Hi another top tip whether you are looking to buy a B&B, a house to convert to the above or to expanding your own operation. Take a good look at your boiler! will it take the extra load? We are going to put in another 3 rooms and build a flat so we are going to have to put in a second boiler to run this extra capacity. The one we have is right up to the limit so as we want to put in another couple of radiators and put in some larger ones we are going to have to change that as well therefore my advice is check that what you have will provide enough hot water. We have a lot of electric showers which produce their own hot water which is very useful when we have 11 showers on the go at once. Also it is important to think about when you do things for example we don't use the dishwasher or washing machines at the same time as peak showering time so be prepared to amend your schedule.

Just finished reading Owning and Managing a Bed and Breakfast by Lisa Angowski Rogak this is the first book I have read which addresses the psycological aspects of running a B&B she also speaks to travel writers about what it is they are looking for and recomend which is also a first. This is however quite an old volume and is mainly set in 1994. However all the advice that is given would be applicable to now however she doesn't really cover the internet at all except to say in the future people will probably do all their booking by email. I would say this is a good place to start as it also includes advice on how to write a business plan but be aware it is dated and is mainly aimed at the American market. All in all well written and worth reading.

Some advice if you are having a bad day Watch Legally Blond Two it will imediately perk you up. And regard my previous post but one.

Don't fight the fabric change it! No one will help you but you! And people often say to me oh but I don't have the time for that kind of thing. Well if you don't pull your finger out you will have entirely too much time on your hands!

Another tip is to take advantage of every opportunity to promote your business. I myself am delivering yellow pages and with every one they get a flyer about my Guest House so in effect Yellow Pages are paying me to do my advertising. This can also be done with Polling cards so if you have any kids or friends delivering anything you can bribe them to help you!

Went on a marketing course the other day and many of the other people were from rural areas out in the Yorkshire Dales. They were all complaining to the teacher of the class that the Tourism Parknership's brochures and website were rubbish and mainly focused on Harrogate ( I kept quite that I was from there!) and that they had complained in writing about it and many had withdrawn from it.

I felt like saying and I probably should well why dont' you do something about it! If it was me I would say right A I am going to form the rural dales B&B, Guest House and Selfcatering Accomodation association and get everyone I can think of to join. Then I would say to all the members you bring in anyone you can think of. This would be free. You would have to elect a chairperson to speak for you but then you could say to the Tourism network TIC or whoever I represent 10,000 bed spaces in Yorkshire YOU WILL LISTEN TO WHAT WE WANT!

I would also get our own web site set upand if everyone put in £10.00 it would be paid for and I would put it in sections i.e. Leyburn - Accomodation in Leyburn, Things to do in and arround Leyburn, Places to eat in Leyburn and so on.

Susan Briggs is right people are lazy so if you give them the whole package then they are more likely to come.

If you don't like what people are doing for you and charging you a lot for then do something else!

We used to advertise with the TIC every year and did not decern any bonus so one year we decided not to bother and see how it went we have not lost out and have saved quite a bit of money.

Also if enough people withdraw then it is likeley the TIC, TOurism Partnership etc will notice and pull their socks up as they want the money. This is called voting with your feet!

There are other benefits to being organised the first is it is easier to make referals or advertise vacancies for example with the Harrogate organisation if you have a late cancellation for a buisy time then you send off an email and if anyone in the group has someone ringing up for those dates but is full then they know where to send someone.

The second benefit is that you can get bulk discounts for example if you say to a printer I want 30 sets of brochures printing, 30 sets of business cards and stationary what deal are you going to do for me?

You also can club together to get deals on things like toiletries as in rural areas you have to have them delivered and if you order more than so much then you get a discount. So if you have any close neighbours then you could club together any order in bulk and then get it for a better price.

So top tip from me get organised people and don't be too British! I wrote them a letter about it doesn't get it done.

ten tips from Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide by James Stephenson

1. Don't enlarge your logo so it's the main focus of the page. People are interested in what you're selling, not who you are. In fact, the smaller your logo, the more established your company will appear. Check out ads by pros like Nike or Hewlett-Packard.

