Can You Run Your Serviced Accommodation Business From A Laptop?

Whilst SA is a hands on business that obviously does require some on-location work and regular inspection of the sites, the majority of the work is still computer based and can be managed remotely.

My Serviced apartments are 40 minutes away from where I live. At first I thought this would be a problem as I couldn't just 'pop over' anytime there was the slightest issue. However, I quickly realised the advantages to this being the case.

I was forced to set up systems to cover all eventualities and put a great team of people in place to ensure that there was always someone there, when needed. It also prevented me from making unnecessary visits (just because I was nearby) which would have wasted my productivity and time that could have been spent on growing the business instead.

In the worst case scenarios I will jump in the car to go and sort any issues out, but this is seldom.


Housekeeping

Housekeeping is probably the most important cog in the wheel for SA operators. If your housekeeping team lets you down, your business will fall apart. You need more than just cleaners and so its' worth spending more on this service than a standard domestic cleaner.

Not only will your guests be expecting a hotel standard clean, but you will want your cleaners to change linen, top up refreshments and toiletries and carry out a number of checks so that you don't have to. Checks include (but aren't limited to); checking for breakages and missing items, checking light bulbs, checking TV remotes are working (and don't need batteries replaced) and checking the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms once a month.


Maintenance

You will find that a lot of little jobs will need doing, due to high turnover of guests and use of the property.  You may get issues with showers, drain blockages, bathrooms might need re-sealing, radiators checking, leaks managed, issues with the boiler and so on.

Make sure you already have someone that you can call in the event that something goes wrong (which it inevitable will). Once you have someone that you know and trust doing these odd jobs for you, they will be able to let themselves into the property (when the guests aren't there) instead of you having to attend and wait while they complete the job.

If the guests have an issue with heating or water, make sure you have an emergency contact you can call on. For all other smaller issues, when a guest or cleaner alerts you to the issue, contact your maintenance person and ask them to check the issue.  Make sure your cleaners take photos of the issue and ask your maintenance person to either send a photo, video or Facetime you to show you when the issue has been resolved.




Keys & Check-in

If you are not going to be around in person to meet and greet, you need a key box. I know a lot of operators prefer to meet and greet and I'm sure some of the guests like it too, but I haven't found any issues with self check-in, particularly as the guests are not tied down to any particular check-in time and can arrive as they please. Make sure all the security checks have been covered before you give anyone access to the keys to your property.



Security Checks

You should already have security checks in place to deter unruly guests, prevent card fraud and ensure your property will be looked after. We have systems in place that check that our guests have passed the card security checks, signed a contract and provided ID in the same name as the booking name. We also make sure we take a security deposit which is released when the changeover has been done and the cleaners have confirmed that everything is as it should be.


Supplies Cupboards

If you want to avoid unnecessary visits to your apartments, it would be wise to keep spare items in a storage cupboard in each apartment. If your apartment doesn't have a cupboard you can buy a lockable free standing cupboard, to keep in the apartment for spares.

This is what I have done and in mine I keep spare plates, cutlery, glasses lightbulbs, batteries as well as refreshments and bottles of wine for special occasions. The cleaners have access to it, so if they notice something is broken or missing, they can replace it while they are on the job.


Property Set up

Some landlords and investors prefer to set up the property themselves. You can simply provide them with a checklist of all of the items they need to be guest ready and leave them to complete set-up.  

Otherwise you might need to manage this. In this case you have two options; you can outsource the job to a property staging company or you can do it yourself. If you chose the later option, you can still do a lot of this from your computer and keep the time spent in the property at a minimum. 

Source as many of the products as possible online and get them delivered either to yourself or directly to the property when you are going to be there. I initially made the mistake of spending hours wandering around the home furnishing shops and spent 4 days doing what should really have taken me an afternoon. 

Make sure you have room plans and plenty of pictures of the apartment and then plan and source from your laptop. When it comes to setting up the property, to make the most of your time get help! Pay someone a day rate to help you get it set up and ready for guests. It will be worth the money, trust me. 

Property Inspections

Now this may be the exception to the rule, as there are some things that you will want to do yourself in the beginning. Property inspections being one of them! At least, until you have a trusted property manager or member of staff that can will give this task the attention to detail required to do a proper job!


If you get all of these systems in place, you should be able to manage most of your business from your computer, from wherever you happen to be at the time!



Design the life you love! 


Best wishes,
Kirsty 

10 Top Tips for Outsourcing Bliss!

Do you find that you never have enough time to get everything done? Are you brimming to the top with ideas you just know will make your business a thriving success, but can never find the time to implement them?

This can be incredibly frustrating. I know. I’ve been there.  There is an answer however and it’s one you probably already know.

It’s time to outsource.

