Over the years many people have taken our Aspiring Innkeeper and Aspiring Interim Innkeeper classes. However, the student who took our Combination Class this past October was by far the best prepared and the best at follow through.
Our student wanted to eventually own her own bed and breakfast. She had been taking business classes at a Community College and had read a number of books on running a bed and breakfast. However, she felt that she needed to take our hands on class to get a real feel for what she ultimately wanted to do. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to purchase her own bed and breakfast right now, but she could become an interim innkeeper or inn sitter in the meantime.
The student had come prepared with a whole list of questions. We told her to hold her list until the end of class, as we were sure that all of her questions would be answered. We spent the next six days going over all of the ins and outs of running a bed and breakfast from taking a reservation to cleaning a toilet and everything in between. We also provided her with a whole list of things that she needed to do once our class ended.
At the end of the class, we went over the question list that the student had brought with her. Sure enough, every question had been answered along with a lot that she hadn't even thought about.
In the weeks since that class, she has picked her business name, registered it with the state, and is working with her accountant on setting up her business. She is practicing on the four different reservation software programs we gave her access to, and has gotten her Serve Safe Food Handling certificate. She has been practicing the various recipes we made during class as well as others she requested from our recipe binder. She is exploring her options on choosing a website designer and knows the questions she needs to ask them. Finally, she has made contact with a local inn, near where she lives, so that she can shadow the innkeeper and continue to improve the skills she learned during our class.
As teachers, we can provide the information a student needs. However, it is up to the student to follow through on what they have been taught. It has only been a month and a half since that class, but her follow through is top notch. We are so proud of her.
Lynda and Howard Lerner
Inn Caring
www.inncaring.com
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