A Villa Built on Perseverance
Essence of Dreams, a $9 million luxury villa, is perched on top of a mountain in Costa Rica, offering breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. But the story behind this extraordinary property began years earlier in Washington, D.C., with a married couple, a cleaning business, and a willingness to work through pressure that could have ended their dream.
Tim and Tracey Kerin have been married for 44 years and spent 37 years as entrepreneurs. Their path did not start with luxury travel or mountain views of the Pacific Ocean; it started with commercial cleaning, long hours, and direct service to clients in one of the country’s most competitive business markets.
In their early years, the couple cleaned the homes of senators and congressmen in Washington, D.C., often parking their Lincoln Town Car near the FBI building and carrying cleaning equipment down the sidewalk to Market Square on Pennsylvania Avenue. That image remains central to their story because it illustrates how far the Kerin family has traveled. Today, Essence of Dreams reflects years of discipline, risk, humility, and the ability to seize opportunity even when circumstances were difficult.
From Cleaning Homes to Building Companies
The Kerins did not enter business with all the answers. When they started in 1989, they were still learning how to run a company. Like many entrepreneurs, they faced pressure that tested their finances, their marriage, and their belief in the future.
At one point, the couple did not have enough money to make payroll. Sitting at the kitchen table, Tracey offered her engagement ring and told Tim to sell it. The ring had represented love, but in that moment, it became a symbol of sacrifice and survival. Bills piled up. Cash flow became tight. Professional services disappointed them. Customers and employees created new challenges. Bankruptcy came close more than once.
Instead of walking away, they stayed accountable. They looked at each obstacle and asked how to move through it. That mindset shaped the way they built their businesses and supported each other as husband and wife. Their commercial cleaning company grew into broader ventures, later diversifying into commercial construction, labor services, and networking. Each move came from the same lesson: opportunities often appear when business owners stay alert, flexible, and willing to learn.
The Role of Opportunity
For Tim and Tracey, success was not only about hard work. It was also about recognizing opportunity at the right moment. Their experience with CORE, a networking organization they owned, played a major role in that development. Through networking, they generated significant revenue without hiring a single salesperson. That experience taught them that relationships, trust, and consistent service can drive business growth.
Those lessons later guided the creation of Essence of Dreams. Moving from blue-collar services into luxury hospitality was a major shift, but it did not come by chance. Costa Rica became one of those paths. Building and working in a foreign country brought its own challenges. There were different laws, expectations, and a new business environment. The Kerins adapted and transformed a personal vision into a villa experience connected to luxury travel, charity, and international recognition.
A Luxury Villa With a Human Story
Essence of Dreams is positioned as a luxury villa in Costa Rica, but the property offers more than visual appeal. It tells the story of a family built from the ground up that remained humble despite recognition. The villa is featured on HGTV’s My Lottery Dream Home Season 18 and will also be featured on the three-time Emmy Award Travel Series Staycation.
For the Kerins, recognition matters because it reflects years of work that were often unseen. The polished side of luxury hospitality can make success appear simple, but its experience shows a different reality: every strong business has pressure behind it. Every lasting brand requires discipline. Essence of Dreams now serves travelers, entrepreneurs, executives, business owners, and charity organizations who value privacy, beauty, and a deeper story behind the destination.
Philanthropy with a Purpose
The Kerin family’s work with the villa also connects to philanthropy. Their charitable efforts have generated over $2 million in support for cancer research, children’s cancer causes, and other needs for children, including feeding programs and providing shoes and clothes. This philanthropic connection gives the property a broader role, allowing the Kerins to use their platform to support causes close to their hearts.
The couple views this stage of life as the pinnacle of their careers. They are literally on a mountain, but the meaning is personal. After decades of pressure, setbacks, growth, and reinvention, they now use their position to help others. That humility is part of their message. They remember the hard years. They remember how close they came to losing everything. They remember the moments when they had to choose perseverance over fear. Essence of Dreams reflects that memory. It is a luxury destination, but it is also a reminder that achievement can carry responsibility.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
The Kerins’ story offers a clear message for entrepreneurs: business requires more than ambition. It requires resilience, accountability, and the ability to find opportunity during uncertain seasons. Their path also shows how marriage and business can test each other. Building companies together added pressure, but it strengthened their partnership. The couple learned to laugh together, endure difficult moments, and keep moving when daily challenges became heavy.
Tim and Tracey are co-authors of 10 Lessons Learned: How to Create a Successful Business. Tim was selected by the SBA to represent the Washington, D.C., market in facilitating the Emerging Leaders National Program, providing educational challenges for CEOs focused on growth. He also mentored veterans and their spouses as they transitioned from military life into entrepreneurship. These experiences show that the Kerins’ business journey has included service beyond their own ventures. They have shared lessons with other business owners and supported people seeking a new path.
For entrepreneurs, Essence of Dreams is more than a villa name. It is proof that a business can evolve across industries when its owners stay disciplined and open to change.
Costa Rica, Luxury Travel, and a New Chapter
Costa Rica gave the Kerin family a new setting for their entrepreneurial story. The villa allowed them to move from service-based companies into hospitality while preserving the principles that guided their earlier work. Luxury travel often focuses on comfort, views, and privacy. Those elements matter, but the Kerins add a personal layer. Their villa was built by people who understand service from the ground level. They know what it means to earn trust and carry equipment down a city sidewalk before building something larger. That history gives Essence of Dreams a distinct identity, speaking to travelers who want a refined setting and business owners who understand the sacrifices behind meaningful growth.
A Mountain View With Meaning
The Kerins describe their current chapter as humbling. They have reached a point reflecting decades of work, but they do not present the journey as easy. They faced pressure, debt concerns, business setbacks, and personal sacrifice. They kept going, sought opportunity, and stayed humble as recognition arrived. Essence of Dreams now stands as a symbol of that journey. It connects luxury travel in Costa Rica with entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and family perseverance. For Tim, Tracey, and their son Jason Kerin, the villa is tied to legacy, showing what can happen when a family builds with patience, adapts through challenges, and uses success to support others.
From cleaning homes in Washington, D.C., to welcoming attention from Hollywood-linked travel circles, the Kerins’ path is rooted in one clear lesson: opportunity rewards people who keep showing up with humility, service, and the courage to continue.
