#1 most important thing to do first after buying an inn?

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Before the previous owners head off into the sunset be sure to get their phone list of who to call in an emergency.
We had owned our place less than a month when the sewer backed up into a guest room. Without the plumber's info right at hand, it would have been a larger disaster than it was.
Get a list of all the passwords for all the accounts you're taking over. We had to get a lawyer involved to get the password for the website!
Get a list of every website the place is listed on.
Good luck!.
Thanks! Your advice on this forum is invaluable and I respect your tips! We have this per contract. It helps that I'm a web designer by trade (designer by trade for 25+) years. All I will need is the domain log in and I'm good. AIR is making me create a new account. Trip Advisor, expedia are able to switch us over. haven't heard about Booking.com or others yet. We are switching from ResKey to Checkfront/My Allocator for accomodation/PMS software. I've already got the new set up ready to go. Just going to switch it over on the 9th. I'm also an expert on SEO and online marketing, I do it for all my clients. I hope it helps!
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I'm going to chuckle here, but it's really good-natured and not mean - you're going to take care of 11 rooms, build a website, continue with outside clients, handle marketing, laundry, cooking, maintenance, guest relations, etc etc in the same 24 hour day we all have?
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The two previous owners, each couples, were doing it before us with no problems and they were doing it the hardest ways possible. We have implemented so many time saving ways of doing things, more practical and cost effective things in just the month we’ve owned it, I believe we will manage all of it and more in less time than you can imagine. My wife will work at the medical clinic 3 days a week, essentially paying all of our bills with her job, we hire out the $10/hr. jobs and do the $100/hr. jobs (as our broker told us and it’s good advice). My monthly design clients are pretty easy going and excited for us, there will be time to take on new clients and from what the previous owners tell me, there was lots of idle time between job duties, boring as they told us. And we believe they were half assing it as innkeepers. All that said, I hope we haven’t underestimated our abilities but I’m also hoping your cynicism, no matter how good-natured, is wrong.
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James Wedmore has a fantastic podcast about entrepreneurship. One of his best pieces of advice is to think about how valuable your time is. Hiring out the $10/hour jobs and doing the jobs that require a higher pay rate is excellent entrepreneurship. :)
 
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