Have you ever fantasized about quitting your corporate job to buy a run-down motel and turn it into a boutique empire—even if you have zero experience in hospitality or design? Most people keep that dream in their head; April and Sarah actually did it.
In this episode, I’m joined by the visionary co-founders of The June Motel, April Brown and Sarah Sklash, two friends who traded their steady city lives for power drills, YouTube tutorials, and a lot of pink paint.
We talk about:
- The "Wine-Fueled" Leap: How a casual brainstorm in Toronto turned into the bold acquisition of an aging roadside motel.
- The Reality of "DIY" Hospitality: From learning to use power tools on the fly to handling mountains of laundry and mid-reno panic.
- Building an Instagram Icon: Why "Instagrammable" was just the hook, and how they built a deep, meaningful brand culture to back it up.
- The Netflix Pivot: The behind-the-scenes chaos and courage required to scale a business while the cameras are rolling.
But this isn't just a story about pretty renovations. It’s about the grit behind the glamour. April and Sarah pull back the curtain on the financial hurdles, the steep learning curves, and the power of a partnership built on radical trust.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re waiting for "enough experience" to start your dream project, this conversation will be your wake-up call. Get ready to stop playing it safe and start building your own version of "The June Way."
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY POINTS:
[01:05] A short introduction about our guests April Brown and Sarah Sklash, how they met, and what got them thinking about the world of hospitality
[04:20] April and Sarah’s mindset shift from cautious transition to shared conviction while building a new hospitality vision
[07:14] April and Sarah’s transformation of a no-frills fishermen’s motel into a visually driven, experience-led boutique destination
[10:06] April and Sarah’s perspective on how “Instagrammable” has evolved from bold backdrops to cohesive, authentic storytelling
[12:38] April and Sarah talk about their ability to see potential and design guest experiences beyond technical renovation skills
[16:14] April and Sarah’s reckoning with the reality of hospitality and the doubts that come with it
[18:53] The expansion journey of April and Sarah, and the behind-the-scenes challenges of opening new properties while launching a Netflix show
[26:37] April and Sarah discuss the necessity of creating repeatable systems to maintain the quality and character of their properties when they couldn’t be on-site every day
[29:19] The importance of hiring for cultural alignment and understanding the “why” to foster team buy-in and preserve the vision of their properties
[31:14] April and Sarah share their hands-on, values-driven approach to hiring and staff retention to ensure cultural alignment and long-term team growth
[33:02] April and Sarah reflect on managing perfectionism and making collaborative decisions while keeping the big picture in focus
[36:45] April and Sarah discuss collaborative decision-making and how differing perspectives strengthen their business outcomes
[38:33] Sarah shares key advice for first-time motel buyers, emphasizing passion, partnership, and a hands-on approach to hospitality
[40:14] The lightning round
Golden Nuggets:
- “Helping people understand the why behind what you're doing, allows them to buy in to the vision at a much deeper level.”
- “You don't have to do it all yourself. I think for us, initially, just due to budgets, we did feel like we had to wear all of the hats. But as we've grown the business and realized you can find really great partners, and what you can create with other people is sometimes just way more impactful than what Sarah and I do just ourselves.”
- “If it's not a Hell yeah, it's a hell no. Because anything, everything we say yes to, takes us away from something else.”
Let’s Connect:
Website: https://thejunemotel.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejunemotel/
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