How to Start a Bed and Breakfast Business 1-2-3

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How to Start a Bed & Breakfast

Bed and Breakfast hotels are becoming more and more popular as people become more adventurous in their travels, a large number of baby boomers are traveling and travelers are looking for a unique vacation without having to pay to travel halfway across the world.

If you enjoy being around people and have the desire to create a unique, relaxing or adventurous environment for visitors, you can do very well in this field - while having a good time! USA Today even says that an increasing number of business travelers are staying at B&B's. You can learn how to get started with your own Bed and Breakfast from experts using this step-by-step business start-up guide.

See what you get >>

• How to buy and remodel your B&B, how to estimate B&B Renovation & furnishing costs
• Legal and business structure step-by-step, setting up your front office and B&B startup costs
• Understanding daily operations and how to figure out your bottom line
• Use B&B advertising and marketing techniques and how to increase your B&B profits
• Get it Risk-Free >> Start Your Own Bed & Breakfast Business

B&B Business Resources:

Get a Business License Register Your Business Name Open a Business Bank Account Small Business Loans Free Business Insurance Quotes Business Accounting Software Easy Payroll Online

Download Business Forms & Templates Business Phone Systems | Online Fax Accept Credit Cards Free Business Cards Design Your Own Logo Find Local Customers Online Open an Online Store

Hire Help the Easy Way:

Easily find a team of experts to help you build your business - virtually. Save money in overhead costs, get work done more quickly and eliminate payroll hassles.

• Website Designers and Software Developers
• Marketers, Salespeople and Telemarketers
• Accounting and Bookkeeping Assistants
• People to handle Customer Service and Administrative Tasks
• oDesk makes outsourcing easy and affordable so you can grow your business faster
• Get a Free Tour, Post a Job

Marketing Strategies for Bed & Breakfast Businesses 

T I P : Trouble Filling Rooms at Your B&B? Get Found by Travelers - Online! SBI can turn any bed and breakfast business into a success with their proven online strategy. Follow their 4 simple steps, and you'll have the guests you want - calling you! See free video to Find Out How

29 Ways to Get More B&B Reservations

Take the guesswork out of finding customers by picking up the best marketing guide I've found. You'll find out free and extremely low cost ways to attract new clients to your business with very little effort - saving you tons of money

Respected Small Business Marketing Expert David Frey shows you how to implement these strategies right away, for immediate profit. >> The Small Business Marketing Resource

Advertise Your Travel Business Online
If you have a vacation property, a tour business or travel service, you can get access to millions of interested customers online with a travel directory like RealAdventures. Find customers who have money to spend and want help planning a vacation. It can't get much easier than this. Start here >> Get customers for your travel business

Design Your Own Promo Items
National Pen has lots of cool items that you can customize with your logo - hand them out to prospective customers, and they'll think you're cool too! This is an easy way to invite a client to do business with you. Start here >> Design Your Own Promo Items

More B&B Business Tips:

• Save Money on Your Taxes
  Don't underestimate the value of tax knowledge! Small business changes can effect your profit in great ways. Discover over 20 deductions you can take for your business and how to save money getting your taxes done.
  
  
• Incorporate Your Business in 3 Easy Steps
  Are you better off forming a C Corporation, or would you be better off in an LLC or Partnership business? Find out here which one will maximize your business profits and how you can get started easily online.
  
  
• Avoid Legal Fees with Do-it-Yourself Small Business Legal Forms
  You want to avoid problems and protect your business at minimal cost. These standardized legal documents can help you do that with buy/sell/rent contracts, hiring forms, borrowing and lending paperwork and much more (over 60 legal forms WITH Instructions!) Think of all the money you'll save.
  
  
• Free Business Insurance Quotes
  Do you need business insurance? Find out what kind of benefits you can get with a free quote, you may be surprised at the price!

How to Open a Bed and Breakfast

Opening a bed and breakfast is a challenging task and not for everyone. If you've always dreamed of having your own B&B, make sure you know what's involved so your dream doesn't turn to a nightmare. Follow these steps:

1. Assess whether or not you have the personality to be a good B&B host. You need to be outgoing and friendly at all times. You need to be on call 24/7. Talk to some bed and breakfast owners. Ask about their day-to-day activities. Is this the kind of life you're prepared to lead?
   
2. Find a location that is not only a place you'd like to live and work, but is also a place visitors would come to. This might be in or near a popular tourist spot, or it might be an out-of-the-way corner where passers-through can stop for rest and good food. Make sure there is something distinctive and alluring about the surroundings.
   
   
3. Check the zoning laws in the area. Be aware that not all cities allow bed and breakfasts. You must also check if there are any food service restrictions. If you're remodeling or restoring an older building, make sure you comply with all local building codes. Your contractor should be handling this for you, but it's your responsibility, so check on him.
   
   
4. Create a business plan. You need to know as closely as possible, what your costs will be in order to set your prices. Talk to other bed and breakfast owners, who may be willing to share their numbers with you. You can also contact the American Bed and Breakfast Association (ABBA, or a similar organization in your country) for any guidelines they may have.
   
   
5. Determine the number of guests you'll have at any one time. If you have more than five guest rooms in the U.S., you'll have to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This may entail installing wheelchair ramps and other handicap conveniences and providing handicap parking.
   
   
6. Check the competition in your chosen area. You'll need to set your prices to stay competitive and you may find a way to get an edge by offering services they don't.
   
   
7. Be realistic about your marketing costs when creating your marketing plan. They can be expensive. Find ways to get free press - press releases, articles in travel magazines, editorial coverage of your special events, etc.
   
   
8. Put up a website and get your B&B listed in all the guides and directories. Keep an eye on the competition's advertising. What's working for them could work for you.
   
   
9. Hire staff as needed. At first you'll need a housekeeper for sure. As your bed and breakfast grows more popular, you may need to add a cook, a bartender, a waiter and a gardener.
   
   
10. It's a good idea to hire a reservation service, like B&B Midwest Reservations. This will not only reduce your workload, but it will eliminate the need to get and pay for a credit card merchant account and it will expose your B&B to a wider audience of potential future guests than you could do on your own. It's somewhat costly, so use your judgment and don't forget to take these fees into consideration when setting your prices.
    
    
11. Set up the rules of your bed and breakfast. Things to consider include hours of check-in and checkout, whether or not pets will be welcomed, cancellation and late arrival policies, whether children and smoking will be allowed.
    
    
12. Plan the details that will keep your guests returning - a good wine list, excellent food, spotless rooms, tours of local attractions and those special personal touches.
    
    
13. Join ABBA and other useful organizations like your local chamber of commerce. This will increase awareness of your business in the community.

Follow these steps carefully and turn your bed and breakfast dream into a reality.

Michael Russell | Your Independent guide to Bed and Breakfast

Bed and Breakfast Associations

• Professional Association of Innkeepers, Intl.
  For innkeepers—offering innkeeping courses & seminars on starting and running a bed and breakfast.
• American Bed and Breakfast Association
  The American Bed and Breakfast Association is an organization dedicated to the promotion of bed & breakfast (B & B) inns nationwide.
• Hospitality Net
  Founded in 1946 in Paris, France and move to Geneva, Switzerland as of January 2008. The IH&RA is the only business organisation representing the hospitality industry worldwide.