In a recent blog post I talked about how important education was in the pursuit of starting a bed and breakfast.  My analogy was that taking a seminar as the first step in exploring and learning about the world of hospitality is just like your first steps as a toddler where everything you explore is at a newer and higher level.  Our seminars cover so many important aspects of the bed and breakfast industry that our attendees end up viewing their dream from many different angles.  Reality does not squash the dream, it just brings it into focus.

One aspect of our seminars helps our attendees focus not only on the location of your bed and breakfast but the important question; “Do I/we want to live in that location”? Many people fall in love with a building which may be set on a beautiful piece of land but don’t think of the overall area, town or village which may not meet their personal (or business)  needs. This is just one of many topics we cover. Another is how to assess and value a property.  Quoting from our seminar book, “You MUST understand what you are buying and why, so you will know what to pay.”  We go over, step by step, the process we use in our bed and breakfast valuations. This reality check helps prospective buyers avoid costly mistakes, mistakes we see all too often.  I called these mistakes the “ouchies” in my recent blog.

We at The B&B Team offer our seminars in a wide variety of locations throughout the year. We choose wonderful inns in wonderful locations to host our seminar guests. We have two upcoming seminars, one at The Inn at Turkey Hill in Bloomsburg, PA taught by Scott Bushnell.  The next seminar is in Kennebunkport, Maine at the Captain Jefferds Inn taught by Peter, Rick and myself. Everyone on the team loves to teach and we believe our graduates have a great time while learning.  As you know in hospitality it is all about the guest!  In our seminars it is all about our attendees!  

So which is it, a dream or a reality, in your pursuit of starting a bed and breakfast?  We believe both are equally important, but as a future innkeeper, you can’t have one without the other. The entrepreneurial spirit is all about pursuing your dreams. Go for I, but take that first step and learn the realities or you may have a nightmare on your hands, especially if your location is on Elm Street…get it?

Janet Wolf