About Us
We love the South Shore. We want everyone to experience the beauty, serenity, and magic of the area. This is the genesis of Bark Point Ventures; we wanted to create a business that would give property owners and property renters a way to get the most out of their time in what we think is one of the most beautiful places on earth. And, we wanted to find a way to bring more financial opportunities to the amazing artists, craftspeople, tradespeople, and outdoor adventure business owners who live here year-round. Bark Point Ventures is the fulfillment of this vision and the perfect vehicle for our combined talents in the hospitality, real estate, marketing, and design fields.
J Erin Hutchinson
Owner & Chief Experience Officer
The common thread running through Erin’s career history is her passion for the launch of new business ventures. By her early 20s, she’d developed a reputation in her city for being able to launch successful small businesses, including two restaurants, a cafe, clothing stores, and even a small video store chain. This served as a phenomenal training ground for all aspects of growing a company, from sales and marketing to the fundamentals of business operations, finance, and staff management.
Erin has continued her career as a serial entrepreneur, including launching Narrative Shift several years ago. Narrative Shift is a full-service marketing, design, and advisory firm, focusing primarily on assisting early stage and founder-led healthcare technology & biotech ventures.
Erin recently launched Authentic Superior, a nonprofit organization focused on building a stronger brand to promote the incredible breadth and depth of creative output here on Lake Superior’s South Shore.
Niko
Chief Canine Officer
As Bark Point Ventures’ Chief Canine Officer (Herding Officer?), Niko takes his job very seriously. He begins each day ensuring that Erin finds her way to BPV headquarters, using his herding skills to get her butt in gear. Once in the office, Niko is assigned the toughest problems faced by the firm each day. He also serves as the company’s greeter/spokesdog, alarm system (protecting the world from squirrels, geese, eagles, and such), and design critic.
Our Approach
We tailor our services and approach to the specific needs of each client, so our approach varies based on the services we provide. To help you get a better understanding of how we work, here are the answers to some common questions.
Don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email with any additional questions you may have.
Every client’s property and needs are unique, and thus so is our approach. We start with an initial phone call to learn a bit more about you (and vice versa), followed by a meeting at your property. Once we have a solid understanding of your needs we will provide you with a written scope of services and quote.
Should you choose to move forward, we will provide you with a formal statement of work.
We provide you with a detailed summary of services performed at the end of each month, including a P&L statement if we are managing a rental property for you.
We don’t ask our clients to commit to any specific contract length. We believe providing consistently high quality service results in loyal clients. Here on the South Shore, where everyone knows everyone, word travels fast and many business “contracts” exist solely based on a handshake.
We’re flexible! We can do everything from creating listings for you from scratch on the most common rental platforms (AirBnB, VRBO, HomeAway, etc.) or take over managing your existing listing. We can also create a fancy-pants web site for your property. For us, it’s all about what our clients prefer.
Our team maintains all necessary liability and applicable professional insurance coverage.
