How we got into this business..

We used to stay at DCB&B for years (10). I always wanted to move to Montana so I joked with Linda if we could own this place would she move? She worked at the San Diego Zoo for 29 years (Lions, Bears, Big Cats) and I owned a small communications company. Sooo, Linda got hurt when a small tractor fell on her and the Zoo would not let her remain an animal keeper, they wanted to put her into an office behind a computer.
So we thought we'd take a couple of weeks and go to Montana and think about our future. So call went like this:
"Hello Mary? It's Stu & Linda. We want to come up in four weeks for a week in the Homestead Cabin."
"That's great Stu. Love to have you but you should know the B&B is up for sale"
"We'll be up in three days... here we come!"
We arrived on a Wednesday, spent three days literrally crawling around the place and made an offer Sunday morning. Owned it that night.
Then: Back to San Diego. Tell the Zoo the news, sell my company to my employees, tell our kids and sell our home. Mary the previous owner promised that she would stay a week to show us the ropes when we arrived.
We arrived January 13, 2005 in the middle of a snowstorm... Mary had an emergency so she could not be here and all of a sudden we were innkeepers. I oughta write a book! 95% of this is great - 5% I could easily do without. Same for guests: OUR 99% are great - almost family but there is that 1% who I can't wait to see driving out under the entryway gate... and so it goes.

We had a good week hand over here - however most people I know virtually had the keys chucked at them as the PO's ran out the door! and often with a full house of guests who got a brand new owner at breakfast!

More of this story to come, but, our PO (actually current O - we haven't closed yet) is being very helpful and allowing us to spend several days observing and asking questions.
She does have one guest booked for the day we move in. That should be an interesting day!

We were one of those... "Some day, we'd like to own a B&B ... when we retire..." folks.... LOL! We also LOVED and frequented many B&B's.
When the kids moved out, we thought, 'why wait! We have a historic property, close to everything, on a major river, close to recreational activities, half way between two big major cities... Lets go for it!" We did some (not near enough) research, redecorated, and opened with just one room. We loved it. We were one of 4 B&B's in town. Soon we opened another room and then the third room. That was 5 years ago.... and we still LOVE it! So much so that when we sell, we are going to do it again with a bigger place. And its another 'start up'. I know.. call us crazy!
OH, and we are the only one still open and operating in town.

TheBeachHouse said:

More of this story to come, but, our PO (actually current O - we haven't closed yet) is being very helpful and allowing us to spend several days observing and asking questions.
She does have one guest booked for the day we move in. That should be an interesting day!.

Click to expand...

1 is manageable - my chum had 16 bedrooms and 28 guests and no staff - it was a complete loony bin!

Where did you live in San Diego? I went to JR High at Roosevelt and used to shoot our balls over the fence to go into the zoo for the day.

Great story! Good for you for reinventing yourselves!

We stayed at a B & B in PA - with 4 kids and were walk-ins, literally! It was summer and dark so you can imagine what time it was. I was one of those who leave saying - "I could do that!"
Once I convinced DH I was serious, we went looking for "the hook" there MUST be a "Hook". Went to a couple innkeeping workshops and could not find a hook (taxes, burdensome laws, etc). Fast forward about 10 years and i walked into this house that said, "Stop looking, I'm yours." A year later my aunt had moved out (brought her to live with us & I thought she would have to croak before I could do B & B), a little redecorating, some furniture and we opened our start-up in 1996. Still cranking. Learned as I went.