What No One Told Me About B&B Business Plans

When I was first setting up my B&B, my business bank manager proudly handed me a blank business plan template and said,
“Just fill it in.”

Ha. Easier said than done.

It was great having a template — but actually finding the words to fill it in was the hard bit. I spent far too long staring at a blank page, without a clue where to start.

Years later, one of my course students asked if I had an example B&B business plan. I used to share my own — the one I eventually finished and used successfully to get my loan — but it had been lost years earlier in a computer crash.

So I decided to create a new one. Armed with the latest business plan format, plus a couple of successful plans kindly shared by past course attendees (ironically based on mine!), I pulled everything together into an example business plan.

And I can tell you this - it's much easier writing a business plan for a B&B when you have 17 years experience of running and marketing a successful business!

Introducing the Research & Business Planning Mini Course

This mini course gives you access to Module 2 from my full B&B Course, pulled out as a standalone for anyone at the research stage.

Inside, you’ll discover how to:

• Get clear on your goals and the kind of B&B — and lifestyle — you want to create

• Understand what goes into a strong business plan (even if you don’t need finance)

• Carry out the essential research to check your B&B dream stacks up

• Make sense of occupancy rates and what they mean for your business

• Base your own plan on an editable example B&B business plan

And if you later decide to upgrade to the full B&B Course, you’ll receive a voucher for the value of this mini course — so you won’t pay twice.

What’s Included in the Mini Course

When you enrol, you’ll get:

• Video lessons covering:

  • How to plan your B&B from scratch

  • What to include in a business plan (even if you don’t need finance)

  • How to get clear on your goals and your “why”

  • What type of B&B will suit your lifestyle and the guests you want to attract

  • The essential research you need to do — and how to do it

  • Understanding occupancy rates and how they affect your business 

• Editable B&B Business Plan (Google Doc) — a ready-made template you can adapt to create your own plan.

• Downloadable Course Notes (PDF) — in an easy-to-follow format.

• Downloadable Exercise Sheets (PDF) — practical worksheets to help you clarify your goals, design your ideal B&B, and plan your research.

• Bonus: Handover Questions Checklist Google Sheets Spreadsheet— the key questions to ask when buying an existing B&B, so you don’t miss a single detail.

👉If you later decide to buy the full B&B Course, you’ll receive a voucher for the value of this mini course.

👉These are the original videos from Module 2 of the full B&B Course, not re-recorded

Meet the trainer behind the course

Hello! I'm Karen Thorne

EXPERIENCED BED AND BREAKFAST OWNER AND TRAINER, DOG LOVER, MUM AND GRANDMA, AVID KNITTER, BIRD WATCHER

I’m the founder of Bed and Breakfast Academy. I’ve worn many hats over the years: experienced B&B owner, trainer, dog wrangler, and proud mum to Jess (and now a grandma to Leo!). I’m also the wife of Rob—the one with the beard.

Before my B&B adventure, I spent 16 years working at British Airways as an IT manager, trainer, coach, and facilitator.

In 2004, we decided to escape the rat race, pack up, and move to the Shropshire countryside to start my own B&B. Back then, there wasn’t much support or advice for budding B&B owners, and believe me, I made plenty of expensive mistakes along the way!

That’s why I combined my training skills with my “trial-by-fire” B&B experience to create this course. My goal? To help aspiring B&B owners, like you, avoid those costly mistakes and build the B&B of your dreams—without the bumps I hit along the way.

And so, Bed and Breakfast Academy was born in 2006.

Lovely to meet you!
Karen x