Connor Vanderholm began working in the hotel industry as soon as he finished his business degree at BYUI in 2016. His BYUI mentor helped him discover he wanted to be a revenue manager, but he had to start in operations, learning the business basics first.
His first job was working at the front office for the Marriott conference center in Norman, OK. After a year in Oklahoma, he became a revenue management trainee at Hilton in Dallas, TX. Although it was exhausting work, he was prepared to continue until he got laid off at the start of COVID in March 2020. He and several newly-unemployed colleagues started Topline in May 2020.
Topline manages supply and demand for hotel chains and boutiques of all sizes. This means selling the right room at the right price to the right person at the right time. Vanderholm helps hotel managers migrate away from manual spreadsheets, and he adds a layer of business intelligence to the decision-making process. Topline’s next step is building proprietary, Topline branded software.
“The SBDC has been fantastic. They have been the biggest reprieve and support system that I’ve had starting this business. Ann has helped with business negotiation strategy, my web site, and logo design.”
Vanderholm bought out the remaining partner early in 2022. He had been running the business as CEO and sole employee until May 2022 when he hired his first full time employee and four contractors. He is set to double last year’s income.