Featured Modern Elders*

Karen and Jeff
ORIGINS Bed and Breakfast
www.originsbedandbreakfast.com
928 224 2922

If you are a teacher, a therapist, or a coach, like me, there is nothing finer or more fulfilling than to witness your client using your wisdom to demonstrate their learned lessons in their success. This was the privilege I experienced when I stayed in the Copper Room at ORIGINS in Cottonwood, Arizona.

Back in 2014, Karen and Jeff started to seriously consider what retirement could look like for them. Peace Corp? Retire fully? Partial retirement? Jeff, age 61, was an industrial engineer as well as a Council board member in his community, and Karen, age 62, was the COO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Moving their mindset and lifestyle from the corporate world to an entrepreneurial venture was an evolution over time. Instead of delivering someone else's defined company vision and culture, now life was all about their own brand, vision and values that needed to be integrated and defined for what was right for them. Not an easy transition...and there was no paycheck!

Fortunately, their business processes and management skills made them both great problem solvers. Their integrity and authenticity was on the line with every decision and action. Their intention was clear!

Karen and I started working together to help identify opportunities for their future. Through those sessions it became clear that a Bed and Breakfast was the right choice for them. They knew that building a firm entrepreneurial foundation was their next step to move forward. As Karen and I continued working together we discussed: what is your company name that best defines what you are really selling? Who is your customer? Know your numbers for ongoing sustainability...

One of their first assignments was to attend an industry conference in New Orleans to talk with more B&B hosts, meet vendors, and clarify their individual roles and the efficient digital processes that needed to be developed. Many of the attending hosts did their best to talk them out of this project! "It's hard work. Too much competition. Not easy to be profitable."

But, Jeff and Karen stayed brave and continued onward to find the property that fit their vision, and boy! Did they ever hit the jackpot: located on a bluff above the Verde River, with views of Sedona and Jerome and the gorgeous Mingus Mountains. All the windows are built on this property with generous views and inspirational southwestern art work sitting front and center.

When I asked what it was like to work together in this new partnership capacity, Jeff responded first: "We like each other. We like working with each other. We're both introverts, so instead of hiding in the kitchen, which would be easy to do, we support each other in working out of our comfort zone to serve our customers and contribute to our new community."

Filling in the brand differentiators, the most efficient processes and service experiences for their customers was the focus for our ongoing coaching agenda:

• Environmental consciousness in everything we do.
• Healthy was the goal. Karen prepares 3-course artful gourmet breakfasts that can be adapted to gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and vegan. Karen knows you eat first with your eyes, right?
• In order to maintain the highest level of service, they do not want to hire anyone. They do everything from cleaning to cooking to home maintenance themselves. "We don't want to risk changing who we are...Quality people are hard to find! This is our brand, this is US. Authenticity and Integrity rules at Origins."
• "Origins offers a quiet, peaceful sanctuary, away from hustle and bustle...we provide the ultimate in service experience!"
• Engaged with the community is important to them: Karen volunteers as a mentor at SCORE and Jeff is actively engaged in the historical society and the local property owner's association.
• With 4 rooms, each one different with its own unique bathtub/shower – such as waterfall shower over rocks or copper tub - the appointments to each room are full of treasures! "But," as Karen emphatically says, "it's very hard work to serve all 4 rooms at one time...so now we only book 3 rooms at a time. We want to keep enjoying what we're doing."

Origins opened their doors November, 2020...in the height of Covid! Immediately, creative solutions and hard work were in demand: Karen says, "no breaks, no getting sick, needing every reservation...we didn't think about ourselves! You just can't put your business on hold. We wrote our Operations and Process manuals. We got creative, offering people a stay for $25 to give us input and a review. We went through every step of scheduling, welcoming and saying goodbye, observing every possible clue to know how to improve every customer experience. We leveraged our skills, and used them differently." At one point, they had a guest in the house every day for 12 weeks and that is when they realized they had to schedule breaks into their reservation system.

As Dustin Hoffman says: It's true what they say about failure. You don't learn from success.

So, now what? I ask (as any coach would). You did it! You envisioned and built Origins from the ground up. You are profitable, AND sustainable. You are loving and living to serve your customers AND your community. All in 3 years!!!

I was shocked by their answer: "We don't need to grow."

Instead of wanting more, better or different, Karen and Jeff choose controlled growth, an unheard-of concept amongst most entrepreneurs. My respect deepened for them. Their marriage, partnership, and lifestyle centered on serving their customers, their community, and each other. Congratulations!

Then, I asked them both: what advice would you give to other would-be entrepreneurs?

These are their nuggets (you just might recognize the words):

• What would you do today if you were brave?
• Don't think you can fly by the seat of your pants!
• Talk to lots of people! Ask for help, get advice.
• Ask yourselves: who is the best one to do the various jobs: serve the customer absolutely (front end) and stay in touch with financial flow of your business (back end).
• Bigger is not always better...controlled growth matters.
• What CAN we do that better serves that doesn't necessarily drive income yet increases the service experience? Karen creates fabulous copper jewelry and sells each piece very inexpensively...easy to buy!
• Stay flexible. Be open to opportunity, e.g., lots of wineries in this area. Good for us to know.
• Your business has to fit YOU!
• "Just because you are in love with your vision and you think it's cool, the market will tell you if others agree!"

Karen and Jeff worked their plan, coveted their values and figured out how to demonstrate these in every action and decision in running their business.

See for yourself: Origins www.originsbedandbreakfast.com.

I strongly suggest you make reservations now!

P.S. Karen suggests entrepreneurs see the film Flamin' Hot, the story of Cheetos, and I highly recommend The Bear to show you what it takes to bring service excellence to your business.

If retirement or the next chapter is calling your name, if I can help you realize your vision in business and lifestyle, email me. Let's make it happen now! Susan@SusanLBrooks.com.

© 2024 SUSAN L. BROOKS | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Privacy Policy