Mary White is a former securities broker with an MBA in Portfolio Management who, in addition to creating BnBFinder.com, literally wrote the book on running an inn. ‘Running a Bed and Breakfast For Dummies’, has been in print since 2009. In this feature, White discusses how the book came about and how it changes with the times.
In our first conversation, you described the evolution of BnBFinder.com. Is this what prompted you to write a book about bed and breakfasts?
Actually, Wiley learned about the website and they sent me an e-mail and told me they were going to publish a book called ‘Running A Bed & Breakfast for Dummies’, and they asked if I would either like to submit a proposal or help them find someone who would. I felt very strongly that the book should not be the world according to any one person, so I decided to submit the proposal.
After talking to thousands of innkeepers over the years, I knew that an innkeeper in California with a small inn would run things differently than someone with a large B&B in Vermont. And there would be differences as far as modern or traditional furnishings, likes and dislikes, and that some people would want a lifestyle inn while others would run a career inn. There would be a lot of variables and I really wanted the book to ask aspiring innkeepers more questions than it actually answered. I wanted them to have the information so they were fully prepared in whatever market they went into to understand innkeepeing as a profession and understanding that it’s a lot of work.
So they sent you an e-mail request out of the blue. Had you written a book before?
No. I hadn’t planned on writing a book and other than updates, I don’t plan to write another book.
Wasn’t that daunting? Or had the website prepared you for this?
There wasn’t a lot of research involved. The good thing about writing a book for a company that is as reputable and organized as Wiley is that they practically sent me a Dummies book on how to write Dummies book. It’s a very conversational style to write in; in some ways it was much easier to write the book because before I started I had to outline everything…
The other thing is that it’s very good to have deadlines. You’re an entrepreneur when you run your own business and you can find yourself going off in many different directions. Because I had it outlined completely and knew the subject matter very well and I knew the innkeepers and the resources within the industry, I knew who to go to.
Before I submitted it, I’m proud that every single chapter was reviewed by several innkeepers to make sure I had a good, rounded perspective and I wasn’t going down any one road.
Did they all offer you certain advice?
Although I relied heavily on them, they didn’t all agree -- so I knew I was on the right track because, again, I knew it wouldn’t be the world according to one person. The hardest part was that a Dummies book is pretty much ‘Step 1, 2, 3’ but there are no absolutes about running an inn. Even something as simple as handling late check-ins. They can send them a code, put a key in the box, keep the door open, put instructions in a mailbox… That was different.
With the advent of blogging, social media, online reservations, tripadvisor, and etc., what has changed since first edition?
The book is like a car when you drive it off the lot. The minute it goes to press it is already out of date. Innkeepers have really been ahead of the curve when it comes to social networking. They should applaud themselves for that. Luckily the book came out at such a time when we knew to talk about the etiquette of blogging. You wouldn’t stand in the middle of a cocktail party and just start yakking, so hopefully you have something interesting to say.
The book also goes into marketing on the Internet, search engine optimization, how to respond to negative reviews -- all of those things are there and important. So I see things I’d like to update on, but I don’t think there is too much that’s out of date.
So far the only thing I think that is not in there is facebook and twitter, but there’s already enough stuff out there about them.
Why would innkeepers who’ve run their B&B for years want to buy your book? What can you tell them that they don’t know?
I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from innkeepers who have been in business for a long time and they are invigorated when they read it. Everyone gets some sort of an idea on how to improve things.
There’s a chapter called ‘Now What? Taking It To The Next Level’, and I talk about professional development, packaging, niche markets, attending a conference to get excited and bring back your enthusiasm…
Because I also have information about when you’re getting ready to sell the inn and that everyone should have an exit strategy, there are good pointers in there about that.
There’s something for everybody.
To learn more about Mary White and her role as a pioneer and online promotion, please see the feature that details the formation of BnBFinder.com
