Anyone who knows us will know that we're always on the go doing something and so far over the last two winters, they've been anything but a break whilst we've been closed with the refurbishment we've taken on.
In the dead of winter this year, we still have plenty on the to do list but in addition to more decorating, I plan to start my training business. It's something we'd always planned to do and was in our business plan.
Now we've been hoteliers for a decade, we've learnt a huge amount and already help and advise other local establishments where we can. I used to write and run training courses in previous job roles so I'm looking forward to being able to impart my knowledge.
We plan to offer courses in various aspects but mainly aimed at those who are completely new to the industry. We hope to catch people early - before they take the plunge - so that we can tell them (warts and all) what to expect, how to go about it and what to look for. I have friends who wish they'd spent money on a course like this before taking the leap of faith, only to find that they have made a huge mistake and are now stuck running a business they don't like and can't sell, all whilst loosing money. A small investment beforehand would have saved a lot of money in the long run.
I also hope to run courses on best practice. We've constantly improved all aspects of our business over the years and trainees would be able to fast track to the things that we know work best, rather than making costly mistakes along the way.
The big question for me is how on earth I'm going to fit in writing training courses in between guests and everything else going on but I'm sure I'll get it sorted.
Courses will be run during winter when we're usually closed so it fills those weekends up nicely.
If you're reading this and might be interested in one of my courses then drop me an email letting me know what you'd be looking for and I can keep your details on file and get back in touch nearer the time. In time I will set up a separate website too.
I'm off now to enter my accounts onto Sage - just another skill a B&Ber needs to learn!