Sunday, April 27, 2008

A Leap of Faith.

After attending the B and B (PAII) conference in Phoenix in March of 2006, I went back to Florida, which was my home for 32 years and where I worked in a career in education, previously as a teacher and now an administrator. After a two-year on and off search with many stops and starts, I found a Bed and Breakfast in North Carolina that I thought I could afford and looked like it had possibilities. Of course it was in an area of North Carolina that, to be honest, I had never heard of. That’s the compromise one takes to fulfill the dream, I suppose. Nevertheless, I bought it one month later with a down payment of $2500, and all of a sudden I was no longer an “aspiring” innkeeper. I was about to become one of them… if everything came together. That was Easter Sunday in April and a close in June. Phew. And the idea about actually owning and operating a B and B as the innkeeper...well…. Buffalo Tavern was soon to be mine!

Now, here’s the kick: I had less than three months from the moment I put the money down to 1) sell my home in Florida, which had been on the market for three months already with no serious buyers, 2) sell my vacation cabin in north Georgia, which had also been on the market for three months, 3) officially retire on June 30 after 30 years from my job, and 4) move to North Carolina, furniture and all! These tasks had to click because they all were contributing factors to my ability to purchase the B and B. I needed every penny I could get, plus some luck, to make the deal actually work AND close before the end of June, 2006.

I did close on June 23 with enough money to pay the 20% additional down payment. The sale of the cabin in Georgia helped and I used equity in my unsold Florida home to make up the difference. I was also able to purchase many of the furnishings using the money that I had “rearranged” over the few weeks I had available.

God must have been with me and wanted me to have this place. And my beautiful daughters, Rachel and Amanda, who were pulling for me throughout this event gave me the strength to keep on reaching.

I took a giant leap of faith that everything would work. It did.

Thanks for reading about this leap of faith! Doc, The Innkeeper



Tuesday, April 22, 2008

It Hit Me! Bam!

Just a few months before I opened my Bed and Breakfast I attended the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) conference in Phoenix. That was in March of 2006. I went as an “aspiring innkeeper”, knowing only bits and pieces about the Bed and Breakfast business from the other seminars I had attended and inns I had visited. I attended the day-long session for aspiring innkeepers and was impressed with the wealth of information. I also was a little overwhelmed with it all but still anxious to get going! It was a spur of the moment decision that made all the difference. Somehow I knew that if I had been thinking about opening and/or running a Bed and Breakfast, I had better take that leap. Spending the money to travel and stay there and taking the time to attend the conference in Phoenix was part of that leap.

One of PAII’s keynote speakers, Holly Steil, in her address at the conference and among many other great comments and suggestions, said, “It’s all about the dance.” BAM! It hit me like a rock and it stuck! In our service business, it is all about the dance (and the personality of the innkeeper). To me, that’s a pretty important statement and not only did it help develop my mission, but it also is reflected in how I make a reservation, how I greet my guests, how I listen to what they want and expect, how I ensure that they are happy, and how I let them know that they are my most important people at Buffalo Tavern. It’s about how I let my guests lead me in the dance to let me know what’s important to their satisfaction.

I have always believed that one can attend a conference or seminar and be totally satisfied if able to walk away with just one tidbit, one thought, one statement, one phrase, one anything that would make a difference in either their work or business or life. I believed that from those few words or from one significant idea that hit a” hot button,” something great could grow. That happened to me in Phoenix, and it shines quite brightly with my own Bed and Breakfast, Buffalo Tavern, in West Jefferson, North Carolina. I use a phrase of few words each and every day with my work at the inn and my relationship with my guests. Embedded in my mission statement is the essence of those few words: “The mission of Buffalo Tavern is to ensure that all those who arrive as guests leave as friends.” Simple. Direct. Clear. I can’t really tack down how those words came about for sure. I can just say that the statement entered my thoughts and I knew then that it would be the driving force to my daily actions at Buffalo Tavern.

Doc, Innkeeper

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Welcome!

As the Innkeeper, I have to know within moments about my arriving guests. Are they wanting to be left alone? Are they interested in meeting others? Do they want to chat with me because they are fascinated with Innkeeping? Within the first few minutes, I have to make that decision and accommodate their wishes. Hence....."It's All About The Dance!" ...who leads and who follows when my guests arrive.

I have been wanting for quite some time to publish some of my thoughts on Innkeeping (and the Dance) and publish some of the fun and funny things that happen here. Plus I wanted to share about moving to this beautiful state, North Carolina, and gorgeous county, Ashe. It was sure an adjustment after having lived in Florida for almost 32 years. It was a good move.

So, "It's All About The Dance!" has been born!

Welcome to my blog. Welcome to "It's All About The Dance!".

Keep checking back for more interesting stories and fun occurances at my Inn.

Doc, The Innkeeper