James
“Okay Bill. Let’s go over the books.”
“Now?” he asks in surprise.
We’re in the living room. The furniture, meant for a much bigger room, makes it hard to move around the space. I have to almost walk over the arms of the chairs rather than between them. Bill’s sunk down in a brown leather recliner, flipping through the channels.
“I don’t see why not. It’s your day off, which means we have time, and the sooner we figure out where we stand, the better, don’t you think?”
I omit the fact that it’s also a good time because Sandra is busy. I don’t know how much Bill keeps from his wife, but I suspect it’s quite a bit. He works as an accountant, and it seems like Sandra’s pushed the business side of things onto his plate. Not that I’m to judge how responsibilities get divided, but the fact that he wanted me to keep quiet about all my reasons for coming is troubling.
Bill sighs.
“If you don’t feel comfortable having me look-”
“No, no. You’re right,” he says at last, pushing himself out of the recliner. “Let’s do this.”
He leads the way, through the wooden doors, and through the door behind the check-in desk. The office is small and tidy, everything filed away and all the boxes labeled. Ava is on her phone in the back, and when she sees me, she flushes adorably. She’s wearing a silky looking blouse and a pencil skirt that hugs all the right places. My cock gives an appreciative throb, and I wish I knew she was here all along. I’d rather bend her over the desk than go over business accounts any day.
“We need to use the office Ava,” Bill says. “Can you leave us alone for a while?”
“Sure,” she says, flying by us.
Bill closes the door and takes the chair in front of the computer. I pull up a swivel chair as he opens up the ledger.
“So how are things,” I ask.
“Technically, things are good. Our bookings are on track for last year. But... we aren’t growing. The original plan was for me to quit and run the B and B with Sandra. That still hasn’t happened, as you can see. I don’t have full time work so I can take care of things here, it’s true, but it’s far from ideal. And with the resort being built next year, I just don’t feel secure. People just aren’t traveling as much it seems.”
My friend suddenly seems a lot older and wearier.
“Or they are, and you’re just not reaching them. Do you do any advertising?”
He pauses, and I realize that we’ve hit on it.
“I don’t want to spend a lot of money on that stuff when there’s so much to do on the B and B here,” he starts.
“Bill, that’s not how it works. I know it seems hard to spend money, but there’s no point in renovating if nobody is going to come and enjoy it,” I say. “And how do you propose you pay for all of the renovations? I know you’re taking a loan, but if profits don’t grow, you’ll have to take on even more work to pay it off.”
His jaw sets and he shakes his head.
“We’re doing good by word of mouth. I just don’t feel comfortable about spending a fortune on advertising. I mean, how do I know I’m going to get my money back?”
“You don’t. But what you’re doing now clearly isn’t working. About how much of your clientele are new versus returning?”
Bill doesn’t have that information either. In fact, he’s pretty much in the dark as far as the business is concerned. The numbers he knows, from being an accountant. But everything else about the business seems to be inherited from the old owners. Who had to sell because their business couldn’t weather the recession? It seems more and more like Bill and Sandra are floating along, more out of luck than anything else.
“This isn’t good,” I say, leaning forward. “You can’t run a business if you don’t know what’s going on.”
“I know. This is why I need your help. You have to promise not to tell Sandra though.”
Oh boy. Bill is definitely in over his head. But he is my friend, and I dutifully promise. Bill opens up everything and gets up.
“I’ll grab you some coffee while you look things over,” he says.
It takes longer than a cup of coffee to go over all the spreadsheets, the tax returns and the ledgers. My biggest focus is on the profits and expenditures. Bill is right when he says they aren’t growing. Though profit is limited by how many rooms the B and B has, most of the time, bookings were at 50% year round. They should be reaching capacity at peak travel times in the summer or during Valentine’s Day for example. I also go back further, to before Bill and Sandra took over. I notice immediately that there are bigger bookings too- wedding parties in particular. It makes sense, considering the B and B has a romantic past, a beautiful view of the ocean, the perfect number of rooms for a wedding party.
When I ask Bill though, he shrugs.
“Sandra thought it would be too much to do,” he says. “Selkirk House had gotten rid of its wedding packages during the recession, and she didn’t know how to bring it back.”
“You didn’t think to look through the old files here? It details a bakery, a florist, a caterer. I’d bet you that at least one of them are still around. And what you can’t do, you can research. Look up another hotel that does something similar, see the rates and what they offer, and try to do the same. It’s not rocket science Bill. Big bookings like these will fill your rooms.”
Bill sits back and rubs his face.
“This is a headache,” he groans. “Can’t you do this sort of thing?”
“No, I cannot,” I say sharply. “This is your business Bill. You have to be the one with the hunger to make it happen. You or Sandra. Now I know there are magazines you can write to, travel magazines, that will hopefully spark some interest. I bet there are shows too. Brochures you can make up. And of course you have to get yourself on social media. Claim your business on travel advisor, so that you know what your guests are saying when they leave reviews. And you need information. Your guests should be writing up some stuff at registration. How they found out about you, whether they’re new or returning, that sort of thing. Offer them a discount at their next booking. Or a discount for one of the local restaurants in town. That always helps. In this day and age, data is king. I know everything about my business. Where every cent is going. How much I profit. Comps in the area for comparable properties. You need to do the same.”
“Okay, okay,” he says, lifting up his hands. “I get it. We’ve been doing it all wrong.”
“You’ve been coasting. And it’s worked so far, but it won’t if changes are coming.”
I lean back in my chair. I’m frustrated at Bill, but the harsh words had to be said. I wouldn’t be a friend to him otherwise.
“I’m not done either,” I continue. “We can do more than just wedding packages. From what I see here, there’s a lot of great money to be made. We don’t have to do more than direct customers to local businesses. In return, we get a commission, say 10-15% of money, just for recommending them. We can set up fishing trips for example, or cooking weekends. And we should develop ties to a good restaurant in the area that could help us out for food. We don’t want to make it, but guests need to eat. Breakfast, dinner, why not build a mutually beneficial relationship with a place in town? And conferences would be perfect for a place like the B and B. A place where they sort of disconnect with the outer world to focus. Yoga is all the rage, and you’ve got a perfect front lawn for it. Businesses who want to do group building is another.”
Bill’s head looks like it’s spinning. It is a lot to absorb all at once. I lean forward and clap a hand on his shoulder.
“Listen, why don’t I write up a proposal for you? List things out so you can talk them over with Sandra. I can’t do your job for you, but hopefully this will be the start you need to really make changes.”
“That would be fantastic James,” he says with relief. “You’re right. We’ve been lucky so far. Thank you for doing this for us.”
“No problem buddy,” I say. “That’s what friends are for right?”
Bill stands up and heads out. As soon as he does, I pull out my phone and open Facebook. I stare at the picture of Ava, debating with myself. I can still stop this, I think. And then I open up my messages and begin to type.