MIBA was always a personal mantra within Rockies Rentals, and especially for me, Charla — Founder of Rockies Rentals.
It didn’t begin as a program or a system. It came from a lifetime of experiences that slowly shaped a simple belief:
Make It Better. Always.
Not perfect. Just better.
Sharper. Quicker. Easier. More fun. More thoughtful. More experienced. More human. More aware.
Because perfection isn’t the goal — and honestly, it never has been.
A human is struggling? Make it better.
Someone has a great idea? Let’s make it happen.
Someone does something unexpectedly kind? Acknowledge it.
And when something goes wrong? That’s okay. If nothing ever went wrong, we’d never have all of these great experiences in making things better.
We just need awareness — and the willingness to make it better.
An important question emerged: “Make it better, for who?”
I chose a career in hospitality, so I’m accustomed to putting other people’s needs first. Then I became a Real Estate Agent, which carries a legal requirement of fiduciary duty to others. Then I became a Founder/CEO/General Manager — with a small-but-mighty team, a slate of Owner Clients, and enough Guest Clients to fill a 747 daily. And I have always been a loyal friend and committed family member.
I could work well in win-win-win scenarios, but what happened when there was a zero-sum situation?
Tournament #1: “Client wants a full refund for a cancelled service” versus “Vendor has a clearly communicated contract offering a partial refund for cancellations.”
Tournament #2: “Client wants huge financial compensation for a minor inconvenience, which was resolved quickly and easily” versus “Vendor who deserves to be paid for their services.”
As the Founder–Leader–Manager–Friend–Service Provider, my perspective has always leaned toward making it better for the people around me. They make my life better… I reciprocate freely. The team. My community. Sometimes strangers.
This made it difficult to make things better for an angry stranger when I’m focused on making it better for the crying Front Desk Agent. You get me?
With thanks to my dad and all of the amazing things he taught me, I have a long history of “We don’t reward bad behaviour.” But that can collide with an overall philosophy of “Make It Better. Always.” For who?
— For the Guest who wants a full refund for a week-long stay because they found popcorn under the couch?
— For the Team Member who hustled to get the unit ready for an early check-in, and missed a single kernel while cleaning?
— For the hospitality industry… which has long been plagued by the loudest guests being treated better than the kind, quiet guests?
We are interested in humans.
Sometimes that means accepting that someone was having a very difficult day.
Sometimes it means setting a boundary.
And sometimes, when appropriate, it means creating space for a real human conversation.
Because saying something through frustration is one thing.
Sitting across from another person and being seen is something else entirely.
MIBA is about reminding people that there is always a human on the other side of the interaction.
MIBA applies to good things too.
This is important.
We don’t want a system that only notices what went wrong.
If someone on our team goes above and beyond, tell us.
If someone helped you when they didn’t have to, tell us.
If you had an unexpectedly great experience, tell us.
We will recognize it.
We will celebrate it.
And when we can, we will pass that kindness forward.
Because we don’t want good moments to disappear quietly.
We want them to multiply.
We also believe in improving the system itself.
I commonly use the example of the clogged toilet. If a toilet clogs once, you unclog it. If a toilet clogs five times, you start looking deeper into the plumbing system.
We want to make the source better — not just fix the current moment.
We also believe in positive ripple effects.
We are very good at turning small ideas into meaningful improvements for many people. That is one of our favourite things to do.
While I personally have a heart that wants to “change the world,” that is a very daunting task for anyone. So I committed to changing the lives of 100 people.
The logic? If I have a positive impact on 100 people — and then they each have a positive impact on 100 people — the world would change. Basically the concept of the movie Pay It Forward.
We don’t expect perfection.
We are human. Our guests are human. Our owners are human. Our vendors are human. Humans make mistakes.
You know who else makes mistakes? AI — the most intelligent being in any room is any AI program. If AI can confidently produce bio pages claiming my friend’s husband used to be married to another acquaintance we all know (and we all know this is factually untrue, ChatGPT), then there is zero chance that humans could ever be perfect — with their compassion, emotions, moments of low blood sugar, baggage, assumptions, and sometimes poor communication skills.
Make It Better. Always.
So, that is MIBA.
It started as a simple idea from a simple gal, with a huge heart, a smart brain, and a lifelong commitment to helping others.
We’re curious to see how far it can go.