2. Don't place your logo in the text of your piece. Of course it's fine to use the name of your company in the text of any of your marketing materials, but inserting your actual logo into a headline or body copy is design suicide.

3. Don't use every font at your disposal. Choose one or two fonts for all your materials to build brand equity. Your font choices should be consistent with your image and your industry. For example, a conservative industry = conservative font.

4. Don't use colour indiscriminately. More colour doesn't necessarily make something more appealing. Often it just makes it loud and off-putting. Most, if not all, your text should be the same colour, preferably black for readability. For a unique look, try duotone photographs or print in two colours.

5. Don't be redundant. Don't repeat the name of your industry or product in your company name and your tagline and your headline. Potential customers know your inductry. Restating it implies you don't.

6. Don't choose loq-quality or low resolution photography. A photo may look great in an album, but unless it features balanced lighting and good composition, it's not print worthy. Photos need to be at least 300dpi. And yes, people can tell the difference.

7. Don't fill up every inch of white space on the page. White space, or negative space, brings focus to what's important and gives the eye a rest. You may have a lot to say, but cramming it all in creates chaos and minimizes impact. Your piece will end up visually over-whelming. Think less, now more.

8. Don't focus on the details of your product or service; instead focus on how it benefits your audience. Unless your product is extremely technical, make your offering relvant to your audience by emphasizing its benefits not its features.

9. Don't do exactly what your competitors are doing. When you're positioning your product, it's good to know your competition. But don't copy them. Find out what your customers want and are attracted to. Stand out without sticking out.

10. Don't change design styles with every marketing piece you create. Strive for a consistent look and feel, keeping the same fonts and logo placement. If you use photos in one ad, don't use illustrations in another. If you place your logo in the middle of one brochure, don't place it at the top-right corner in another.

Another tip is don't be coy about booking or showing people how to book. Get it right out there not at the back of your website where you have to trail through pages and pages to find it. Get your contact details and book now information on the very first page of your site. Its a bit british I know this reticance but if you want to get some business then GET OVER IT!

What I am also thinking of doing is putting a list in the guests bedrooms saying what facilities would you like to see here and what would enhance your stay and seeing what people actualy want rather than assuming as I have a feeling I may be surprised.
1. Wi-Fi
2. Take away quality Bath products
3. Mini Business centre
4. Acquiring a premisis Liscence
5. Providing Dinners
6. Mini Bars in every room
7. Fresh Milk provided in rooms
8. Further range of complimentary products ie shoe shine kits
9. Further options at breakfast
and then a line on the bottom to say any suggestions I havn't thought of

This is one of the most important rules of the hospitality trade never assume you know what the public wants be sure of it and then make sure they get it. However quite often they don't know what they want till you tell them.

I have just started reading Ultimate Small business Marketing Guide By James Stephenson I'll let you all know if it is any good!

Went to a marketing in a downturn seminar to be honest it was not as helpful as I had hoped but one thing was comming through loud and clear don't complete on price alone as there will always be someone who will go cheaper what you want to compete on is value for money. Also make sure if you are doing something cool make sure you promote it. For example do you use your own eggs to make breakfast then you can promote this as you can meet the chickens that make your eggs, you can help collect eggs, you could give away a free box on departure as a free gift and so on these suggestions are free or virtually free and are special. Another suggestion is one that was mentioned to me buy a friend who does training courses all over the country she stayed at a posh hotel and they provided large bottles of quality branded bath products and were displayed saying please feel free to take these with you which left her warm and fuzzy the feeling was destruyed however by the £10.00 a glass of wine so make sure things balance out.

Just remembered if you or your guests get wax on anything there is a quick and easy way to get it out put your iron on the top setting and then put a piece of kitchen paper over where the wax is then iron it ( the paper) and the wax melts and goes into the paper. I have used this countless times as my boyfriend works with candles all the time and one time he sliped in it and it was all over his trousers and now you would never know.

