and then they just rebuild. The one thing that you carry on is the experience you've taken from doing it.” — Liam (39:05)
On the Community Ripple Effect
- “You might be in the business that you don't know you're in, and you might end up serving the hospitality industry in different ways. And there's so many people who will listen to these podcasts... [who] have gone off and started other businesses and improved their businesses.” — Liam (46:44)
Timestamps of Key Segments
- 00:00–03:00 — Podcast milestones & statistics.
- 03:35–05:19 — Liam’s background, start and business evolution.
- 06:25–14:47 — Best actionable takeaway: security deposit waivers and adding revenue.
- 15:05–16:47 — Pivot from rent-to-rent to scalable management model.
- 17:30–20:52 — CRM systematization, the impact of strong follow-up.
- 23:00–24:58 — AI, digital footprint, and new SEO realities.
- 26:10–29:45 — AI training on podcast archive, the future of learning in STRs.
- 29:45–31:58 — The value of niching down (Andy Easton, Brian Hatcher).
- 33:22–35:35 — Marketing lessons: why visibility trumps being the ‘best-kept secret.’
- 38:52–41:53 — Podcast’s role in hosts’ personal growth & advice for aspiring podcasters.
- 41:53–43:53 — Shifting the podcast’s focus, next series, and third book plans.
- 47:33–52:47 — Personal reflections on nine years of Boostly, defining changes, and expansion.
Final Takeaways & Words of Wisdom
- The value of being “ready, fire, aim”: test, iterate, and share.
- Many have spun off new businesses or income streams inspired by Boostly’s open sharing.
- Consistency, persistence, follow-up, and visibility are more powerful than chasing perfection.
- The podcast, business, and industry continue to evolve—with AI, network-building, and omnichannel marketing at the forefront.
“It started with a crappy microphone, crappy laptop, and just went for it... It’s been overwhelming, but truly, I feel like I’m just getting started nine years in, which is scary, but also exciting.”
— Mark (52:47)
For more: Visit boostly.co.uk/youtube, subscribe on Apple/Spotify, or try the Boostly AI at boostly.co.uk/AI.