It's not a calling, it doesn't require great personal sacrifice, but it can't be just about the money...

...

The last couple of posts have been extracts from recommendations Jen and I put together for a brave lady who is running a new B&B in South Pasadena all on her own, and who unfortunately is learning that it's a job that needs 24 hours of work a day! She has sunk her life savings into a gorgeous 10-room B&B in a remodeled Craftsman mansion high on a hill above the madding crowd, and it's running at maybe 20% occupancy, at best.

Pat spent more than a year on the remodel, and admits she expected a virtual stampede of guests from the moment she opened the doors. Didn't happen. But one day, it will...

Obviously, one person can't put in a round-the-clock effort, and that's probably why the "model" for B&B management is a married couple living on the premises who can split the job in two.

In our partnership, Jen takes care of the kitchen and everything else connected with housekeeping, and I handle reservations, the website, all aspects of marketing and the whole range of office chores.

We cross-pollinate when needed (no need to blush, I'm talking about work here!) and an important lesson we learned long ago is that if you see a job that needs doing NOW, do it yourself, don't wait for someone else to spot the problem and fix it.

For each of us, occasional poaching on the other's territory provides an enjoyable change of scene. And don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that just because you're "on call" for a minimum of 12 hours a day, running a B&B is heavy lifting. It really isn't - it's demanding and time-consuming, but constant positive feedback from happy guests makes it preferable to an office or a factory job that requires at least eight or nine hours a day plus an ugly commute. There's a lot to be said for a job that's walking distance from your favorite armchair!

The material in the prior posts is meant to provide background for readers, and we hope, pointers to the future for Jen and me.

We're frustrated by being outside the B&B biz for now, but not complaining, because it was our choice. Our Artists Inn experience was a disappointment, because the books (the bottom line) backed up by countless satisfied guests were all the proof needed that we were doing a great job. But that's not enough for an owner who wants maximum profit from minimum commitment in terms of quality and integrity.

Pat at the Arroyo Vista Inn in South Pasadena was one of the potential buyers who made Janet an offer that was in line with the business's fair market value rather than the owner's fantasy about what it was worth. $2.3m? For a house and "cottage" that was falling apart and needed at least another $200,000 spent on "deferred maintenance" to bring the operation up to snuff? No way! Pat's offer was $1.65m, and it was turned down flat.

We met Pat briefly when she came to take a look around, and later learned from her that she saw us as "the perfect B&B couple, with British accents and everything!" Truth is, Jen and I have been in the USA for so long that only Americans think we have an English accent. When we go back to the old country (something we don't do often) the question we get from strangers everywhere is, "So how long have you lived in America, then?" The second question is usually: "And why on earth would you want to come back?"

For the record, the UK is still a wonderful country and the people are as lovely as ever, humorous, cheerful, cynical and self-deprecating all at once. The pubs are great, too. The bad news: the weather still sucks!

Especially frustrating for us is the perilous state not just of Pat's lovely place, but of the Wild Rose Inn in Genoa, a five-room gem (if a tad faded these days) that needs to be at least 50% filled year round just to break even. Pat says her break-even target is also 50%, which sounds a little high for a 10-room operation. Let's do the math: 10 rooms at an average rental rate of $200 a night translates to $60,000 a month; Janet's "nut" at the Artists Inn was about $15,000 a month, including a $4,000 "lease" fee she paid to her husband Len for a jointly-owned property that paid off its mortgage years ago; Pat's total costs might be $30,000 a month, but I rather doubt it - I think what she really means is that if she could bring in 30 grand a month (about what we were making for Janet, in the end) she'd be through the woods.

The message here is that while owning and operating a B&B might sound like a lot of fun, it needs to be run like a business, and a successful one at that, if the rose is to maintain its bloom. You cannot have an "If I build it, they will come" attitude, or hope to live a life that's separate from your business. It is not a calling, it does not require great sacrifice, but it cannot be just about the money, which is the main reason why most managers don't work out (the pay's not that great, and if you put your heart and soul into it, someone else reaps the financial rewards!).