I have some big news about a new venture. Well, over the last few weeks I have started a new business of sorts. I have opened a vacation rental on Whidbey Island http://www.beachhouseatwhidbey.com/ . The situation was that this house and the waterfront property has been in my family for over sixty years, but there was a financial emergency, and the house needed to be purchased right quick. I didn’t have enough money for such a property, but I have always wanted to set a vacation rental business, so I scrambled and got it done in about 2 months. The house and the web site have been very popular and I am booked out through mid September in less than two weeks of marketing it.

It has been fantastic expanding my hospitality and marketing skills into a new business. My guests have been so excited to be surprised at their arrival with a basket of munchies, tide book, local island map and current island newspaper, and later in the week movies and popcorn, and a local Huckleberry honey thank you gift when they leave. I hired a local person to be the housekeeper and caretaker and everything is running like clockwork. This is fun! It makes me wonder…how else can you use your skills to expand your business, or start another one? Vacation rental, catering, elder care, property management… It’s food for thought.