Harriet Gould started a B and B, along with her husband and brother-in-law,
on a farm property near Lincoln, Nebraska.
"We like to entertain and we had the situation where our children were
grown," says Gould. "We had a cow/calf [farming] operation and we were looking
at cash flow issues and had a dream of one day having an old colonial inn.
We decided a B and B would be an adventure."
Like many B and B operators, Gould and her husband are retired from their
first careers. Gould used to be an elementary school principal, and she also
helped with the farm when it was still in operation.
Gould's first step was calling her local county officials to see if there
were any B and B workshops around. She was told the county hadn't run anything
like that, but that they'd get back to her. Less than two months later they
called to tell her about a nearby college offering a B and B workshop.
The next step was doing renovations. Gould bought some beds, got new carpeting,
and had the rooms painted. "We were very fortunate," she says. "We didn't
have to invest a lot of money to change things over."
Once the B and B was all set, it was time to open the doors to guests.
Gould's daughter was getting married, so Gould hosted her daughter's friends.
"We had a dry run -- a wonderful weekend of fun," says Gould.
Since then, Gould has hosted hundreds of guests from around the world.
"It's great fun," she says. "First of all, we get to meet wonderful people.
I love to cook, so I get to make breakfast for them. We get to find out where
they're from and what they do and that's very enjoyable."
Richard Moseley and his wife, Anne, have owned a B and B for five years.
It's a large, historic inn located in Maine.
Their main building has nine rooms and three separate suites. There are
four cottages open during the warmer months. In the busy season, they can
handle up to 50 guests.
Running his own B and B was a natural progression for Moseley, having been
in the hospitality business for 40 years. He recently retired from his job
as a culinary teacher.
"Now I get to practice what I preach," Moseley says. "You've got to be
business oriented, you've got to be open minded, and you've got to be a people
person.
"My real love is cooking and I do all the food," he adds. "If you're in
the hospitality business you have to love what you do because you work when
everyone else is off."
Richard and his wife previously operated a summer resort for more than
22 years while also running a catering business. The idea of having his own
B and B one day was never far from his mind. "I lived across the street from
this one for 30 years and I always liked to look at it," says Moseley. "If
you're in the hospitality business you always have the dream to have your
own place."
At the end of the day, it's all about service. And a B and B operator's
job is never done.
Running a B and B is something you do "24/7 if you're serious about it,"
says Moseley. "The phone is always ringing, there are bills to pay, there's
a list of things to fix."