Then disaster struck.
A small but vocal group of local CAVE people (citizens against virtually everything) got angry that short term rentals were being developed in the area and organized a protest. Blindsided and heartbroken, the Bolts were forced to shut down and sell the property.
Imagine the devastation…
Crushed but not broken, they moved to Tennessee, and – using Google Earth – found a tract of mountaintop land in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t officially for sale, but they befriended the owner and got it under contract for $12,500 an acre. This time, their dream was even bigger.
But the bank didn’t exactly get it. So Seth & Tori took matters into their own hands.
Using their last $500, they commissioned renderings and pitched the idea directly to their Instagram audience, inviting them to pre-book stays at this yet to exist resort. In just five weeks, they raised $1,000,000 without giving up a single share of equity. 🤯
Seth told me with a chuckle about his banker calling him up in disbelief: “Hey man, um, yeah, there’s been a ton of money deposited in your account in the past few weeks, and uh, you don’t even own that land yet. You guys, uh, dealing drugs or something?!”
Seth inwardly pumped his fists, just a little. I can relate. I’ve said it before, and this is a perfect example:
Conviction attracts capital.
And that’s why storytelling matters so much.
What I haven’t mentioned? Seth is a literal rockstar. For 23 years, he’s been making music and touring with his band NEEDTOBREATHE.
While he was out on tour, Tori (who met her husband while interviewing the band as a news anchor years before) was thrown in the deep end managing a ragtag construction crew attempting to build a one-of-a-kind retreat on top of a mountain in under a year with a hard deadline.
As stressful as any deadline, they made it, down to the last minute. Tori herself was cleaning the finishing touches when the first wide-eyed guests arrived.
