In November 2023, I burned the boats.

I quit my job, sold my house, and drove 3,000 miles across the country to Idyllwild, California.

No job. Rising interest rates. STR competition heating up. Market skepticism everywhere.
But we saw an opportunity to build something people crave most today: connection, wellbeing, and extraordinary experiences.

After buying, renovating, operating, and selling 20+ vacation rentals, my partner Isaac J. Silverman and I saw some clear truths:

People love to travel in groups but hate sharing bathrooms.

People want experiences over things.

People want to leave a vacation recharged, not drained.

And yes, design matters.

So we doubled down.

We bought The Fern Valley Inn for $1.5M from an older couple who had been running it as a retirement hobby. With the support of 13 trusted friends and family investors, we reimagined it as The PineTree Hotel.

Here’s what happened in our first year:
• 3X property value: $1.5M → $4.5M+ in under two years
• $666K+ revenue (up from $108K in 2022)
• $257K in weddings, retreats, and full buyouts
• 25K social followers + 4.3K guest emails
• 1,406 reservations | 4.9⭐ on Google
• 21%+ cash-on-cash returns | Over 2X investor equity

Sometimes opportunity doesn’t show up in a spreadsheet. Sometimes it takes vision, belief, and relentless execution to see what others miss.

For a while, I thought I needed to “own more hotels” before sharing my story. But the truth is: The PineTree Hotel is proof of concept. People are hungry for experiences that recharge them, not just places to sleep.

And we’re just getting started.

We are already under contract on three more boutique hotels set to close in the next 90 days.

We’ve done it. We’re doing it. And now, we’re scaling it.

Ways we can work together:

👉 Invest in boutique hotels that you’d want to stay in
👉 Partner with us to acquire and grow properties
👉 Sell us a property with untapped potential

Drop me a follow or let’s connect, because what we’re building is only getting more fun.

Tim Ensmann

Supply is constrained.
Demand has shifted.
Pricing power in live experiences is real.

The 2026 Experiential Hospitality Report breaks down the data and unit economics behind it.

If you’re looking at how to balance AI with real assets, this is worth a read.

(Report in comments)

Sales Guy → Boutique Hotel Guy | Helping you build an intentional life through boutique hotel investing

Why Experiential Hospitality Is Quietly Outperforming The opportunity isn’t complicated. It’s supply and demand. When you zoom out and look at hospita

Open article: Supply < Demand by Tim Ensmann • 3 min read

Revolutionizing M&A Financial Processes | QoE | Modeling | 100+ Deals | ex-PwC

"I know I should use AI... but where do I start?"
→ I’ve heard this 300 times this year.

People know AI and automation can help with their finances.
They just don’t know how.

That’s the gap, and why I’m building around one idea:
Accounting + AI + Automation.

Every week I talk to business owners, CPAs, and finance leaders.
Almost all of them are stuck:

➡️ Tools, but not strategy
➡️ They’ve got data, but not insight
➡️ A finance function… but not a system

What they want isn’t more Excel workbooks
They want clarity. Speed. Confidence in the numbers.

So I'm building two businesses to help:

1️⃣ FINSIDER.AI 
~AI-Powered Financial Intelligence~
Instant, real-time strategy with an AI you can chat to

🔹 QofE, forecasts, KPI decks, deal metrics
🔹 100% data coverage — not just samples
🔹 Explained in plain English, ready in hours

Use it when you’ve got the data,
but need insight at speed.

2️⃣ FORWARD FIRM 
~Modern CPA + Advisory~
Your all-in-one accounting and tax partner.

🔹 One partner for all financial moving parts
🔹 Proactive advice, same-day responsiveness
🔹 Covers business + personal finances, start to finish

Use us when you want strategy, not just compliance.

👋 If you need help implementing AI or automation 
into your business or CPA practice, send me a message. 

I’ll show you what’s working and how to put it in motion fast.

Mitch Petracca, CPA

I see this issue on 99% of deals.
It's usually the biggest point of contention.

It almost always creates tension.

and it usually comes towards the end of a deal,

which is the most crucial time,

I've seen the issue kill many deals.


So let's talk about the Net Working Capital (NWC) peg
And how to avoid this frequent pitfall when negotiating.

The NWC peg represents two things:
1) The amount needed to operate the business without any disruption.
2) The amount the buyer assumes they are receiving at close as part of their purchase price.

The peg is under the microscope.

Why?
Because every dollar directly changes the effective purchase price.

If the Buyer is experienced,
They probably outlined a NWC peg methodology in the LOI.

But this is still usually disputed post-LOI

Using a methodology like the "last twelve months avg." in an LOI is a good start.

In fact, I recommend something like this.

But just like reported EBITDA,
reported NWC doesn't tell the whole story.

We need to include adjustments to get to the true go-forward view.

So these adjustments need to be negotiated post-LOI.

Plus, diligence may change the buyer's perspective.

And the fun doesn't stop even after this hurdle during diligence.

After the close date, the calculation is performed again.

Specifics are often negotiated even after the calculation method
is detailed in the Purchase Agreement.

My advice?
Be transparent.

Get ahead of the conversation
Understand NWC like the back of your hand.

Put detailed definitions in the Purchase Agreement

This topic alone usually pays for my fee on a deal –
I help buyers and sellers align on the calculation.

And help my client negotiate this successfully
Without adding tension to the deal (the hardest part)

I recently created a full Net Working Capital Peg Negotiation Guide
So you can know how to do this yourself.

✅ Comment "NWC" + Connect so I can DM it 

🎁 BONUS: Repost and I’ll also send our full diligence request list

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The Battle

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