The Side Hustle Show: How to Start a Hot Tub Rental Business – Zero to $1000s per Month (Greatest Hits)

Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Nick Loper (B)
Guest: Steve Nadremia (C), Founder, Long Island Hot Tub Rentals (lihotubrentals.com)
Episode Theme: Building a lucrative and unconventional side hustle in hot tub rentals, taking a business from idea to thousands per month with practical advice and hands-on strategies.

Episode Overview

Nick Loper interviews Steve Nadremia, a New York high school teacher turned hot tub rental entrepreneur, about growing his side hustle from zero to a "fleet" of 25-30 portable hot tubs and generating thousands of dollars in bookings per month. Steve shares the origin story, business setup logistics, marketing strategies, and his unique operational insights—including how COVID-19 accelerated the business. This is a step-by-step masterclass in starting, running, and scaling a niche rental business.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Hot Tub Rental Business Model

• Genesis of the Idea

  • Steve, a history and economics teacher, was inspired after managerial changes at his parks & rec summer job pushed him to search for a new side hustle (03:27).
  • He considered various rental businesses, noting the saturation of party tent and inflatable rentals, before connecting with an upstate NY entrepreneur renting portable hot tubs (04:24).

  “I found a guy in upstate New York…rented hot tubs…He was awesome. I went up there, bought the first three units from him, spent the day with him, learned all about his business. It just kind of ballooned from there.” (04:24–04:51, Steve)

• Early Investment

  • Purchased 3 portable hot tubs for $6,500; leveraged his existing pickup truck and trailer for delivery. DIY web presence via Squarespace and a freelance web developer (06:45).

• Unique Product

  • Uses high-density foam hot tubs (~200 lbs, circular for easy rolling), distinct from cheaper inflatable models which fail in cold weather (02:36; 10:10).

  “The inflatable tubs…they run constantly, can’t use them in the winter, not really durable…if you want that, that’s not what we offer.” (10:10–11:04, Steve)

2. Finding and Validating Demand

• Market Confidence
  • No other hot tub rentals on Long Island, but population density and comparisons to party rental pricing made Steve confident there would be demand (05:01).
• Self-Defined Success Metrics
  • Goal: Make $1,000/month, replacing his previous summer job. Started at $199/week per rental (05:02; 12:26).

3. Customer Acquisition & Marketing

• Multi-Channel Inquiries
  • Inbound calls via Google Voice, website emails, Facebook and Instagram DMs. Heavy emphasis on Facebook for organic traffic and local group postings (07:58).
• Social Proof & Visual Marketing
  • “Our product is great in that it’s really visually presentable…lots of good organic pictures…It lends itself to that.” (08:44, Steve)
• Facebook Marketplace & Groups
  • Marketed rentals as “$259 for a week,” clear in listing that it was a rental, which drove significant traffic (09:29).

4. Operations & Customer Experience

• Booking & Payment

  • $50 deposit by Square locks in a booking, with the balance due on delivery and setup (15:37).

• Setup & Maintenance Process

  • Steve handles full setup, initial chemicals, instruction, and leaves the customer to maintain chlorine (18:57).

  “We leave you with a hot tub that’s up and running…initial chemicals, written instructions…plug into a standard outlet.” (18:57–19:40, Steve)

• ROI & Inventory Sourcing

  • Break-even after 8–10 rentals; aims for durable, refurbishable hot tubs—sometimes acquired cheaply or for free from Craigslist and restored (20:05).

  “I’ve actually gotten this type of hot tub…off Craigslist for 50 bucks…brought it home, cleaned it, replaced a couple little fittings…That tub went out for $350-400 a month for four months.” (21:23–21:41, Steve)

• Storage & Logistics

  • No dedicated storage needed due to demand: “Now I got 25 tubs. I have zero inventory right now.” (22:25–23:01)

5. Pricing, Seasonality, and Upsells

• Seasonal Demand
  • Surprised by huge winter demand, not just summer: “As soon as it gets cold, the winter market just explodes.” (23:05–23:32)
  • Smart social media: Posts “Perfect hot tub weather” during snowstorms, quickly books up (23:33).
• Inventory as Bottleneck
  • Demand far outpaces supply—currently booking months in advance (24:11; 47:38).
• Dynamic/Haggling Extensions
  • Offers existing renters an extension for a discount if a unit isn’t otherwise booked—using supply and demand logic (25:32).
• Upselling Add-Ons
  • Woodwork accessories (e.g., cedar benches) as profitable add-ons ($50–$100/week) (29:25).

6. COVID as a Demand Catalyst

• Pandemic Pivot
  • Switched to long-term rentals at wife’s urging for safety—minimum 2-month rentals. Demand skyrocketed when new hot tubs had 4+ month lead times (26:44–28:10).
• Customers Competing with Steve
  • Steve tells customers they’re “competing with me” on the used tub market (24:43).

