Today we’d like to introduce you to Missy Bentz.
Missy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I came from a long line of entrepreneurs, so when I told my Mom and Dad that I thought I wanted to be a self-employed interior designer they immediately supported me. After graduating from Berry College with an Interdisciplinary degree in Business and Interior Decorating, I eventually started Inside Ideas, mostly working with other designers, using a network of 3rd party businesses to bring design ideas into existence in their client’s homes. During this time, I got to work with a few celebrities such as Halle Berry, David Justice, and the Black Crows. One day I accidentally got off on the wrong floor in a highrise condo building and found myself in Elton John’s foyer as the florists were filling his elegant white living room with millions of white flowers! It was fun!
My husband Steve and I lived in Chamblee, and we had three amazing children. I took some years off to raise my kids and that was wonderful. Once they were all in school full time, Steve persuaded me to help him run his furniture repair business, Bentz and Weathersby. My role was managing the office, scheduling, and customer service. We loved having the flexibility and pride that comes with having your own business. Steve and my Dad went on to found a furniture repair franchise company together called Weathersby Guild, which now has 65 franchises in the US and Internationally.
About 15 years later, Steve was really feeling the stress of having so many employees to manage, a very physically demanding schedule, and long hectic hours- along with supporting the other franchise locations with my father. I knew he couldn’t keep up that pace for much longer, so I began praying that God would show us what we could do for our next season of life. We thought it would be fun to be near our two daughters who had both settled in Flowery Branch Georgia, but we had no idea how we could make a living. One day our friend, who is a real estate agent, showed us some pictures of this beautiful 4 1/2 acre property on Lake Lanier and even though it was out of our reach financially we could not get it out of our minds. God planted an idea in our heads – could we live in the carriage house and rent out the rest of the estate for short-term rentals? He gave us a vision to create a haven for burned-out, over-stressed souls to come and be refreshed and replenished through rest, fun, fellowship with family and friends, and the peaceful beauty of nature. And then to our utter amazement He tore down every obstacle, one by one, that stood in our way! In just a few months, we had sold our franchise, and our home had downsized to a 1 room carriage house, and we’re hosting our 1st guests at what we had named Misty Pond Resort. The complete change of life was scary for me, and this 1st year we have had to do a lot of work improving and renovating to get the home to the standards we wanted for it, but now we absolutely love it! We are convinced that God has a purpose for this place, and He gave us the privilege to be able to collaborate with Him. We have come to see our business as a ministry, and our guests are always confirming to us that MPR is more than just a place to stay. They tell us they were refreshed and talk about the peacefulness and beauty. We have hosted all kinds of gatherings: family reunions, retreats, small weddings, bridal showers, a movie production, and more. The common denominator is that our property, and the hospitality we provide, sets the atmosphere for meaningful connections, peaceful refreshment, and sheer fun!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The hardest thing was having to learn how to operate a short-term rental property and do the necessary renovations so that we could begin hosting guests, while we were also moving to a much smaller living space and having to train the new owner that had purchased our furniture repair business. We had to keep telling ourselves- this won’t last long! We knew that once we had all of our time to focus on our new business, we would be grateful for our new life! We were so sure that this was our calling for this season of life that we never wavered in our decision- though many of our friends thought we were crazy! We just kept putting one foot in front of the other knowing the reward was ahead of us!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Misty Pond Resort?
What makes our resort special is the combination of a spacious elegant home, along with beautiful and peaceful grounds for our guests to enjoy. It’s like having your own private resort! The indoor heated pool and spa make our home a great place to come year-round. The house has five bedrooms, five full baths, a stunningly beautiful grand entry, an elegant sitting room, a den/game room with a pool table and fireplace, a large dining room, and a large chef’s kitchen which we keep fully stocked for cooking great meals. The kitchen has a huge refrigerator/freezer, a six burner stove top, two ovens, an under-counter ice-maker, two dishwashers, a microwave, and three coffee-makers. The master suite is enormous with a king bed appointed with down pillows and cozy bedding. The large master bath shower has double shower heads with beautiful Italian tiled walls.
Outdoors, the large wrap-around porch looks out onto a huge pond with a waterfall and a large deck with rocking chairs from which our guests can feed our friendly koi fish. We have beautiful gardens around the pond a nature trail in the woods that goes over a bridge and leads to a boat dock on a quiet cove on Lake Lanier. We see all kinds of wildlife, such as hawks, bullfrogs, goldfish, turtles, deer, bunnies, bright lizards, beavers, cardinals, and more. We also have a fire pit and enjoy providing our guests with all the ingredients for making s’mores. For outdoor dining, we have a large patio with a large dining table and a grill, and several bistro tables on the front porch, along with lots of rocking chairs. Some of the included activities we provide are kayaks, stand-up paddleboard, splash pad, basketball, and cornhole. We have a tritoon boat on the lake which can be rented by the guests to use on their own, or we offer boat rides with Captain Steve. Our favorite restaurant on the lake, Fishtails, is just a 15-minute boat ride away from our dock. We also hear from our guests that they love having us on the property. I do many things to make sure our guests feel welcomed and special. For example, I have a chalkboard that welcomes them by name, I love to put fresh flowers and greenery from the grounds around the house, and I encourage them to text or call me about anything that I can do to help them plan or improve their stay, both before they arrive and once they are here. Steve is one of those men who can do anything around the house! If there is any problem with anything, he is here to swoop in and fix it. And we are located less than 1 hour from downtown Atlanta! I’m sure you can understand why our guests rave about MPR! We hope you will book a stay with us soon!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
My career path has utterly surprised me! I have had to learn that God knows me better than I know myself, and He has gifted me to fulfill His purposes for me- even when I don’t see it. My interior design business was fun for a few years, but as I began having children, it was no longer a passion. I became way too practical- white show stains, expensive accessories get broken, and fine fabrics get ripped! Once the kids were all in school full time, my husband Steve started asking me to work with him in his furniture repair business. He saw that I could really help him and being a co-owner, I would care more than anyone else he could hire. That sounded horrible to me! And wouldn’t it ruin my marriage to work with my husband? I felt conflicted because I thought I would hate working in an office full-time, but I also saw that he needed my help. I prayed about it, discussed it with him and other mentors, and eventually felt like God was calling me to do it. I jumped in and quickly found that I loved it! I felt passionate about making sure our customers were delighted with our quality repairs and service. I also enjoyed making sure our employees felt appreciated and valued. And Steve and I found that we enjoy being together 24/7! Our kids now say that we don’t know how to be apart!
Hospitality was never my gift. I always felt stressed when preparing for guests and was self-conscious about our home not being comfortable, large enough, or updated. But I didn’t have time to worry about that when we decided to pursue this career path because it all happened so quickly! I had zero experience in the industry, but somehow we knew God was providing this career for us and He would equip us to carry it out. I found that hospitality is very different when you are welcoming people into a beautiful luxurious home you are not living in, and you have a cleaning crew, gardener, and pool guy! I have learned not to stress over getting bookings. God sends us the guests who need to be here and my job is to make them feel welcome. And I found out that I am great at it! Steve is the ultimate maintenance man, and he continues to work with my dad to support the franchises- which he loves. So we are enjoying this season of life until God calls us to the next one when I will get to learn something else new about myself!
Contact Info:
- Email: mistypondresort@gmail.com
- Website: mistypondresort.com
- Instagram: @mistypondresort
- Facebook: Misty Pond Resort
Image Credits
PWG Lens
MacKenzie Bates
