Bed and Breakfast - My New Enterprise

Every good idea takes a while. So says a German proverb.

It is, therefore, high time for planning if I like to take my plans for a my "Bed and Breakfast" inn to the next level, its opening stage, which will take place in some years from now. If you, dear reader, are also planning a Bed and Breakfast or another small enterprise, may I then suggest that we go there together?

There is a lot of information on the subject of creating your own business and I have already collected some of this.

Not long ago, I bought this Groupon Deal: Founding your own bed and breakfast. It was extremely budget, offered by Laudius, a provider of distance learning. With an extra discount, it was so low-price, I had to buy it, just to read it.

Since I had enjoyed so many stays at bed and breakfast inns, on a farm, or in a small inn, I just had to read it. Because I so much love the bed and breakfast idea. I had always enjoyed staying at a bed a d breakfast biz. Only, I hadn't thought of founding one myself.

The class I subscribed to was marvelous, abounding with info on business foundation and development. Actually, I had also subscribed to a class on business foundation offered by the same company. Now that I was reading all the lessons on my own bed and breakfast biz, I realized that a small bed and breakfast business epitomizes every aspect of the small biz. It seems a really classy way of setting one's own business up and running.

The marketing, here, comes as a package. The place? My home, of course. Is that a good place? Of course not.

So at what price can I offer the accommodation?  Probably at no good price at all. How can that situation be improved?

This will be the subject of my location plan. I will later think about the price of my offer, only so much later.

From that point of view, there wouldn't be much more to do for a planning, right now. The questions of place and price have to be solved, first. Or don't they?

There's more to marketing and it all starts with the client. The next thing I am wondering about is: Who are my ideal clients and how can I attract them?

Since I am not in the possession of a large estate in the countryside, I wouldn't be able to invite golf players, dog holders, big families, hikers.

Am I really not? Maybe, I could attract some hikers, provided I can entice them to urban hiking. If I suggest some really interesting tours to our region, they might choose my biz for a short stay and even come back again.

I could also extend my invitation to professionals who like to spend an interesting weekend, to pensioners, and single parents. Since I live close to one of the largest universities in Germany, I could also invite students who like to have a look at our university before they decide to enroll. That sounds like a great start, don't you think so?

The price segment is determined by the quality I can offer. That question has to be postponed.

A general advice given to entrepreneurs is to start marketing long before opening your business. This applies to my enterprise in particular, because I would like to attract tourists from far afield and will try and spread the word about my biz in remote countries, too.

For now, I assume that these will probably be my clients : Students, single parents, and pensioners who cherish being invited by a private host so they can see what life is like in my country.

They can get around by public transport or on foot. I can make suggestions for sightseeing. They can also book half board - oh yes, there's vegetarian food available. They will spend interesting vacations and their budget will go a long way.

This does not sound bad for a start, does it?

What's your project? Please get in touch via the mail form. Or leave a comment.

Hearing from you will be a great pleasure and an important opportunity for learning from my prospective clients.

In the meantime, I will give serious thoughts to my project. Your feedback will be much appreciated.