Please also be aware that the AA or whoever comes to inspect your place depending who you sign up with are a bit odd. The things they require seem a bit pointless to me but we play along because it is necessary. One of their latest requirements is that bathrooms be tiled up to the height of the sink in the bathroom which was a painful job for my father doing round the sinks. However take their suggestions such as have you thought about a selection of dried nuts with breakfast with a pinch of salt be polite and carry on as you wish to. We took the suggestion of having prunes and grapefruit on the menu and now simply have a few tins of each in to show her every time she comes they are very rarely asked for and my mum usually eats them! But it is required so we carry on.

Be aware that there may be a guest house and or B&B association in your area this is worth joining as they can often be involved in joint marketing events and can negotiate bulk discounts in certain cases. It may well be that you make friends with other owners this way and you may club together with them we tend to work with the people in our street to get bulk discounts.
I cannot stress this enough if you are just starting out as being your own boss have a good business plan. A few notes on the back of an envelope is not going to cut it! Shop around and ask a ton of questions for example:-

1. What is the interest rate and what will you have to make from the business to pay for it every month does this seem manageable as the bank will always want their money.

2. Never plan to be full all the time this is madness and your bank will think so to and write you off right away. If you can pay all the bills on 30% occupancy then this is more reasonable. By occupancy I mean if you only let rooms 30% of the time ie one third of the year would you make enough money to break even.

3. Look at figures for Gas, Electric and Water if you have a three bed house now then at least triple what you are paying now.

4. Marketing costs – ring printers and ask they will be happy to tell you how much 1000 business cards costs, brochures etc.

5. List everything and anything you can think of and then add a bit more. If it can go wrong then it will.

6. Specialist insurance costs ask a broker.

7. Soaps, shampoo, mending kits and so on they are all on the internet have a look.

8. Cleaning products

9. Renovations and be realistic about what needs doing and then double it.

10. Have a really good look at the property I would go to see at least three times before purchasing and make sure you look at everything from the basement to the loft!

11. If you are going to buy in an area that you don’t know the advice in a book I am currently reading is go to the local tea room and ask what the reputation is like. This may be useful but what is more to the point is get on trip adviser and speak to the local TIC I find they are terrible gossips and you are more likely to get a good picture of the real state of affairs.

12. If you are going to do your own laundry then get down to the shops and see what the prices of pillowcases etc really are not what you think they are. Something to consider is using catalogue that allow you to spread the costs of things. It does mean more cost in the end but it does spread your initial costs. On the other side of this if you are buying a going concern make sure whether they are leaving the linen or not as if not you have to have enough sets ready to go from day one. The same goes for duvets and pillows never assume what people are going to leave make sure of everything! Also Joanne says make sure they are leaving the linen they showed you not the scruffy rags left over and taking the good stuff with them!

13. A good point is to look at what the previous sellers are spending money on Joanne Muller in her book points out if they are spending no money or very little on advertising but say they are nearly always full then where are the people coming from?

14. Also if you have fallen in love with a place in a remote location check things like is the place on mains sewers, gas, water etc as these can be very expensive and tricky to run if you have always lived in a city and have no experience of them. If you are experienced in this area you’ll probably be fine but if the property was previously only domestic it may be worth reassessing capacity as you will have a lot more turnover than previously. (especially the septic tank!)

15. Joanne also mentions how they were taken in as the owners told the surveyor that a guest was in a particular room so he could not see it but it was fine. When they completed and went in the room it stank of damp there was water pouring down the back of the wardrobe and it turned out the roof was leaking and a costly repair. Now you can sue them for this but it doesn’t get your roof mended right away.

16. Try to avoid a place with little or no off street parking whatever you think about the quietness of the street and ability of your guests to get parked also you will not be popular with your neighbours if they can’t get parked either.

