My New Business Idea

SexyRedXterra · 07-11-2004, 12:07 AM

So I am curious as to what you guys think. IN another year or two, my parents plan to move to Santa Fe (when Dad retires). They plan on keeping our house here on the Jersey Shore, though because Mom wants to keep her professorship at a local college. That means they plan on living here in the winter, and being at their new home in SAnta Fe in the summer. That means our home will be vacant in the summer.

Around the same time, I plan on moving out to Pittsburgh area. Chances are though, that I will only have employment there during a regular school year. That means I have to find summer work.

I want to turn our home in NEw Jersey into a Bed And Breakfast. We have three stories of rooms, so we have enough rooms to do so. We're in a huge tourist area, so the demand is there. I can cook and clean well, so I can run it pretty well.

What do you guys think?

Oxford · 07-11-2004, 12:50 AM

Do the owners of the house like the idea? Seems they have a huge stake in their property's value and/or income it might receive, and/or the extra wear and tear on their former home.

Re: bed and breakfast...could one person run the operation? Are you ready to face the city code and tax :right: requirements, additional insurance needed, figure your business taxes, and the other things you'll need in order to have a profitable business.

Good luck if you do decide on the venture.

Big Dog · 07-11-2004, 06:12 AM

You'll be putting in mega hours too. Hostlery is not for the faint hearted.
And you'll eventually have "The Customer From H3II".

Chris · 07-11-2004, 08:39 AM

You gotta be on call 24/7...It sounds like a good idea. Just know it will be stressfull.

But if you open it, I might come and stay for a weekend

SexyRedXterra · 07-11-2004, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oxford

Do the owners of the house like the idea? Seems they have a huge stake in their property's value and/or income it might receive, and/or the extra wear and tear on their former home.

Re: bed and breakfast...could one person run the operation? Are you ready to face the city code and tax :right: requirements, additional insurance needed, figure your business taxes, and the other things you'll need in order to have a profitable business.

Good luck if you do decide on the venture.

Well we'd start small, so one person at first is enough to run it.

The owners of the house are my parents, and my mom seems interested in it.

As far as knowing about the taxes, etc, I don't have to worry. Mom's a former tax attorney. Now she teaches the stuff. That's helpful.

SPOCAHP ANAR · 07-11-2004, 09:25 AM

And of course don't forget about those G&G member 50% discounts; that'll for sure cut in on your overhead.

Will you have a shared restroom? Or do all the rooms have their own RR. I stayed in a house in historic New Bern NC and we had our own bath in each room. That may be a requirement depending on statutes. As said above, you can't leave: 24/7.

colt45 · 07-11-2004, 09:45 AM

that is a big undertaking, i have worked on some homes here in chautaqua county and in chautaqua intsatution, that have done the same thing they make good money but its allot of work. and in NY all the rooms have to have a sprikler system and all exits must be clearly marked as well as adiquate plumbing, if this is your idea figure on at least $20,000 to get it started with all the licenses and permits and then all the remodleing and construction. oh and you will have to make sure all the doors are wide enough for a wheel chair and istall handicapped restroom in at least one room. as well as a ramp outside.

Oxford · 07-11-2004, 10:50 AM

Colt 45...you spelled out the details of what I had in mind about meeting codes. You plumbers know how to handle this ckrap for sure. :nod:

$20,000 is probably a good estimate, too, on the modifications.

Of course, there's the former B&B owners who ignored code requirements and got by for a while till their competitors reported them. Now they're being fed in a different facility themselves but don't get to leave. :nod:

colt45 · 07-11-2004, 11:19 AM

most of the jobs for a small B&B around here ran about that, now on the coast figure in about another 20 to 30 percent. but this should get her started in an entry level opening.

ScottD · 07-11-2004, 01:24 PM

I have stayed in numerous B&B and have never seen sprinklers, exit signs. Though I have seen fire extinguishers throughout the places. There is normally an orientation when upon arriving the host explains the rules and answers any questions, such as emergency's.

I think it is doable, IF, there are activities for the guest during the day hours. Tours, sight seeing, rafting, what ever occupies their day hours after breakfast. For you see you are only obilgated to offer them a nights stay and breakfast, after that they are on their own. Also are there an array of dining facilites within the area? I mean from the high end and all the way down to Mickey Dees. Your guest are going to want a good selection of eateries.

