Bring your country B&B dream to life

Fresh linens, homemade breakfasts complete with roses from the garden, board games in the parlour—it's hard to resist the lure of the country inn, particularly when you're considering running one for yourself.

Ask enough people what their ideal job entails, and you'll probably discover it's not too far from this unmatched combination of fixing up a country dream home and constant company that such a setting allows. But running an inn is hardly all tea parties and smiles; it's known among small business owners as one of the most stressful and challenging ways around to earn your living.

Before opening your doors to the travelling set, be sure you know just what comes along with it.

1. Enjoy the company of others
According to the authors of So, You Want to be an Innkeeper?, you must, quite simply, delight in helping others have a good time. That means attending to your guests' every need, be it making hot cocoa at 3 a.m. or finding a helicopter tour of the area. "Really liking people is the important part," agrees Mary Jaffary, a long-time B&B owner who runs seminars for would-be innkeepers with her husband, Bruce.

2. Organize yourself
"When we teach, we ask students to draw out their daily schedules," says Mary. "Then we tell them to try and fit taking care of four guest rooms, with all of the cleaning and cooking and entertaining that goes with that, into that day. It sorts a lot of people out."

3. Choose your spot carefully
The "where" of the inn is just as crucial as the "how," and choosing a location depends on the kind of inn you'd like to run—will it be a refuge in the city or a boutique space in the country; a traditional homey bed-and-breakfast or a self-catering mini-apartment?

4. Practice your skills
Mary advises babysitting someone else's inn to give yourself a test-run on the minutiae of innkeeping. Much like managing a store, interim innkeepers can learn all about the business without bearing the financial weight—and as a bonus, perhaps the owners of the inn you watch over can return the favour to you someday!

5. Manage your money
Take a good, hard look at the M-word while you're planning. Money is necessary not only for start-up costs, but also for keeping your business running, and it plays a factor in everything. "Buying a home in Jasper, for example, will be more expensive, but you'll also be guaranteed to have visitors," explains Mary.