Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Smith
Hi Jamie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
From a young age, I always knew that settling down in one place wasn’t for me. I grew up in a small town in the Catskill Mountains of New York, where, believe it or not, there’s still no cell service! In my senior year, my family and I relocated to Venice, FL, where I completed high school and started to get a taste of “life on the water.” My experience at that point was limited to the occasional family boat ride.
Fast forward to 2015: I was working as a pool attendant at Fontainebleau during the day and bartending at “Ted’s Hideaway” at night, all while on a quest for my next big adventure. It was during this time that a local regular at the bar introduced me to the yachting industry. The next seven years became a crash course in life “Below Deck”—mastering 5-star service, learning the ins and outs of turn down and turn up service, and interacting with multi-billionaires—all while enjoying the best views from my “office.”
In between gigs, I realized that while all of this was exciting, there was a significant need in the industry: yacht crew often struggled to find affordable accommodations when we weren’t working. This realization sparked the idea for Crew Haven. I managed to save enough to pay off my college student loans and put a down payment on my first house in Fort Lauderdale. I started my business by renting out the two extra bedrooms, which helped cover my new homeowner expenses.
As I continued market research, I discovered a high demand for crew housing in the Fort Lauderdale area. I continued to work as a stewardess, saving every penny I earned to invest in another property. Doubts began to creep in—could I really fill more space? Who would book with us?
All doubts aside, and a few years later, I found myself with two fully booked houses and a blossoming relationship with a wonderful husband who shares my passion for real estate. Together, we’ve pushed ourselves to expand Crew Haven into South Florida’s premier Yacht Crew Housing provider! Over the years, we have acquired three more houses in Fort Lauderdale and have opened our “Property Management” branch in which we manage crew houses for homeowners in our area. To date, we proudly serve 176 tenants and counting!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Crew Haven has evolved from a single-family home with three bedrooms into a multi-million dollar portfolio, now providing over 175 beds for rent. The journey has certainly been far from “smooth sailing.” I had to quickly adapt to managing a growing business with multiple employees while navigating the diverse personalities of our guests. Alongside this, I’ve tackled the challenges of accounting, learned how to build a website from scratch, and to this day, I continue to keep track of all the rooms, beds, and bookings on a daily basis.
Balancing the management of guests who are often the same age as me adds another layer of complexity, as I strive to maintain a professional boundary between business and friendship, while at the same time, creating genuine relationships with each and every one of our guests! It’s seriously the guests who keep us going day in and day out! They are our main priority for past and future business decisions. Their voices matter. We often seek their advice on ideas we have for the future, and can’t stress enough how grateful we are to have all of their unwavering support over the last few years!
As a young female entrepreneur, I’ve encountered numerous challenges, but none have deterred me. Instead, they’ve fueled my determination to work harder and learn as much as I can along the way. I strive to continue to raise awareness for aspiring female entrepreneurs. I can tell you this first hand: With hard work and dedication, anything is possible!
While my path hasn’t always been easy, I remind myself “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Crew Haven?
Crew Haven is the premier crew housing provider in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Over the past five years, we have dedicated ourselves to researching and implementing systems that cater specifically to our guests. We offer accommodations tailored for yachting professionals, from those just starting out, to industry vets, to full crews looking for a home while their boat is out of the water or being serviced! While there are other housing options available in the area, what truly sets us apart is our unique business model that prioritizes giving back!
We host networking events throughout the year, we’ve grown and maintained helpful collaborations with other industry professionals for training courses, meet and greets, Q&A’s, and we provide an exclusive “Crew Haven Community” group chat where our guests gain access to our job board to assist in finding their next dream job! Many of our residents express a strong sense of community with Crew Haven. We learn from one another, support each other, and create a place to call “home,” while being thousands of miles away from family and friends.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Our next ambitious goal is to raise funding for a multi-unit property that would consolidate all of our rentals into one centralized location. Imagine a hotel designed specifically for Yachting Professionals! We believe this would enhance our sense of community more so than our current single-family setup. We would also be able to host networking events on site, and create a “one stop shop” for all industry professionals.
We are actively seeking investors to help Crew Haven reach new heights. We have generated interest in West Palm Beach and are exploring potential collaborations with an existing company overseas! In January 2025 we will open our first Brick & Mortar office in a centralized Fort Lauderdale location that will allow us to connect with and grow our community even more!
If you or anyone you know is interested in joining our expanding team, please find our contact information below.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.crewhaven.online/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crew_haven_housing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crewhaven.online
Image Credits
All images were taken on my iphone, and anyone in the photos has released their approval for use.
