From Two Founders to the Team Behind Lively and Peachy

Five years ago, Lively Properties and Peachy Properties existed more as belief than business.

At that stage, Tom Antonie and Guss Groves were doing it all themselves. They were the team, the operators, the problem-solvers and the people carrying the standard day in, day out. Guest messages came at all hours. Owners needed answers. Bookings had to be managed. Maintenance issues had to be solved. And while all of that was happening, there was still the physical work on the ground, cleaning properties, mowing lawns, shopping for supplies, restocking essentials, dropping off firewood late at night, taking bins to the tip and doing whatever else was needed to have each property ready for the next arrival.

But the work did not stop there. While keeping the operation moving, they were also building the business itself from scratch, shaping the website, the branding, the online presence, the marketing, the proposals and the internal documents that would one day support something much bigger. There were no real weekends. No support team to lean on. Just two founders, a relentless workload, and the determination to keep pushing forward.

What made that stage meaningful was not just the effort, but the belief behind it. Tom and Guss were not trying to build another short-stay management business. They believed the model could be done better, with more care, more professionalism, better guest experiences, stronger owner trust and a far higher standard around the homes themselves.

That belief carried them through the early years. And today, it is visible in what sits behind both brands.

What began with two people doing everything themselves has grown into two distinct businesses backed by a team with real depth across leadership, portfolio management, operations, finance, guest experience, brand and growth. More than a sign of growth, that team is the clearest proof of what those early years were working towards. Building something stronger than a two-person business.

For premium homeowners, this matters more than it might first seem.

A luxury home is not just another listing. It is a valuable asset, often a personal one, and one that needs to be managed with care, judgement and discipline. Owners are not only looking for bookings. They want to know their property is being represented properly, that the downside is being protected as carefully as the upside is pursued, and that someone is paying close attention to both the guest experience and what the owner actually keeps at the end of it.

That requires more than effort. It requires capability. It requires people who understand how to protect standards, manage costs, solve problems calmly, think commercially and keep the experience strong for both guest and owner. It requires a team.

 That is what Lively and Peachy now have behind them.

At the centre of both businesses are Tom Antonie and Guss Groves, the directors who built them.

Tom brings strategic, brand and commercial depth to the business. Before founding Lively and Peachy, he worked across consulting and agency environments in strategy, research, project design and end-to-end management, building experience in market analysis, customer behaviour, brand development and commercial problem-solving. Since then, he has helped shape the growth and positioning of both brands, with a strong focus on their long-term commercial success, while also building the systems and team needed to ensure the owner and guest experience continues to strengthen as the businesses grow.

Guss is the founder of both Lively Properties and Peachy Properties. With a background in real estate sales and running his own coaching business, Guss has spent his career learning that the quality of a relationship determines the quality of everything that follows. That foundation shapes how both brands operate from the ground up: owners feel genuinely partnered with, the standard of care is consistent across every property, and the guest experience is treated as a brand responsibility. Central to Guss’ approach is a commitment to innovation and leveraging the technology and tools available today. He believes that marrying relationship-driven service with thoughtful adoption of new technology is what strengthens both brands and ensures they continue to lead in the premium short-stay space.

Around them, the wider team has become one of the clearest strengths of the business.

April brings a rare mix of operational leadership, brand thinking and deep tourism experience. With more than 16 years across tourism and accommodation, leading teams of more than 30 staff and overseeing thousands of guest stays, she brings real weight to the way premium homes are presented, run and grown.

Darren adds more than a decade of experience across short stay, hospitality and property technology in Australia and the UK. His background includes senior roles with MadeComfy and Nestor Stay, where he worked across pricing, partner models, growth and systems, and helped launch new markets from the ground up. That experience strengthens the business in onboarding, operational systems, supplier networks and the structured thinking required to grow without losing control.

Explains Darren, “My background spans the short-term rental sector both in Australia and internationally, with a focus on launching and scaling businesses, from Melbourne through to national expansion in the UK. What initially drew me to joining Lively was the calibre of the product - high-end, design-led properties that represent a clear point of difference in the market - but equally, it was the story behind the business. What Tom and Guss have built from the ground up is genuinely impressive: a profitable, well-positioned brand with a strong identity and a team of specialists who are deeply invested in what they do. There’s a clarity in how Lively presents itself, both digitally and in-market, that really sets it apart. My focus now is on growth, specifically strengthening operations, refining systems, and building the infrastructure required to scale. At its core, Lively is a service-driven business, and the opportunity lies in translating that experience - both for property owners and guests - into a national model. What we’re putting in place now will enable us to expand beyond the Peninsula and Melbourne, and confidently grow into a broader Australian footprint.”