Are you willing to put forth that extra effort with dealing with the retail public and all of their "baggage" that comes with them. People being people can be very demanding and weird.

If everything checks off then you have opened the door to a very rewarding and exciting opportunity to meet many different and exciting individuals.

When going to the ranch in NM I stay in a B&B that at one time was a bordello. The hosts are from MN and took it on for a change of pace. Very old and very neat place. Stayed at another on in MO where the hosts welcome my firearms and we held a little informal shooting contest out back. Stayed in another that was in TX right off of the town square in a very small town. The band stand in the square pulled double duty in the old days as a hanging tree.

It's these unique things that I think makes these places so special that you want to stay there and see the attractions.

Wish you good luck with your venture.

07-11-2004, 02:18 PM

B&B's give me the creeps

NRAJOE · 07-11-2004, 02:59 PM

Need gunsafes in every room...have to bring one of my AK's ya know....

Snakebite · 07-11-2004, 03:45 PM

B&B's dont need to meet the same codes as something like a hotel. They are run more like someone staying as a "guest" in someones home. The one thing you said might make a big difference. Its three stories. You might have to bring it up to code and thats big time expensive.
I've stayed in them before and always had a nice time but like everyone said, there are going to be 24/7 headaches. Laundry, making beds, cooking,etc.
I personally would never want some stranger staying in my house, sitting on my furniture and watching my TV. Thats what Holiday Inns are for.

Dale · 07-11-2004, 04:16 PM

Sexy..in my mind a good business is one that sorta takes care of itself or one you can get someone to handle while you get away now and then.

A bed and breakfast, as pointed out by others, is similar to owning a dairy farm.....gotta be there 24/7/52.

But, if that's what you'd like to do go fer it and I wish you the best...yepper...fer sure.

SexyRedXterra · 07-11-2004, 09:44 PM

Well I'm the one taking care of it, while my parents, the owners, are away. LOL

colt45 · 07-11-2004, 09:54 PM

hay i'm not saying that its a bad idea, they make a lot of cash around here with them. and as pointed out by scot different areas have different codes on what has to be there and what doesn't.
i think it is a good idea if you are ready to do it, i would recomend you go stay in one in another area (so as not to be considered competion) and just talk with the owners and see what all is involved and how they got started, maybe even work with them for a week or two as a summer job to get your feet wet. there is no better way to get into it than to have done it with other ppls money before you spend your own.

oh, and since this is your home you want to do this to TAKE YOUR MOM WITH YOU. she will want to know all this stuff to.

SexyRedXterra · 07-11-2004, 09:56 PM

I have relatives that run them in other areas.

Shaun · 07-11-2004, 10:35 PM

its lots of work like the others have said and your cooking for every one

Oxford · 07-11-2004, 10:39 PM

...but having relatives in the business and running the business yourself are two totally different experiences. Colt 45 has an excellent idea. Stay in one with the explicit idea of observing/participating in the work/ and learning the details which aren't so obvious could be a very worthwhile and eye opening experience. Hey...you might conclude you are right about your interests, and decide it could be profitable. Or...you could learn details about it's operation which make you think a lot more about commiting your energies and cash in that business.

Another idea is to go to the Small Business Administration in your area and check out their programs for operating a business. There's some worthwhile classes/programs that they teach or set up for prospective new small business owners. :nod:

07-11-2004, 12:07 AM	#1
SexyRedXterra Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NJ Shore and Western PA Posts: 1,206	My New Business Idea So I am curious as to what you guys think. IN another year or two, my parents plan to move to Santa Fe (when Dad retires). They plan on keeping our house here on the Jersey Shore, though because Mom wants to keep her professorship at a local college. That means they plan on living here in the winter, and being at their new home in SAnta Fe in the summer. That means our home will be vacant in the summer. Around the same time, I plan on moving out to Pittsburgh area. Chances are though, that I will only have employment there during a regular school year. That means I have to find summer work. I want to turn our home in NEw Jersey into a Bed And Breakfast. We have three stories of rooms, so we have enough rooms to do so. We're in a huge tourist area, so the demand is there. I can cook and clean well, so I can run it pretty well. What do you guys think? __________________ "God doesn't always do things on our schedule, but he's always right on time."

