- Date published
How Nightly Built a Five-Star Company from the Inside Out.
When Nathan Cole talks about building a business, he doesn’t start with occupancy rates, revenue or expansion plans.
He starts with people.
Ask him what he’s most proud of, and he won’t point to the luxury vacation rentals Nightly manages across multiple states or the company’s rapid growth. He’ll tell you about the culture his team has built, the relationships they’ve cultivated and the moments they’ve created for both property owners and guests.
That people-first mindset has shaped Nightly from the very beginning.
The idea grew out of a real need. Nathan and his co-founder, John Starks ,recognized that many vacation rental owners wanted the financial benefits of investing without the complexity of managing every detail themselves.
Guest communication. Pricing. Maintenance. Technology. Cleaning. Owner relations.
“It’s such a deeply multifaceted business,” Nathan said. “It’s hard for one person to be an expert in all of it.”
So they built Nightly to become a trusted, full-service partner for intentional investors. They handle the complexity while delivering exceptional experiences for both owners and guests.
Going Slow to Go Fast
Many startups celebrate rapid growth. Nathan intentionally avoided it.
“My biggest fear was growing too fast,” he said. “We really wanted to under-promise and over-deliver and build a generational company.”
That philosophy became one of Nightly’s guiding principles: Go slow to go fast.
Early on, the team gathered around a whiteboard inside Missouri State University’s efactory to define the culture they wanted to build before they focused on scaling. They distilled dozens of ideas into core values they still measure every week.
- Relationships matter.
- Passionate people in their sweet spots.
- Go above and beyond.
- Cultivate trust at all levels.
- Work hard and play hard.
Those values have shaped every hire and every decision since. Instead of accepting every new client, Nightly turned business away until systems, people and processes were ready. That patience has paid off.
A Team Built Through Community
Walk into Nightly’s office at efactory today and you’ll likely meet only a fraction of the team.
Some employees work in Branson. Others support guests, owners and operations from different locations. Together they manage sales, marketing, onboarding, guest communications, finance, revenue management and property operations.
Several of those team members first connected with Nathan through efactory.
The Entrepreneurship Intern Program introduced Nightly to talented students like Bri Record, Andres Lopera Garcia and Samuel Montano Zegada, who have all become part of the company’s growth story.
Being surrounded by other entrepreneurs has also challenged his thinking, created new friendships and opened doors that simply wouldn’t have existed working alone.
“It’s so contagious being around other entrepreneurs.”
More Than Office Space
Nathan’s first introduction to efactory happened almost by accident.
After hearing about the innovation center during lunch with a friend, he walked over and signed up for a floating coworking membership that same day.
As Nightly grew, so did its footprint, from a floating desk, to a small office shared by three people, to the larger space the company occupies today.
Looking back, Nathan says the business would have looked dramatically different without efactory.
“We probably wouldn’t have even had a physical office,” he said. “The company would look very different.”
Beyond workspace, Nightly has tapped into mentoring, peer learning and business advising through the Missouri SBDC at Missouri State. Nathan has participated in CEO Roundtables, worked through business growth strategies with Lance Coffman, and continues investing in his own growth through programs like Entrepreneur in Residence.
For Nathan, those resources have been just as valuable as the office itself.
“I tell people all the time, I feel like this place was made for me personally,” he said. “I’ve been a serial entrepreneur my whole life, and then you combine that with university students. Putting those two together is so amazing.”
The Moments That Matter
Ask Nathan what he’s most proud of, and he doesn’t mention expansion, profitability or the number of properties Nightly manages. He talks about culture.
It permeates every guest experience.
When a family is celebrating a graduation, Nightly might leave personalized gifts waiting at the property. When guests are walking through difficult seasons, the team looks for meaningful ways to provide comfort and care.
For Nathan, hospitality has never been about simply managing vacation rentals. It’s about creating moments people never forget.
Building What's Next
Like many entrepreneurs, Nathan isn’t finished building.
In addition to leading Nightly, he’s launching a new AI software company that deploys agentic systems for mission-aligned organizations.
But through every new chapter, one thing has remained constant.
The people. The mentors. The interns. The conversations in the hallway. The chance encounter that became a lifelong business connection.
Those are the things Nathan believes have shaped Nightly as much as any business plan ever could. And they’re exactly what efactory was built for.