by Turo
posted on 13 August 2025
Serial entrepreneur and Brisbane host Lainey is a master of turning idle assets into income – so it’s little surprise she quickly found success on Turo.
Lainey is no stranger to running a business. She’s launched and operated everything from a photoshoot location service to a dress hire business, allowing her to generate solid income on her own terms. She’s also started a car sharing business on Turo – a venture she manages from her home base in Brisbane.
Despite owning multiple thriving ventures, Lainey says her Turo business is the least demanding to run, allowing her to scale and succeed with ease.
Unlocking passive income
Lainey describes herself as “driven and motivated”. With a diverse entrepreneurial background, she has previously managed and operated a car dealership and her own lash studio. Her journey began with launching a photoshoot location business, followed by a dress hire company that she continues to run today. Recently, she expanded into hosting on Turo alongside her business partner, Ty, while also working for him full time in one of Australia’s largest automotive e-commerce stores.
Lainey believes that everything she owns should be working for her, which is why she’s monetised everything from dresses to property to her own car.
“Everything I own has to generate revenue for me,” she says.
“I don’t believe that people should be dumping money into things that they don’t benefit from. If I have an asset sitting there for $50,000 and I can monetise it to pay for itself, and I don’t need that asset every day, it’d be silly to just let it sit there.”
Getting started on Turo
Given her passion for entrepreneurship, it made total sense for Lainey to add another side hustle to her already thriving collection of businesses. So, about 10 months ago and with Ty’s support, she turned to Turo.
Lainey was already lending her personal car to a FIFO worker before joining Turo, so she was familiar with the concept of car sharing but hadn’t yet turned the casual set-up into a structured operation.
Once she signed up as a host, she quickly realised how straightforward the process could be when it came to payment and communication. She found that Turo offered a seamless experience, allowing her to minimise efforts and maximise returns.
Her success on Turo was swift. After listing her first car, she experimented with pricing and guest demand trends, and soon she was consistently booked out.
“We tested everything: From Range Rovers, to BMWs, to Volkswagens,” she says. “We kept asking, ‘Have we met demand yet?’ And when the bookings kept coming, we knew we were onto something.”
Built to scale
Lainey’s been hosting for two years, but it’s only in the past 10 months that she’s focused on actively scaling her business.
She now has eight cars in her portfolio, a mix of premium European models including Range Rover Sports, BMW sedans and SUVs, and Volkswagen compact vehicles. Lainey’s goal is to become Brisbane’s go-to European car specialist, with a curated selection of vehicles that are both stylish and reliable.
Lainey reinvests every single dollar she earns back into the business. She’s about to purchase two more cars to add to her portfolio – a direct reflection of her performance and profitability.
She attributes much of her growth to her systematic approach to car sharing. For instance, her guest communications are automated and she uses lockboxes to simplify the pickup process.
She also has a warehouse with parking just 15 minutes from the airport, where she stores all of her cars. This makes pickup and portfolio management as efficient as possible.
Ultimately, Lainey says that of all her ventures, her car sharing business is the easiest to run.
“It only takes me 15 minutes to prepare a vehicle, set up the lock box, take all the photos, and check in the guests,” she says. “Everything complements one another in its own little way, so it works quite well.”
Thoughtful touches
Despite her business’s immense growth, Lainey has managed to preserve a warm and personalised guest experience. She does this by paying attention to small yet meaningful details that make her guests feel special.
A highlight was a positive review from the father of a special needs child. He shared with Lainey that her car was the only one his daughter would get into.
Lainey also noticed that he’d left an assortment of Jelly Belly air fresheners in the car after returning it. So, to make the experience even more comfortable for him and his daughter, she kept them and made sure they were included in their next rental.
“It’s the little things,” adds Lainey. “If something you do can help somebody else, then it’s worth it.”
Along with tangible business goals like scaling and profitability, Lainey hopes to maintain the high-quality guest experience she’s become known for and continue providing exceptional service.
Lainey’s tips for other hosts
Lainey has three top tips for anyone interested in hosting on Turo:
- Streamline your processes: Simplify and automate wherever possible to reduce stress, free up time, and run your business more efficiently. Examples include automated guest messaging, contactless key exchange, and centralised vehicle storage for hassle-free pick-ups and drop-offs
- Set realistic booking timeframes: Base your availability on what you can actually manage. This helps prevent burnout and ensures higher guest satisfaction. “Make sure your trip booking timeframe is in alignment with what you feel you could get things done in,” says Lainey. “If you need six hours before to organise your kids or your family, then keep it at six.”
- Think long-term success, not short-term gains: Overcommitting and taking every booking request regardless of availability can lead to negative guest experiences. Lainey says you’re better off securing high ratings and repeat bookings than cramming your calendar for a quick cash boost. “Don’t be money hungry,” she adds. “It’s going to affect your experience as a host and the guest as well, because your stress and rush will make them feel stressed and rushed.”
