Steph Utterback | Epicbnb
Owner of Epicbnb
Steph Utterback is the owner of Epicbnb and shares how she built a thriving short-term rental business in Nashville from the ground up. Her insights on growth, discipline, and working with the right clients will inspire and empower aspiring entrepreneurs.
Starting Out
Steph didn’t step into a polished operation. In 2015, it was just her and her then-boyfriend (now husband) scrubbing toilets, managing bookings, and handling the accounting themselves. “There weren’t even Airbnb gift cards at the grocery store back then,” she remembers. They learned by doing, and failure was a familiar part of the process. “I failed my way to somewhat of success.”
The Turning Point
Growth didn’t come from chasing every opportunity—it came from getting clear on the right ones. Steph turned down large developers because she knew the client fit wasn’t right. Her goal isn’t just more units—it’s better partnerships. She believes each property is like its own storefront and success depends on owners who care as much about the guest experience as she does.
Building Resilience and Purpose
Despite industry challenges and tough years, Steph’s commitment to quality and intentional growth has created a business that lasts. By prioritizing the right clients and investing in a strong team, she’s built a company that not only delivers excellent guest experiences but also supports her lifestyle and family. Her journey shows that success isn’t just about rapid growth—it’s about resilience, focus, and meaningful progress over time.
“The world will not operate without entrepreneurs. If you don’t do it, somebody else will.”
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I am Steph Utterback. I am the owner of Epicbnb here in Nashville. What Epicbnb is, I like to say it's a hospitality company, but we specialize in managing short-term rental properties, like Airbnbs, VRBO. What that entails is: we have clients who come to us with a property that they want to make money with, and we guide them from the very beginning, even before we start the whole design process with design partners, making sure that it's set up for success.
Then we manage their guests and provide hospitality. The whole goal is for our clients to be happy and get a paycheck from us.
Some early successes? I would have to say there weren't very many early successes. I failed my way to somewhat of a success. I started in 2015. I essentially started by myself, with my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time. We did everything. We cleaned the toilets; we did everything ourselves. We did the accounting. I think getting in the workforce and just going—that's how you really learn. That's how you really become good at whatever the field is, unless you're a doctor or a lawyer, where you need to go to school, of course.
Growth in this industry, in the short-term rental world, is a little bit of a wild, wild west. It's gotten more obvious now that everybody knows what Airbnb is, but when I started around 2015, there weren't even Airbnb gift cards at the grocery store. There were a lot of people who didn't know what it was.
Growth is just like any business—you can grow it in many ways. You can look at the dollars and the units and say, "This many units equals about this much, and I can be a millionaire by this." You can quantify all you want, but really growth for Epicbnb is about having the right client. I've had plenty of people ask me, "Who are your developers?" saying, "Hey, I have this 60-unit building and we'd love for you to be the preferred short-term rental manager because it's easier for them to have one person manage everything."
I just can't commit to that because there are some clients I'm not a good fit for. I mean, I can get along with anybody—I really can. I can make you happy, make you smile, make sure you feel good. But at the end of the day, if you as an owner don't care about your guest happiness, then I can't be successful for you.
Some skills you need to hone as an entrepreneur—or if you want to be one—are discipline, organization, doing what you say you're going to do, and prioritizing your time. Especially if you're just starting: baby steps, one at a time.
For example, "Okay, I need to create a website." Put it in your calendar: "On Wednesday, I'm going to spend four hours." And if you don't get it all done on Wednesday, schedule the next two-hour block and really stick to that. Also, protect your time. Nowadays, we're connected to everything. We say yes to everything and stop what we're doing because a text comes in. No—protect your blocked-off time. Do that one thing, and I promise you, you'll actually make progress.
That's my biggest recommendation.
The best piece of advice I received while managing my business actually came from a client of mine and a dear friend whose property we manage. He said, "Inspect what you expect." So if I have an expectation of anyone, or this team member, I have to inspect it. I have to follow up and make sure the work got done right.
As you're growing as an entrepreneur, there are so many moving parts, especially if you're by yourself. You have to have discipline and do what you say you're going to do. But when you start hiring out—when you get bigger, which you probably will need to if you want to grow your business—you can't do everything as one person.
I think listening to your team and having them share their ideas is going to make your business strong because you're relying on other people's amazing brains to build something.
Some advice for younger entrepreneurs—or even older ones who want to start—is this: The biggest fear I keep hearing is, "Well, I have my health insurance, my securities of an employer." There are so many resources out there, but they're not made like... you do have to find out. You have to do some research, but there are so many.
I have kids, right? I have my own health insurance. If I can do it, you can do it. My husband's a self-employed musician. There are so many resources out there to help entrepreneurs—not starve, have health insurance, and dental insurance.
I think you have to know the world will not operate without entrepreneurs. If you don't do it, somebody else will.
Why We Share These Stories
We believe that celebrating Tennessee’s entrepreneurs will inspire the next generation of bold thinkers, risk-takers, and community builders. Entrepreneurs don’t forget where they come from—and they carry the power to transform not just their businesses, but entire neighborhoods, towns, and local economies. See more entrepreneur stories from the Patton Foundation.
