"PAY" is not always in $$ in hand. My "Pay" is to live in a house that pays its own expenses, to be an economic factor in my City even though I am small, to be able to support activities in my City, and introduce many people to the wonders and beauty of my State - all things I would not be able to do if I was not an innkeeper. I would be able to survive on my other income but not in this house and I would not be in a position to do any of the other things mentioned. My pay also includes the guest who told my husband he had post-polio syndrome and us being able to pass that info on to another guest years later - and yes, in both cases it was correct and neither had ever heard of it. AND my "pay" comes directly to me and not a government although the City, State, and Feds all take a piece of the action.
My City taxes on my gross revenue - if one wants services, they must be paid for so that is OK. The guests pay the sales tax the State collects and I also pay income tax to my State. I pay real estate taxes and personal property taxes to the County - some of that comes back to my City and again falls into the services category. The Feds take everything they can get and try to figure out ways to take more - and they are too big to argue with. So my B & B pays the tax bill also..
Thank you for pointing out some of the none $ benifits of runing an inn. I think people tend to focus on the negative aspects when talking to us Aspire-ies, probably to help keep us grounded. But I like hearing the personal experiances that make it worthwhile, like being involved in your city and learning about your husbands health issue, and being able to pass that information. (What an amazing story by the way!)
You said that you would be able so survive on your other income, but would you be able to survive without another income? I guess what I'm wondering is if somebody can have all of benifits of owning a "lifestlye business" (as Harborfields put it) and still have an income that isn't immediately absorbed back into the business.
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