Our own Business Planning Workshops are held several times a year and focus on teaching many of the skills you'll need to write your own plan. Using a hands on approach, these classes are a great way to get your business plan underway. Click here for more information.
 
  

Resources

It takes more than just a great business plan to get you from aspiring innkeeper to new innkeeper. While we can help you with, and give general advice on, some of the incidental details that go along with writing your business plan, we're not experts in everything. Below is a list of industry colleagues we know well and would recommend, who are all specialists in their own fields.

Associations

Buying/Selling B&Bs or Inns
When looking for a B&B or Inn to buy, its important to find someone to represent you who knows our industry and can offer you the best advice, especially if you're doing this for the first time. The brokers listed below specialize in the transfer of B&Bs, inns and small lodging properties, know how to value them properly and will be able to assist you in making a wise choice better than most general realtors.

  • The B&B Team - Peter Scherman & Rick Wolf. Office: 434-286-4600 (Virginia) / 207-967-1995 (Maine)
  • Inn Matchmakers - Roxanne Smith & Becky Goldsmith (Colorado). Office: 303-785-9136, Cell: 720-979-3184
  • Badger Realty - David Cianciolo (White Mountains, NH). Office: 603-356-5757/ 207-935-5757
  • Mendo Realty - Barry Cusick (North CA coast). Office: 707- 937-4010
  • Inn Consulting Partners - Bill Oates & Heide Bredfeldt (Nationwide). Office: 802-257-2360
  • Cape Cod Real Estate - Tom & Carol Edmondson (Cape Cod, MA). Office: 800-585-4011

Aspiring Innkeeper Seminars
Running an inn or B&B is more than just making a few beds and cooking breakfast and the amount of work involved often takes first-time innkeepers by surprise. If you're thinking of becoming an innkeeper and are new to the hospitality industry we highly recommend going to an aspiring innkeepers class before you get too far into it. There are many classes held across the country - here are a few we'd recommend:

  • The B&B Team - Peter Scherman & Rick Wolf. Maine & Virginia
  • Innkeeping from the Innside - Carol &Tom Edmondson. Cape Cod, MA
  • Lodging Resources - David Caples & Helen Cook, Amelia Island, FL
  • Inn Consulting Partners - Bill Oates & Heide Bredfeldt, Brattleboro, VT

Mortgages/Loans
When asked, we generally recommend going to the local banks for your financing. They know the area and community and its always a good idea to do business locally and be able to build a relationship. Some banks however, won't fund lodging properties. If you get stuck we recommend talking with Rick Newman at Commercial Capital Network, toll free: 877- 595-2120 or 570- 595-2120.