Ellie is the Manager of Peachy Properties. Her background in long-term rentals, paired with her strong drive and exceptional organisational skills, has shaped her ability to deliver seamless, high-performing short-term rental experiences. With a keen eye for detail and a results-focused mindset, Ellie is passionate about elevating properties and maximising returns for owners, while ensuring every guest experience feels effortless and memorable.

Hiona leads the financial structure behind the business. With more than 25 years across real estate and finance, including 10 years running her own agency and another 10 years managing short-stay accommodation in South Yarra, she brings serious commercial depth to the team. Her experience spans trust accounting, payroll, cashflow, owner statements, compliance, budgeting and reporting, giving owners stronger visibility and confidence in the numbers behind their property.

“With over 25 years in real estate, including more than a decade running my own agency, I’ve always been driven by transparency, strong client relationships, and communication," says Hiona. "What drew me to Lively was a clear alignment in values - there’s a genuine commitment to trust, accountability, and building a business with integrity. As Lively continues to grow, my focus is on strengthening and streamlining financial processes to ensure everything is robust, compliant, and set up for scale. What Tom and Guss have created is incredibly compelling. They bring confidence, deep market knowledge, and a shared drive that’s contagious across the team. There’s a real sense of collective momentum here, and I’m excited to contribute my experience while supporting and mentoring the next phase of growth.”

Kirby brings strength in guest experience, client experience and growth. Her role helps shape how the business is felt by both owners and guests, which directly influences trust, reviews and the overall quality associated with both brands.

Callum strengthens the operational side of the business through platform knowledge, problem-solving, maintenance coordination and calm handling of more complex situations, especially where fast, sensible judgement matters most.

Amber brings a natural strength in guest communication, and a passion for building open, honest client relationships. Her bubbly personality, combined with her passion for social media, allows her to consistently deliver results while always acting in her clients’ best interests.

Breony brings eight years of experience across real estate, with a background in administration, property management and sales. She oversees the day-to-day operations of a portfolio of homes, ensuring each property is managed consistently to a high standard, with care, attention to detail and a strong focus on guest experience and owner communication.

 Taken together, it is a team with real range. Leadership. Brand judgement. Operational control. Portfolio oversight. Financial discipline. Guest and owner care.

What does this mean for homeowners? This is where the story becomes more than a team announcement.

For homeowners, the benefit is not simply that Lively and Peachy have grown. It is that their homes now sit behind businesses with far greater depth. The person managing the property day to day is backed by wider capability across finance, operations, guest experience, brand and growth. That means stronger judgement, better follow-through, more consistent communication and a higher standard of care around the home itself.

It also means the property is being managed with a broader commercial lens. Not just in terms of bookings, but in the way expenses are considered, risks are handled, standards are maintained and profit is protected over time. In premium short-stay management, that kind of thinking matters.

The brands matter too. A team creates the experience. A brand gives that experience weight in the market.

In premium short stay, trust carries commercial value. A respected brand can help a property stand out for the right reasons, build confidence before a guest even arrives, support stronger reviews, encourage return stays and make it easier to hold premium pricing when the experience consistently matches the promise.

 Over time, that becomes a real advantage for homeowners. Better trust in the market can mean better-quality bookings, stronger conversion, more returning guests and a more resilient reputation around the home itself.

Lively and Peachy are different brands, but both are being built around the same belief: that quality should be felt consistently, and that trust should be earned through the experience delivered.

For a long time, much of this sat behind the scenes. Owners experienced it. Guests felt it. But the years it took to build it, and the strength of the team now sitting behind both brands, remained largely unseen.

That is part of what makes this moment feel significant.

What began with two founders doing everything themselves has become something much stronger: two brands, a growing reputation in the market, and a large team of highly capable people now carrying the standard forward.

And that may be the most compelling part of the story. Not simply that Lively and Peachy have grown. But that the team behind them is the clearest proof of what Tom and Guss were building towards all along.

www.livelyproperties.com.au

www.peachyproperties.com.au