Running A Successful Bed And Breakfast Venture

The only true business that can be run from your ‘home’ is a Bed and Breakfast Venture.

Taking a decision to run a Bed and Breakfast establishment involves much careful consideration, planning and financial calculations. Not only will it take up a large part of your life – although with careful planning this can be kept under control, but such a venture also holds out the prospect of making a very good income for you.

Location, location, location. This is the prime consideration in any business venture, more so in the Bed and Breakfast industry. A location can vary enormously from being right in the heart of a busy town to being a remote farmhouse. There is a demand for both.

Your location will probably define the type of clientele you will attract and the level of your operation, the amount you may charge per room, the number of bookings you are likely to receive etc.

Planning means - do you already have a house that can be easily adapted to cope with a business of this nature? Perhaps you have an extension, barn, old stables even an ex-granny flat or other buildings that would lend themselves to conversion. Into this consideration will creep financial calculations. The cost of conversion etc. If these are extensive, it may be that during the life of the operation of your business you may well not fully recoup these costs. Do not despair, when you eventually decide to sell and retire on your profits, you will be able to take the cost of conversion, plus the fact that you have a flourishing, going concern for sale, which will inflate the sale price considerably.

If you are in or near to a busy town then you will be more likely to attract business people and workers. Here it is necessary to think carefully – Business people and manual workers to not mix well, requiring different standards of accommodation, working different hours and have greatly differing habits and life-styles.

If your property is in a remote location it has advantages. You can try to attract people who are seeking to ‘withdraw’ from the rat race for a few days. If you are within striking distance of a local natural attraction, i.e., a well-known walk skiing country etc. then holiday makers are more likely to be your main source of income. One set of guests may be quiet and contemplative whilst the others will probably be enjoying their adventure in the great outdoors.

A remote property it is more likely to be of the farm-house type. Here you can capitalise on this fact. Do not go overboard in modernising your furnishings, people will expect to see the rural effect, but not worn out and dejected! However quaint the farmhouse effect may be, guests will still expect the wonders of civilisation to be readily available, i.e., good bathing and toilet facilities. So whether a bucket
and chuck it at the end of the garden would be acceptable in the 21st century is a debatable point.

To all of these different types of accommodation and the types of guests you are likely to attract, you can add people who have relatives nearby who cannot accommodate them when they come to visit, wedding guests, people who are house-hunting in the area, etc. Also
consider the possibility that you may attract a totally different clientele during the week to that which you attract at the weekend.

You will see from the above four categories that you will need to reflect and consider which course of business you will be operating.

Returning to the subject of careful consideration this means assessing whether you have the right personality to cope with such a venture. It
Is essential for you to be of an out-going disposition, that you like people and are prepared to help them when necessary. You will also need to be able to ‘stand-up’ to the odd awkward customer, and will need the ability to do so in a polite, firm, fair and friendly manner. No fisticuffs at dawn! Remember a smile works wonders – but not a smirk.

For all of these variations on which type of operation you will eventually be operating, you will also need to be a good cook, keep a
clean and tidy establishment and not resent people living in ‘your’ house.

This last point can be overcome if you have an out-building that can be converted into accommodation, and then quite frankly, 50% of your problems should disappear. You will be in your own domain and the
guests will have theirs. You will not be constantly at their beck and call and will have more time on your own to relax. You will not constantly have to wear your ‘Bed and Breakfast’ smile. Your door will be locked and your time is your own.

However, if you do not have this extra building, do not despair. All that is needed is for you to make sure that your own accommodation
really is yours. Can you arrange it so that you have your own shower-room, your own sitting room, or at least some part of the house that you can use for your own relaxation?

A full description on ‘Running a Successful Bed and Breakfast Venture’ can be found at http://www.beyondbumbles.com/bedandbreakfast.htm

Jo Withey trades on eBay under the user name nowyoucantoo and has an eBay store at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/The-Money-go-round
Her web can be found at http://www.beyondbumbles.com

Are You Ready to Start a Bed and Breakfast?

One excellent type of business you may be interested in is a bed and breakfast. Since people travel all the time for fun or business there is no reason why you can't do well with it. When you are ready to start a bed and breakfast though you need to do it the right way. You can't just place a sign in the front yard of your home and cook some great meals in the kitchen.

One of the first things you really need to focus on is the location. A bed and breakfast can't survive if it isn't accessible. You may be lucky enough to live in an area with some great natural scenery. You can use that to entice people to come stay at your bed and breakfast. If there are plenty of activities in the area on a regular basis then that can benefit you as well.

Before you start a bed and breakfast you need to be honest with yourself. Are you up to the responsibility of this type of business? Are you well organized and do you enjoy being around people? The quality of the services you offer to each one of your guests is going to vital to your overall success.

You will find that you have to get up very early for this type of business as well. That way you can have a hot and delicious breakfast ready for everyone that comes in. If you don't like the mornings or you don't like to cook then this definitely isn't the right type of business for you to become a part of.

You definitely need to have a good business sense to make it work. Too many bed and breakfast locations out there are up for sale. The owner's weren't able to make it work for them. One aspect you definitely need to look very closely at is your overhead. You can't make money with this business if you owe a great deal each month on the property, utilities, and other business related expenses.

Take the time to find a place that is affordable and that will make a lovely bed and breakfast. You may find a place that needs to be fixed up is perfect and will cost you less. You may be able to buy a location that has been used as a bed and breakfast for a great price too. The owner's may just be attempting to get themselves out from underneath it.

If you feel you are ready to start a bed and breakfast then you need to work to make your dream come true. Have a good time with decorating and setting things up. You want the appearance both inside and out to be very inviting. You want each guest to feel comfortable when they stay with you.

Don't forget how important advertising is as well. If your rooms are empty than that is money you missed out on. Make it a goal to fill up your bed and breakfast each day. You can advertise locally as well as online. Creative brochures you can offer as well as listings with the area hotels.

Establishing your own website is a great way to advertise as well. People will find it very exciting to see pictures of it on your site. In many instances this will help them decide to secure a reservation. If you feel you are ready to start a bed and breakfast then do your very best to make it successful.

Patti Rob writes about the ups and downs of starting and [http://www.bedandbreakfastprofits.com/running.htm ]running a B&B. You can avoid the common rookie mistakes and take the B&B Owners Quiz at [http://www.bedandbreakfastprofits.com/ ]BedandBreakfastProfits.com