It’s all well and good knowing that you need someone to relieve you from some of the workload, but if you haven’t ever hired or managed anyone before, this might feel overwhelming and could stop you getting started.

It doesn’t need to.

If you are running your business mostly from your laptop (or would like to), then Virtual Assistants are the perfect choice for you. There is an abundance of VA’s all over the world looking for work and ready to assist and support you with your business. Many are qualified, more than capable and eager to do a great job!

You can choose to hire full time or part time and can select candidates according to the exact skill set and experience required for your role, just like any other job.

You can hire freelancers for one-off tasks or projects, or you can hire a virtual assistant to fill a position in the business. The options are there for you to create a role and attract an applicant the fits your business model, your job requirements and you.

Here are 10 tips for a smooth outsourcing experience (although I do have many more…)

1. Plan your work. Before placing an advert and certainly before hiring, make sure you know exactly what you want your new VA to do. What will help support you the best? What admin or repetitive tasks do you find yourself doing that could easily be handed over to someone else? What have you been ‘meaning’ to do but never got around to doing? Structure the work and the tasks so you know exactly what you want done and the results you are expecting
2. Get used to the idea of letting other people do things for you. This was the hardest thing for me as I am guilty of having an ‘oh I’ll just do it attitude’. You might think it’s easier and quicker for you to do it, but if you applied that thinking to everything, you would never have any time. Start thinking ‘who’ not ‘how’ without any guilt or concern for the cost. Is the cost of outsourcing the work less than your hourly rate? Is this person likely to do a better job thank you (be honest!)? Will it leave you to focus on revenue generating tasks that can take your business to the next level? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then outsource it! 
3. One hat doesn’t fit all. Everyone has a different skill set and whilst some might claim to be a jack of all traders, they are still likely to be stronger in some areas and weaker in others. Look at the work you want to outsource and think about whether it is a job for one or whether it should be broken down into two or even three roles, to get the best possible results. I hired one person for Business development and a completely different person for social media. Both jobs required a completely different person, knowledge and skills. 
4. Location, Location. Think about where you want to hire your VA from. If you want to hire from the Philippines for example, you will outsourcing at significantly lower hourly rates than the UK and USA - but time differences could be an issue, Internet speeds are slower and whilst many are have excellent English skills, your role might require a native English speaker. That said, many are hardworking, loyal and efficient. 
5. Be prepared. Before you post your advert, make sure you have your job description, job offer and contract (including KPI’s and payment terms) all ready to go. Make sure you have an application form set up and ready to start taking applications (Google forms is great for this!) 
6. One step at a time. If you’re not ready to hire a full time VA or even a part time VA, start with a small one off job to get familiar with the process. Fiverr is a great place to start for simple one off tasks (although you will get what you pay for!). It will ease you into the outsourcing process and help you see what other Tasks and functions you could outsource for your business. 
7. The outcome is as good as the instruction. It’s really important to get clear when giving your VA instructions for a particular task or role. Remember, they have not worked for your company before or with you. They might not have done these particular tasks before so you need to be very clear in telling them what they need to do. Give them useful instructions that are easy to follow and if you’re explaining something a little more complicated or providing instructions on how to use a piece of software, a video of your screen and voice instructions will go a long way. It won’t take long and will be worth it for your VA to do the job right first time. 
8. Allow time for training. At first it may feel as though managing someone is taking up time that you don’t have, but consider the bigger picture. Investment at the beginning will pay dividends sooner than you think! Give your VA support and help when they need it and they will shine for you. When they are familiar with your company, your way of working, your set up and their role they will take the reigns. 
9. Get to know your VA. They are human after all and many have a great sense of humour. If you want them to enjoy a long and fulfilling working relationship with you, spend a little time understanding who they are and what makes them tick. It will benefit you in the end. 
10. Just get started. The sooner you get started the easier it will be. Don’t over think it like I did. I hesitated for far too long and suffered massively from it. Outsourcing was the best thing I could have done for the business and just knowing that I have people working for the business everyday and consistently gave me instant relief and made the initial training and management well worth it! 

It's time to loosen the reigns and start delegating some of the work load. I promise you, it will change your life - and your business.

Have a great day!  😃

Laptop Lifestyle Living

- Design A Life You Love!

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Laptop Lifestyle Living.... How it all began

Two years ago my life was turned upside down. My marriage broke down and I relocated with my 2 children. While this was the right decision for the future, I suddenly felt very alone. Everything had changed. Our daily lives were now unfamiliar, I had no childcare, no support, no friends down the road and I was responsible for everything.

My financial situation was far from where I wanted it to be. I had an eCommerce business which had been doing well but now, due to a number of issues, was no longer looking stable.

I had nothing saved for the future - no pension pot and no financial security for myself or my family.

