His Thriving B&B Funds His Freedom-Focused Lifestyle
After a long career in hospitality, Harro took the brave step to open a B&B with his wife, Lucy. They run the B&B by themselves – cooking, fixing, cleaning, and balancing books.
Despite starting from nothing and doing everything himself, their B&B did quite well – they got 80% direct bookings through their “generic” website and a solid rate of returning guests.
But when sales dipped, they were on their own.
Harro couldn’t call out a marketing department for some extra bookings when sales dipped like he did during his days working in a hotel.
He had to be the one to market and promote the B&B:
Harro heard about Boostly from another short-term property rental owner.
And while his B&B was already thriving…
He knew even a marginal increase in direct bookings would mean more money in his pocket.
And that’s exactly what happened.
90% Direct Bookings
90% direct bookings didn’t make Harro and his wife more money.
It also led to:
- Friendlier guests who are a pleasure to serve
- Fewer last-minute cancellations that are too late to replace
- Local strangers recognising Harro as “The guy who runs Hive at 52”
“When people stay in the area, they tend to stay with me.”
“I’ve started to close weekends to do stuff with my family and wife.”
Now, Harro could continue to scale the B&B.
He could maximise his revenue even further.
Maybe even open up a second or third location.
But he’d rather shut the B&B down for a weekend or a couple of days to spend time with his wife and family.
OR spend 10-15 hours a week training for marathons and ultra-marathons.
“I’m quite content with what I’ve got here.”