07-11-2004, 12:50 AM	#2
Oxford Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gladstone, Missouri Posts: 13,101 Blog Entries: 4	Do the owners of the house like the idea? Seems they have a huge stake in their property's value and/or income it might receive, and/or the extra wear and tear on their former home. Re: bed and breakfast...could one person run the operation? Are you ready to face the city code and tax :right: requirements, additional insurance needed, figure your business taxes, and the other things you'll need in order to have a profitable business. Good luck if you do decide on the venture. __________________ "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right".

07-11-2004, 06:12 AM	#3
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,412	You'll be putting in mega hours too. Hostlery is not for the faint hearted. And you'll eventually have "The Customer From H3II". __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

07-11-2004, 08:39 AM	#4
Chris HMFIC Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,834,259 Images: 19 Blog Entries: 20	You gotta be on call 24/7...It sounds like a good idea. Just know it will be stressfull. But if you open it, I might come and stay for a weekend __________________ Rules \| Contributing Members No one has the right to deny my personal safety Please be descriptive in your thread titles! NRA Life Member

07-11-2004, 09:25 AM	#6
SPOCAHP ANAR Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: SC-upstate Posts: 4,192 Images: 1 Blog Entries: 6	And of course don't forget about those G&G member 50% discounts; that'll for sure cut in on your overhead. Will you have a shared restroom? Or do all the rooms have their own RR. I stayed in a house in historic New Bern NC and we had our own bath in each room. That may be a requirement depending on statutes. As said above, you can't leave: 24/7. __________________ Spocrest Out!..........

07-11-2004, 09:45 AM	#7
colt45 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Occupied Territories of New York (Buffalo) Posts: 2,898	that is a big undertaking, i have worked on some homes here in chautaqua county and in chautaqua intsatution, that have done the same thing they make good money but its allot of work. and in NY all the rooms have to have a sprikler system and all exits must be clearly marked as well as adiquate plumbing, if this is your idea figure on at least $20,000 to get it started with all the licenses and permits and then all the remodleing and construction. oh and you will have to make sure all the doors are wide enough for a wheel chair and istall handicapped restroom in at least one room. as well as a ramp outside. __________________ "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" -Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis "If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective." - Ted Nugent "Self-defense is Nature's eldest law." -John Dryden

07-11-2004, 10:50 AM	#8
Oxford Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gladstone, Missouri Posts: 13,101 Blog Entries: 4	Colt 45...you spelled out the details of what I had in mind about meeting codes. You plumbers know how to handle this ckrap for sure. :nod: $20,000 is probably a good estimate, too, on the modifications. Of course, there's the former B&B owners who ignored code requirements and got by for a while till their competitors reported them. Now they're being fed in a different facility themselves but don't get to leave. :nod: __________________ "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right".

07-11-2004, 11:19 AM	#9
colt45 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Occupied Territories of New York (Buffalo) Posts: 2,898	most of the jobs for a small B&B around here ran about that, now on the coast figure in about another 20 to 30 percent. but this should get her started in an entry level opening. __________________ "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" -Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis "If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective." - Ted Nugent "Self-defense is Nature's eldest law." -John Dryden

07-11-2004, 01:24 PM	#10
ScottD Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Evanston, IL Posts: 1,020	I have stayed in numerous B&B and have never seen sprinklers, exit signs. Though I have seen fire extinguishers throughout the places. There is normally an orientation when upon arriving the host explains the rules and answers any questions, such as emergency's. I think it is doable, IF, there are activities for the guest during the day hours. Tours, sight seeing, rafting, what ever occupies their day hours after breakfast. For you see you are only obilgated to offer them a nights stay and breakfast, after that they are on their own. Also are there an array of dining facilites within the area? I mean from the high end and all the way down to Mickey Dees. Your guest are going to want a good selection of eateries. Are you willing to put forth that extra effort with dealing with the retail public and all of their "baggage" that comes with them. People being people can be very demanding and weird. If everything checks off then you have opened the door to a very rewarding and exciting opportunity to meet many different and exciting individuals. When going to the ranch in NM I stay in a B&B that at one time was a bordello. The hosts are from MN and took it on for a change of pace. Very old and very neat place. Stayed at another on in MO where the hosts welcome my firearms and we held a little informal shooting contest out back. Stayed in another that was in TX right off of the town square in a very small town. The band stand in the square pulled double duty in the old days as a hanging tree. It's these unique things that I think makes these places so special that you want to stay there and see the attractions. Wish you good luck with your venture. __________________ "Some people can not live without wilderness"-Aldo Leopold