I knew things needed to change - fast. I needed to create another source of income, in case the eCommerce business failed and I wanted to build a pension pot. I had a real passion for property, having developed our marital home and I knew this was the answer - but had no idea how to start.

I not only wanted to provide a better life for us, I wanted to create an amazing lifestyle full of opportunities, fun and fulfilment. But I didn't want to do this at the expense of spending time with my children. 

I wanted the freedom to work from my laptop so that I could always be around in the morning, after school and whenever they needed me. I wanted them to grow up in an environment in which they would feel safe, confident, happy and would thrive. 

I wanted to be a successful entrepreneur AND a good mum. 

I knew the lifestyle I wanted to create existed and others were living it, but I didn’t think it was possible for me. I was limited by my own false beliefs. After years of striving for success I had finally given in to accept that I wasn’t good enough or successful enough. I was on my own and I had no idea what to do next. I felt like I had failed….….. in all areas of my life.

A few weeks before my birthday I randomly came across a property investing book on Amazon. Intrigued and excited, I bought it. I remember clearly the day it arrived, I sat on my bed with the sun shining in on my face, as I started to flick through the pages. Despite being the worlds slowest reader, couldn’t wait to get started.

That book changed my life.

It showed me that anyone could get into property and explained in simple terms, how to go about it. It wasn’t just the content in the book that changed my life, it was the opportunities and possibilities that suddenly became visible, the life that became possible and the new belief that even I could do it.

All of a sudden I found myself on a transformational journey of personal development. One that I was never going to look back from. Anything seemed possible, in property and in business.

I invested into myself and learned everything I could about property, business, mindset, online marketing and wealth creation. I found myself down a rabbit hole, following anything and everything that interested me.

I immersed myself in webinars, podcasts, books, magazines, blogs, audio books and podcasts. Everything I listened to, watched and read was for my education and self development. I attended training events and mentorship programmes.

Within 7 months I had set up a Serviced Accommodation business on my own. Six months later, with a JV partner I had met through property events, I set up a property investment company and we purchased our first property. I started working on growth plans with my eCommerce business partner, developing a completely new product line in a brand new industry for us.

Life became exhilarating and full of possibility.

The problem was… I was quickly caught back in the trap of working all hours. I hadn't created new businesses, I’d created new jobs. I was doing everything myself because I didn’t know any other way. 

I wasn't making the progress I wanted, in fact I was barely making progress at all. I knew exactly what to do for all businesses to take off, but I only had 24 hours in a day. 

I was spreading myself too thinly and still getting distracted by every new opportunity that seemed to present itself (the dreaded Shiny Penny Syndrome!) And the time I had been spending with my children, was suddenly consumed by work again. 

So I took a breathe….

I took the pressure off and reminded myself that it was ok. These things take time, it was never going to happen over night. I was investing in the next 20/30 years of my life and I did not have to achieve it all the first 12 month. 

I decided there and then to STOP getting distracted and FOCUS on the core activity of the businesses I had set up. I finally dealt with my fear of the unknown and took a giant leap forwarded into outsourcing. I hired 3 VA's within a month. I implemented more robust systems to replace any repetitive admin tasks and ensure a smooth operation. 

And this is where I am now.  I am finally living the laptop lifestyle that I always wanted - but am still only at the beginning!! 

Everything is being run from my laptop. I manage serviced apartments over half an hour away from my home and am buying property almost 3 hours away. We have transformed the running of our eCommerce business. We gave up the office, no longer hold stock, have outsourced all task based work and stopped going the post office. 

I am the mum I want to be and despite having 3 businesses now, I am still at home for the kids before and after school. I spend most evenings with them before they go to bed. I can take them away in the holidays and work from my laptop knowing that everything is still in control and I can still manage the business.

I have gone from feeling anxious, worried and fearful to positive, alive and like I can conquer anything. What an amazing two years I have had and what a journey I am on. I have learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes (and continue to do so…!).

I now have big fat hairy goals, that 2 years ago I would have laughed at - and I really do know that anything is possible. 

Why am I telling you all of this? 

Because if you, like me, have big aspirations, hopes and dreams for your future but aren't sure that you can do it - I want to remind you that you can. 

Am I there yet?  Not quite - but that’s what makes now an exciting time to share my journey. Every day I am learning and every day I am overcoming challenges. And I want to start sharing what I learn to help anyone else on a similar journey.

The World really is your oyster. You really can do, be, have or achieve absolutely anything that you want, if you believe it and are willing to make it happen. You create your own reality. You create your own successes and you also create your own downfalls. 

You and only you are responsible for the life that you live. And absolutely anyone can change their life, at anytime - you just have to want it badly enough.

Follow me on my journey, where I will share all my experiences (good and bad) in business, property, eCommerce, marketing, outsourcing, systemising and ultimately designing a life you love and living the laptop lifestyle dream.