You may also wish to advertise in your local paper which may seem odd but if you offer for example afternoon tea or the equivalent then it may be worth it. When I worked in a larger hotel 42 Beds we advertised our restaurant with a free wine coupon every week which produced good results but unless you are of an equivalent size I think the money could be better spent elsewhere.

If you are buying a going concern you may be tied into a few of the previous owners advertising commitments but be vary wary of this is what they do so I’ll do it to unless you are very sure that what they are doing is producing results. What we do if we are trying a new idea when people call we ask them how they heard about us and if the new advertisement is mentioned then we know it is working.

Be very wary of anyone who wants you to pay a fee upfront for the hundreds of bookings they say they will bring you this is RUBBISH! I only deal with agencies who work on a commission only basis i.e. they get a percentage of any rooms they sell for you. This way they have an incentive to work for you and get you lots of bookings and get them for a good price. My father asked me what I thought about Infotel they were asking for an upfront fee and promising a large number of bookings I warned him against them on the basis that once they had his money they had no incentive to drive business his way. In a year we had one booking from them as they only wanted rooms when we were full anyway he complained and finally got his money back for breach of promise but it was a long and drawn out process.

People from many and various local papers will ring to persuade you to advertise with them. My advice here is to pick and choose carefully. My parents when in conversation with a guest he recommended we advertise in the magazine which related to the show he was attending to do with small animals this cost £15.00 and generated a full house of guests who returned up to date three years running in a very quiet time of year. These special interest magazines can be useful if you have for example good fishing etc near to you and sometimes newspapers can generate good results but don’t spend too much money if you have never heard of a particular paper as it is unlikely to have a very large circulation.

Remember to take advantage of any points or savings schemes from your supermarkets. You will be buying ten times the amount of stuff you buy now so they soon mount up. The main schemes are Tesco Points and Sainsburys Points, if you have an ASDA Store card you get good cash back but make sure you pay it off in full every month because they have a very high rate of interest. Also shop around for your credit card you can do as my parents do collect a great number of air miles if you are careful. This is especially the case if you have to buy a lot of big things like washing machines and beds. Also it can be economical from the point of view that the bank charges you to put money into your current account and to take it out. They do not however charge you to use your credit card and the transaction to pay it off is classed as one transaction so this may be cheaper to manage your money this way. Also you have the second advantage of the itemised receipt from the credit card and if anything goes wrong with your purchase you have a secondary guarantee. Only do this though if you have the discipline to pay it off every month!

Another point is that if you open for example a tin of beans and you only use half you must put what is left over in a proper container not just put cling film over the tin as this can lead to a type of mettle poisoning as most tins are not made entirely of tin only tin coated so once you open them the tin seal is broken and you don’t want your guests poisoned.

Try to make your breakfast room as much self service as you can. Some people start out pouring juice and coffee etc but believe me you are going to have enough to do without adding to it. We leave all the juice, cereal and toast ready for the customers to sort out themselves and concentrate on the cooked breakfast. Tea and Coffee can be self service to but we do it on a pot by pot basis. It is however easy to get a coffee percolator where the guests can help themselves which makes a nice coffee smell for the guests to come down to.

Top Tips from this book on the area of food are:
1. If you have any food delivered to you, check the state of the delivery vans. Contamination of food can begin long before it reaches you.

2. Refuse bins should be maintained in good condition and cleaned frequently.

3. Don’t scatter food for birds near the guest house. This can encourage vermin, or the formation of a pigeon colony.

4. Always buy good quality food, check it on arrival, and separate damaged fruit and vegetables for quick use.

5. Watch for damaged food packets and containers, and check surfaces of packets for farinaceous (starchy type stuff I had to look this up) material for possible insect infestation. (i.e. check your flour etc doesn’t have bugs in it.)

6. Ensure that your food stores are well ventilated, and fly proof.

7. Rotate your food supplies to avoid stale bread, old packs and smells which may affect sound food.

8. Check your food stores regularly (floor and shelves) for spillages which may attract vermin.

9. Always allow sufficient time for freezer-stored food to defrost. I know you can perform defrosting miracles with modern microwaves, but you can be in real trouble if you cook certain foods, particularly meats, which have not defrosted right through.

