January 27, 2026
#169 From Corporate Burnout to Boutique Empire: The Grit Behind the June Motel
Have you ever sat across from your best friend, cracked open a bottle of wine, and realized that the life you are living is just too small for the vision in your head? Most women in the corporate world have that “what if” moment, but very few actually act on it. April Brown and Sarah Sklash are the exceptions to that rule. They didn’t just dream about a lifestyle change; they took a run-down, dingy roadside dive and turned it into an international hospitality icon.
April and Sarah joined me on the podcast to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to execute a boutique motel renovation when you have zero experience and a lot of heart. This isn’t just about pink paint and rosé. This is about the radical trust and the systems required to scale a 7-figure empire.
The Wine-Fueled Leap Into Hospitality
April and Sarah met over two decades ago at university and bonded over a shared love for travel. For years, they worked their respective “stable” jobs—April in PR and Sarah in government—while constantly dreaming of something different. They were at a point in their careers where they craved a big change.
The idea didn’t start with a hotel empire. It started with a brainstorm for a “side hustle”—an adult wine camp. When Sarah spotted a “real dive” of a motel for sale, the conversation escalated from a weekend project to a life-altering career shift in five minutes. They decided to quit their jobs, move to a tiny town, and become moteliers.
The Grit Behind the Boutique Motel Renovation
When they first took possession of the property, it was known as the Sportsman Motel, a place for fishermen with signs in the rooms that literally said “no gutting fish.” They had no background in interior design and no money to hire a general contractor. Instead of letting that stop them, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
They spent their weekends YouTubing how to tile floors, learning to wallpaper, and inviting friends over to help throw junk into dumpsters. This is where the CEO mindset begins. You have to be willing to do the work that others won’t so you can eventually live a life that others can’t. April had never even used a drill before Sarah taught her. They looked past the soggy towels and the “motel for fishermen” aesthetic to see the potential for a boutique motel renovation that would change the industry.
According to industry insights from Hospitality Net, the trend toward “experiential lodging” is exactly what allowed a project like this to thrive in a market previously dominated by generic chains.
Building an Instagram Icon With Substance
In 2016, they were on the cusp of the social media revolution in hospitality. They didn’t just want a place to sleep; they wanted to create a space that brought people together. They designed the motel by putting themselves in the shoes of their ideal guests—women on wine weekends who wanted a “welcome rosé” instead of a boring check-in process.
They paid meticulous attention to the “photo backdrop” of every moment. Whether it was the palm print wallpaper behind the bed or the signature pink doors, everything was designed to be “Instagrammable.” But they quickly realized that a pretty picture only gets someone through the door once. To build a sustainable brand, your boutique motel renovation must be backed by a culture of excellence and authentic connection.
Scaling the Empire and the Netflix Pivot
Success brings its own set of challenges. After their first property was constantly sold out, they expanded to Sauble Beach. This transition from one property to two was their most difficult growth phase. It was during this expansion that Netflix came calling for their show, Motel Makeover.
Filming a television show while navigating a boutique motel renovation during the height of the pandemic was absolute chaos. They lost $100,000 in deposits at their first location because of travel restrictions while their second location was completely gutted. They were living together, masked up, and working 24/7 to meet a Labor Day opening deadline. It wasn’t glamorous; it was pure grit.
Developing the “June Playbook”
You cannot scale a boutique empire if you are the only one who knows where the coffee table books go. April and Sarah realized they had to move from “doing” to “leading.” They developed a “Style Guide” that is used to train every staff member. This guide is prescriptive, featuring pictures of how a stack of books should look or exactly when a candle should be lit.
Beyond the physical aesthetics, they coach their team on the “why” behind their processes. They don’t just tell a staff member to offer a glass of wine; they explain that it creates a fun first impression that sets the tone for the entire stay. They hire based on values and cultural fit, knowing they can teach the software, but they can’t teach someone how to “be The June.”
Advice for the STR Sisterhood
If you are thinking about your first boutique motel renovation, April’s advice is simple: you have to love it. Hospitality is a 24/7 business that involves garbage, laundry, and constant staff management. You cannot expect a property to run itself.
You also don’t have to do it alone. Finding a partner who shares your vision and values can be the difference between burning out and blowing up. As April says, “If it’s not a ‘hell yeah,’ it’s a ‘hell no.'” Protect your time, focus on the projects that drive growth, and don’t be afraid to pick up a drill and learn a new skill on the fly.
Lady, the only thing standing between you and your boutique empire is the decision to start. It’s time to boss up and turn that “what if” into your reality.
Click here now to listen to the full podcast.
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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