7. Operational Tips: Cleaning, Insurance, and Tracking

• Sanitization Procedure
  • Super-chlorinates internal/external surfaces between rentals, refills, and re-sanitizes on customer delivery (39:50–41:32).

  “When we pick up the tub, we super chlorinate…pump that out, hose it down, refill with fresh water…When the tub is delivered, we put a full dose in at first. It’s a fail safe.” (39:53–40:58, Steve)

• Insurance & Liability
  • Set up as an LLC, holds liability insurance, careful separation of finances (41:43).
• Time Commitment
  • Setup about 40 minutes, with customer finishing fill-up. Can expedite heating by filling with hot water from a sink hookup (42:20–43:16).

8. Scaling, Franchising, and The Future

• Growth Limitations
  • Steve handles all deliveries; his wife does scheduling. Software is basic—a calendar and email assignments (32:10–32:57).
• Potential Paths
  • Considering hiring part-time help as the business grows, no current plans to leave teaching (43:43).
  • Franchise or replicate in other cities is under consideration (43:43–44:58).

  “If I could have a couple of subsidiaries with five to ten tubs in three locations…that would be a home run in a week.” (43:43–44:58, Steve)

9. Lessons, Surprises, and Advice

• Customer Base

  • Clientele ranges from high-net-worth Hamptons vacationers (“could buy my tub, my truck, everything”) to regular families. The convenience is worth the price to both (35:31–37:20).

• #1 Tip for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

  “Talk to every single customer…make that contact. Don’t let auto-response do it. I make every single call back and that’s been real beneficial.” (47:38, Steve)

• Follow-Ups and Marketing

  • Maintains lists of interested customers he can reach out to when there are cancellations or open routes (48:23–48:57).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Market Creation:
  "There’s really two sales…introduce the idea to the customer, and then you sell them the hot tub" (12:49–13:46, Steve)
• On Used Inventory:
  “I’ve actually gotten this type of hot tub, you know, off Craigslist for 50 bucks. For 100 bucks, I've got out of the trash, ok, that needs to be completely refurbished, but I can do it...they look fantastic.” (20:05–21:23, Steve)
• On Demand Exploding During COVID:
  "Hot tub just became the hottest commodity that I could ever have imagined. If you wanted to order one brand new and pay five grand for it, you were looking at four months of lead time." (27:04–28:10, Steve)
• On Customer Segments:
  "The convenience factor is so important to some people...if you provide this experience that's really seamless for them...it is absolutely worth it to them. And this just makes my head explode from where I'm coming from." (35:31–37:20, Steve)
• On Doing the Work:
  “Nobody wants to do maybe three or four pickups in a night. After getting up at 5 in the morning and teaching. I can still do it. I get a kick out of it. I sleep well at night, but I get a charge out of it.” (45:58–47:04, Steve)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:36 — The hot tub product explained, European inspiration
• 03:27 — Steve’s background & origin story
• 04:24 — First mentor & business purchase
• 05:38 — Startup costs, inventory, and website setup
• 07:41 — How customers find Steve, role of Facebook & organic marketing
• 10:10 — Inflatable vs. foam hot tubs
• 14:38 — Booking & handling logistics while teaching
• 15:37 — Booking process: deposits, payments, and cancellation strategy
• 18:57 — Customer setup, chemicals, maintenance explained
• 20:05 — Return on investment calculation, the value of refurbishing
• 23:05 — Winter seasonality, snow day marketing
• 26:44 — COVID pandemic and business pivots
• 29:25 — Add-on products and funny mishaps
• 32:10 — Scheduling logistics and spreadsheet tracking
• 35:31 — Surprising diversity of customer base
• 39:53 — Cleaning & sanitization protocol
• 41:43 — Insurance and liability
• 43:43 — Scaling hurdles and future dreams
• 47:38 — Steve’s #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation

Takeaways for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• Niche rental businesses can be highly profitable with low upfront investment if you solve a convenience problem and create the market actively.
• Active, frequent communication with customers builds trust, customer loyalty, and bookings.
• Simple, repeatable operations (one tub style, clear processes) enable part-time scalability and avoid maintenance complexity.
• Organic social strategies and word-of-mouth in local communities drive early and sustained growth.
• Focus on customer experience—setup, cleanliness, and responsiveness—earns referrals across all socioeconomic customer segments.

Resources & more:

• lihotubrentals.com
• sidehustlenation.com/hottub for notes, links, and 24 other unconventional rental business ideas

Summary by Side Hustle Nation Podcast Summarizer.