What I “Landed” On
You may remember last March I departed Shipt, the delivery company I founded and sold to Target. I wasn’t sure what I would do next, but whatever it was, I wanted it to be something that could have a direct impact on making people’s day-to-day lives better, and something I could build upon over many decades. Today, I’m excited to share with you the project I have been working on and announce my new venture, Landing.
Simply put, Landing is a new way to live. We’re the first company to offer an all-inclusive long-term living experience that allows a new generation of renters the freedom to choose where and how they live. We call it “Living as a Service,” meaning we provide everything needed for a more flexible lifestyle. At Landing you get all of the comforts of home, without any of the hassle and risk that comes with traditional renting.
As with Shipt, my inspiration for Landing was sparked by personal experience. In 2016, as we were scaling Shipt nationally, my family and I moved to San Francisco. When I arrived, I was immediately struck by how difficult it was to rent an apartment. From countless phone calls and coordinating movers to furnishing an empty space and setting up utilities, it was a massive inconvenience and extremely tedious. Of course, I’m not alone in feeling that frustration.
The current rental market is strikingly outdated. It’s still primarily offline, and renters get locked into lease commitments that don’t fit the reality of their lives. The “American Dream” is evolving, with younger generations delaying home buying (or forgoing altogether) and focusing on their careers instead of settling down. The average millennial is moving every two years, which is not only disruptive but also extremely costly.
People want (and need) more flexibility and convenience in their living situations, but this often means sacrificing the traditional comforts of home. With Landing, you don’t have to choose. From fully equipped kitchens and custom-designed furniture to an on-call concierge and flexible leases, we’re removing the burdens of renting and helping people embrace a new era of flexible living.
We opened our doors in June and the response so far with our initial markets has been affirming. In just the last few months, we’ve scaled Landing to six cities: Austin, Birmingham, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and San Francisco. We have an ambitious, yet practical, plan to reach a global scale. More details on that soon. In the meantime, here’s a link to our press release which has a bit more detail on what we’re doing.
We’re starting with fully-finished apartments, and are gearing up to take on the array of problems within the real estate industry. I can’t wait to see where we go.
Bill
