I Built 50 Airbnb Properties. Then I Nearly Died.

It started with a divorce.

I moved from the suburbs into downtown Montreal, Canada. Beautiful condo, great location, designer furniture, but no sentimental attachment.

A friend convinced me to list it on Airbnb. I was skeptical, this was 10 years ago, when Airbnb was just getting started.

But I tried it. One booking paid for my vacation. When I got back, 50% of my summer was booked.

I had a problem: My home was booked, but I had nowhere to live.

So I rented a second place and kept hosting. The condo paid for itself AND my new apartment.

SCALING TO 50 PROPERTIES

I was working full-time at a tech company, building apps for hotels.

The biggest challenge? Guests showing up early, late-night messages, constant back-and-forth.

So I convinced my dev team to build me solutions:

• Smart lock integrations (no more key handoffs)

• Automated messaging (if/then responses)

• Dynamic pricing tools

• Sensors and integrations

Once I automated it, I started asking friends and family: "Can I Airbnb your place?"

I'd rent it, furnish it, list it.

One by one, I built up to 50+ properties in Montreal's Old Port. All lofts, stone walls, brick, exposed beams, high ceilings.

I became a 35x Airbnb Superhost and 2% of Airbnb's PLUS listings.

THEN COVID HIT

For 5 months, zero income. I was carrying the costs on 50 empty properties.

I went over $1 million in the hole. One default payment away from bankruptcy.

I sold furniture on FB marketplace, leased out all the properties, fought to survive.

THE STABBING (2018)

But COVID wasn't my first near-death experience.

In 2018, I was handing keys to a guest when a stranger walked up and stabbed me through the heart with no cause.

I'm the longest open-heart wound survivor in the world (applied for Guinness Book of World Records).

During surgery, the anesthesia failed. I was awake, paralyzed but conscious, watching them operate on my open chest.

In recovery, I ran my business from the hospital bed.

That experience changed me. I realized: Life is short. I don't want to own 50 properties. I want to help people.

WHY I BUILT MARKETICS

I came from nothing. I know what it's like to work hard and build something.

I love coaching everyday people and changing their lives, one person at a time.

I want hosts to travel more, live more, stress less.

When you succeed, I succeed. That's why I only charge 10% of bookings. Performance-based. No games.

I've been stabbed, gone bankrupt, and built back stronger.

Now I help you win, without the pain I went through.

PERSONAL

• 3 beautiful children
• Based in Montreal and a Nomad to the world
• I love working out, sipping cappuccinos and discovering new cultures
• Once ended up in an Italian grandma's kitchen in Florence (stranger → connection → humanity)

WHAT DRIVES ME

Seeing hosts win. Getting messages like:
• "Thank you for changing my life."
• "I never knew I could make more than a living from one property."
• "You made it so easy."

That's my WHY that I get out of bed every morning.

Jason Baxter
CEO, Marketics, LLC