10. Make sure all your kitchen work surfaces are thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis, and keep a close check on that surface, or board, on which you do most of your meat and vegetable cutting. If it’s cracked or has deep indentations, it’s time it was replaced. A quick wipe over with a damp cloth will only encourage the breeding of germs, not remove them. (also I would not be happy using boards that come with a place I myself have the Pyrex kind as they don’t mark, double up as a heat resistant surface if you have one on the side next to the hob and can be put in the dishwasher for extra cleanness.) Do not however prepare food on ones that you have just put mucky pots on I have three one by the hob, one for meat and one for veg.

11. Don’t use fly sprays and other aerosols while there’s open food around. The fly which is buzzing around your sink while you peel the potatoes may be very annoying, but don’t start chasing it with a spray.

12. If you employ part-time staff – perhaps a morning waitress or washer up, or vegetable peeler – check their appearance and state of cleanliness regularly. Dirty clothes, finger nails, unkempt hair, open cuts, hair scratching and smoking are not conductive to kitchen hygiene.

13. Always use the proper lids, containers or other items to cover food which is in preparation – not the tea towel which has been used for dish drying.

Top tips from the book I am reading Called Running Your Own Guest House By Stanley Wright, this is an older volume but well written and interesting. He gives some good advice on room lay out and I am just making note of his pointers about Guest House naming. He says that the name should reflect what you really are for example the Woodlands is no good in the middle of a housing estate and be wary of using joke names as many may not have the same sense of humour as you and there is no point putting people off before they even get in. Make sure you don’t put too much info on your sign as guests can be easily confused and can’t take it all in as they wiz past in a car. It is also important to make sure that you can see the sign clearly from a car as too small is worse than useless.

A few thoughts on furniture one Lamps should have large bases anything too spindly will get knocked over and I also would not recommend the ones which have a ceramic vase on the bottom as they seem to get smashed on a regular basis. As regards wardrobes you will only need small ones people will be staying with you only a short time so it is necessary to have at most enough hanging space for about a week. Don’t try and compete with your own wardrobe which is bulging at the seams they won’t need the space and it takes over the whole room.

Also a thought when you are buying your property is that from the tax point of view any mortgage you may have can be offset against tax so it may be that this is something to take into account when you are deciding how much to borrow and what you can afford. There is also to consider when you are deciding how much to borrow the consideration of how much you will need to spend to get things up to scratch as quite often when people are preparing to sell they let things slide and for any start up costs such as new brochures etc. Make sure your sums add up! This is why it is so important to do a thorough business plan as this is where most people go bankrupt.

Be aware that unless you are a big operation you will qualify for small business rate relief take a look on your local council and make sure you fill out your application straight away. This can mean a reduction in your business rates of 50% which as I am sure you can appreciate is worth having. When I worked at the Inland Revenue I was always astonished how many people just pay up and ask no questions when all it takes is a phone call to dramatically reduce your bills. Make sure that you are getting everything that you are entitled to. Also if you have not been applying for small business rate relief they will back date it.

“You need, as you do in every branch of public service, a fixed smile, the hide of a rhinoceros, and the ability to laugh in adversity – preferably genuinely.”
Be realistic about how much work you can really do. I know so many people who nearly flog themselves to death at the outset trying to do everything yourself. I am not suggesting that you farm everything out or you won’t make a profit but look very carefully at how much there is to do and decide accordingly. If the people you are taking over from have a girl Friday then there is probably a good reason for this so don’t just assume that you can manage without. You can do all your rooms without help on your own but I guarantee that you won’t have time to do anything else. If there is a partner make sure that they pull their weight. I often find that one partner does the rooms and one the paperwork which is often the best arrangement but some days when you have a full change they have to be willing to jump into the fray.