What is it?

When did you last stay in a bed and breakfast? Perhaps you have fond memories of childhood weekends spent travelling to picturesque villages across the UK or more recent trips and excursions away from the city.

Staying in a B&B can be a rewarding experience offering homely surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere. They can be a welcome respite for weary travellers or for those taking short breaks. If you like the idea of really being at home with your business then running a B&B could be perfect for you.

A B&B is different from a hotel in that it will be a place that basically gives you a bed to sleep in and your breakfast. No gyms, no health spas and no concierge service. It is also different in that your home is at the centre of it.

“It’s different from other small businesses in that it’s domestically based and you’re living with the business,” explains Janet Beale, who runs The Bed & Breakfast Business course in Kendal, Cumbria for people wanting to start their own B&B. “The majority of our students live in their home. We address the issue of having your domestic privacy invaded, as the business becomes interwoven with daily life.”

Who is it suited to?

Given that you are effectively opening your home to strangers, you are blurring the edges between your business and your home life so you need to be confident and happy with the arrangement. It is a creative profession in that you have to enjoy cooking and making your accommodation as pleasant and welcoming as possible. It’s also something of a lifestyle business, a job that many people will undertake with their partners.

Beale, who has also run her own B&B since 1991, says that what stage your family’s life is at is important: “It’s difficult with small children, as their needs for breakfast and so on occur at the same time as your guests. Even if you have a separate flat that you live in, you still have to have a bell to be on call.”