How Cheryl Built Her Tiny Home Business Beyond Traditional Limits

Cheryl, a California homeowner and entrepreneur, had a vision: to grow her tiny home business from a single rental property into a full-scale marketing consulting company that served the entire industry. But as anyone in the tiny home space knows, traditional lenders weren't exactly lining up to invest.

"Tiny homes are sort of trendy and new, and they're not necessarily your traditional builds," Cheryl explained. "So people don't always want to invest in that type of a business. And I was running into that, whether it was from dealing with the cities and their regulations or traditional business loans. It was getting frustrating because I wasn't sure where else to turn."

Cheryl had built significant equity since purchasing her home more than 20 years ago. She knew it could be the key to unlocking her business goals — but first, she had to find the right way to access it.

Finding a Solution That Fit

Cheryl began researching her options, which included a traditional home equity line of credit (HELOC) and a home equity investment from another provider. But there was one major concern holding her back: the impact on her credit.

"I really didn't want to use a HELOC," she said. "The number one reason that I chose to use [a Hometap Investment] as opposed to a traditional HELOC is because of the credit inquiries and having more on my credit than I wanted, because I was also in the process of getting additional funding for the construction … and the business build aspects of my properties."

A financial consultant who had worked with Hometap before recommended the company to Cheryl. After four months of thorough research — and vetting both Hometap and a competitor — she made her decision.

"Everything with Hometap has been a win-win," Cheryl said. "Everything from start to finish was super easy, no problems, it was seamless. Everyone I dealt with was always willing to help and it made everything simple."

A Relationship Built on Trust

Throughout her journey, Cheryl worked closely with her Investment Manager, Eugene, whom she credits with making the entire process smooth and stress-free.

"I cannot say enough good things about Eugene," she shared. "He was so fantastic through this whole journey and patient and kind and answering all of my questions, not one time, but probably two, three, four times. And there was never pressure. There was never, 'Come on, Cheryl, you need to hurry up and decide.' It was none of that. He walked me through things step by step."

Both the ease of communication and Eugene's genuine interest in her success stood out to Cheryl. "We talked about grandkids, we talked about everything," she recalled. "The thing that meant the most to me was the ease [of] the process … and also the kindness and the understanding for my business that I felt from the very beginning."

When the funds finally arrived in her account, Cheryl was ready to move. "When those funds hit my account, I was like, 'Oh my goodness, what is happening?' I mean, everything was fast. And then being able to turn around and see [that money] being used in my business — I purchased my home 20-plus years ago, and to be able to see something that I invested in so many years ago now being able to further invest into my business, there's no feeling like it."

Building a Legacy

Cheryl used her Hometap Investment to expand Beyond Tiny Inc., her marketing consulting business for tiny home manufacturers. She put the funds toward building materials, business operations, and began working with a financial partner to diversify her investment portfolio. She plans to settle her Investment within two years using proceeds from her growing business.

Today, Cheryl's tiny homes serve an entirely new workforce, from travel nurses to construction workers to solar project managers; people who want more than just a place to stay, but a luxury experience while they're on assignment.

Looking back on her decision, Cheryl has no regrets. "If you're on the fence about whether or not to use your equity in your home, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain," she advised. "You've worked so hard to get to this point in your life to where you even have equity. What better way than to use that equity to invest in furthering your business, furthering your legacy, and just building a life that is meaningful to you in whatever way that you want it to be."

Had Hometap not been available, Cheryl believes her business would look very different today. "I don't know if my business would be doing as well as it is right now. I would have had to jump through so many hoops and definitely not get the amount of funding I was looking for. It definitely would be a different look for me and I wouldn't have been able to grow as fast as I've been able to. It would have been a much slower process."

For Cheryl, working with Hometap wasn't just about accessing funds — it was about finding a company that believed in her vision and made the process simple, transparent, and human.

"There was nothing that made me question the integrity of the company or the integrity and how they dealt with their [homeowners]," she said. "And to me it was the best decision I've made when it comes to using my equity in my home and growing my business."

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Disclaimer: This homeowner was compensated for providing Hometap with an interview about her Investment experience.