07-11-2004, 02:18 PM	#11
Mr. Kaneko Guest Posts: n/a	B&B's give me the creeps

07-11-2004, 02:59 PM	#12
NRAJOE Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Toledo,OH Posts: 19,252 Images: 3	Need gunsafes in every room...have to bring one of my AK's ya know.... __________________ U.S. Army 1976-1979 237th Combat Engineers Heilbronn, Germany

07-11-2004, 03:45 PM	#13
Snakebite Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tucson, Mexico Posts: 1,844	B&B's dont need to meet the same codes as something like a hotel. They are run more like someone staying as a "guest" in someones home. The one thing you said might make a big difference. Its three stories. You might have to bring it up to code and thats big time expensive. I've stayed in them before and always had a nice time but like everyone said, there are going to be 24/7 headaches. Laundry, making beds, cooking,etc. I personally would never want some stranger staying in my house, sitting on my furniture and watching my TV. Thats what Holiday Inns are for.

07-11-2004, 04:16 PM	#14
Dale Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Too Dang Hot, Arizona Posts: 4,284	Sexy..in my mind a good business is one that sorta takes care of itself or one you can get someone to handle while you get away now and then. A bed and breakfast, as pointed out by others, is similar to owning a dairy farm.....gotta be there 24/7/52. But, if that's what you'd like to do go fer it and I wish you the best...yepper...fer sure. __________________ "It confuses me how some people can vigorously go against the 2nd. Amendment and still call themselves patriotic"-me

07-11-2004, 09:44 PM	#15
SexyRedXterra Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NJ Shore and Western PA Posts: 1,206	Well I'm the one taking care of it, while my parents, the owners, are away. LOL __________________ "God doesn't always do things on our schedule, but he's always right on time."

07-11-2004, 09:54 PM	#16
colt45 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Occupied Territories of New York (Buffalo) Posts: 2,898	hay i'm not saying that its a bad idea, they make a lot of cash around here with them. and as pointed out by scot different areas have different codes on what has to be there and what doesn't. i think it is a good idea if you are ready to do it, i would recomend you go stay in one in another area (so as not to be considered competion) and just talk with the owners and see what all is involved and how they got started, maybe even work with them for a week or two as a summer job to get your feet wet. there is no better way to get into it than to have done it with other ppls money before you spend your own. oh, and since this is your home you want to do this to TAKE YOUR MOM WITH YOU. she will want to know all this stuff to. __________________ "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" -Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis "If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective." - Ted Nugent "Self-defense is Nature's eldest law." -John Dryden Last edited by colt45; 07-11-2004 at 09:57 PM.

07-11-2004, 09:56 PM	#17
SexyRedXterra Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NJ Shore and Western PA Posts: 1,206	I have relatives that run them in other areas. __________________ "God doesn't always do things on our schedule, but he's always right on time."

07-11-2004, 10:35 PM	#18
Shaun Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 8,619 Images: 1	its lots of work like the others have said and your cooking for every one __________________ "Homeland Security is the responsibility of an armed citizen" ME http://webpages.charter.net/s.s.v/

07-11-2004, 10:39 PM	#19
Oxford Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gladstone, Missouri Posts: 13,101 Blog Entries: 4	...but having relatives in the business and running the business yourself are two totally different experiences. Colt 45 has an excellent idea. Stay in one with the explicit idea of observing/participating in the work/ and learning the details which aren't so obvious could be a very worthwhile and eye opening experience. Hey...you might conclude you are right about your interests, and decide it could be profitable. Or...you could learn details about it's operation which make you think a lot more about commiting your energies and cash in that business. Another idea is to go to the Small Business Administration in your area and check out their programs for operating a business. There's some worthwhile classes/programs that they teach or set up for prospective new small business owners. :nod: __________________ "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right".