Newbie no more

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

YellowSocks

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2008
Messages
2,179
Reaction score
13
In case anyone is tracking, back in 2005 I joined the previous forum as an Aspiring.
In 2006 we bought our house, and I coined the term "Expectant" innkeeper... lots of money being spent, mindset was changed and not as clueless.
In 2007 we opened our first room.
In 2008 we got our sign out front, and all four rooms in place, but I was still a Newbie innkeeper... carrying two phones with me while in the house, for example.
Now, two years later, I'm officially a Veteran innkeeper. I have decided:
  • I no longer answer the phone after 9 p.m. (unless I'm awake and feel like it)
  • I no longer answer the phone before 9 a.m. (unless breakfast is done and I feel like it)
  • I no longer fret about whether or not I forwarded the phones (although I still do it most of the time)
  • If someone calls asking about availability for tonight, I quote the same rate as I would for next week, and I secretly hope they don't call back
  • I will take one day a week off (generally Monday or Tuesday) even if it means making breakfast and then leaving everything else to the next day
  • I regularly have no idea where my guests are from, and sometimes only a vague recollection of their names
What's great is now that dh is here full-time I'm actually catching my breath and getting a lot of marketing ideas. I created my first FB ad. We're doing some cooperative marketing with another B&B. All of my accounts are balanced and my paperwork up-to-date. Even better, we're starting to sort out his, mine, and our jobs and starting to enjoy ourselves a little. Now that he's not at the factory, we can go out together as a family mid week, or take a vacation in April AND November (which he never could with his job).
So what if we're broke? We're starting to really like what we do and what lies ahead!
=)
Kk.
 
Congratulations! You're right, you are officially a vetran! It's a totally different mindset, isn't it!?!?! It doesn't mean you don't still worry about things, but now you can put things in more of a perpective.
I'm so happy your DH is now a full partner in the day to day happenings. I'd rather be broke and happy than rich and miserable.
You're an inspiration to aspirings everywhere. Thanks for sharing.
 
So what if we're broke?
There is another condition? Truthfully, the few times we were "comfortable" we really were not happy. I guess things were too easy. I have been broke most of my life - it is a condition I understand. When I am flush, I think I have to help everyone and next thing you know, I am back to being in my "comfort zone" - broke.
 
Good for you! And thanks for the light at the end of the tunnel... I can't see it, but it's good to hear it's there!
 
Congratulations and thank you for sharing! I so relate to your sentiments.
It's wonderful to appreciate the joys and rewards of this lifestyle (despite the fact they are generally not in the form of vast amounts of money)!
 
What? You don't get rich doing this? That was not in the B&B seminar! haha
 
Congratulations! You are a true veteran, but there is so much more to learn--Broke? Thats a relative term isn't it? When we where "very well off" we could do whatever we wanted, now looking back on the "very well off" stage of our lives we can see that we spent more money on stupid crap and on instant gratification than we should have and now that we are on the "broke" side we realize that we needed the aewakening of taking things for granted like paying the bills on time...ha ha.
We are now Innkeepers of someone else's Inn, and we LOVE it, not that we don't someday want to have our own one again; but this is the best job we both have had. We don't make "bank" (as my children put it) but there is more to life than having a job cause its a job and brings in the $$.
Welcome to the best job in the world! There are some ugly aspects, but overall its a GREAT job.
 
Two years is a veteran? I hate to know what I am. No don't answer that, I already said I am now a curmudgeon and I am keeping that title!
tounge_smile.gif
 
You provided me with my first laugh of the day!
Our timeline is similar to yours. The house was 'finished' (when are they ever really finished?), we're now adding an ancillary vacation rental, self contained flat, for those who don't need breafast. Separate building, their own key. Should complement what we do here nicely.
We're getting our routines down, we're pleased at the number of repeats we're getting, and we're working with our other local B&Bs and our local park, to help draw in visitors for the growing local food scene and the great kayaking, canoing, and fishing this area has to offer.
This forum has saved us from expensive mistakes and provided the collective wisdom of much experience.
Thank you all.
Now experienced, still learning, and very grateful,
KathleenM
 
I'm just over the line to veteran... I'm still relatively new, and full of ideas and marketing schemes and plans. I'll let you label yourself!
And yes, broke is relative and we're not really, really broke. I'm as frugal as ever (yay, yard sales!), but frankly, I think we're taking more vacations now than we ever did before! Cheap vacations, but still... getting away on the spur of the moment was impossible when we both worked full time. Now I'm seriously hoping to go camping at least a few times this summer... local, cheap camping.
I am fortunate that in my area are a lot of innkeepers who have been doing this a LONG time (13-26 years) to set me a great example. I am still a total neophyte compared to them!
=)
Kk.
 
Congrats on making it this far on your way to becoming a veteran innkeeper. It's great that you have your dh there to help you with the work.
 
Congratulations! Everything changes when you have "a partner in crime". When my dh is here my stress level is at zero. It's just knowing there's someone with whom to share the experience. Vacations now take on a whole new meaning. We get away as much as we can and really, really relax.
 
I think the reason she made it this far is because of the twin boys.
wink_smile.gif
.
The DSx2 are one of the main reasons she chose innkeeping. Someone told her it was hard work and she wanted them to grow up knowing what hard work is. Wise lady.
 
Back
Top