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Bed & Breakfast Owner

Hospitality: Claiborne House, Rocky Mount, VA
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Do you enjoy the comforts of working out of your home? Do you thrive on meeting new people and engaging in friendly conversation? Do you have a nurturing side that loves to pamper and provide for company? Have you always dreamed of being your own boss? If so, we’ve got the VocationVacation for you! Then spend a few days at The Claiborne House in Rocky Mount, Virginia with Tony and Shellie Leete and let them share the dream they are living while owning and operating their very own B&B!

Born and raised in San Diego, CA, Shellie moved to "the land down under", Australia, in 1988 where she married her Aussie/Kiwi husband, Tony. They then spent ten years living in the Pacific Northwest of the US before relocating to Rocky Mount to pursue their dream of owning a Bed & Breakfast. Built in 1895, The Claiborne House is in its 16th year of being a B&B. It is in the heart of the historic district of Rocky Mount and is the perfect home base for exploring many points of interest in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

As appealing as owning a B&B sounds, it’s not all about sipping lemonade on the porch. So what kind of person does it take to successfully run one? According to Shellie, you must be able to wear a thousand different hats.  She puts marketing at the top of the list. She jokes that there is no such thing as "build it and they will come." Internet marketing, specifically, is an essential ingredient for their livelihood. Other necessary skills vary in nature, but all contribute to the success of their business. To be profitable, one must be computer literate, able to manage financial responsibilities, and be an expert in all areas of handy work and maintenance.

What’s at the top of list?  Customer service. From answering phones to interacting with guests and making sure their expectations are exceeded during their stay, the way an owner engages her visitors is surely essential for repeat and word-of-mouth business. Shellie notes that people staying at B&Bs really like to open up to the owners. "Guests in your home feel entitled to ask all kinds of personal questions in order to get to know you better so be prepared to share your life with them,” she suggests.

Shellie and Tony run the operation without any other staff members other than their two daughters, ten and thirteen, who help out a bit in the summertime. Although their inn does not typically cater to young children, they feel owning and running this kind of business has greatly benefited their daughters. "Our children have had the opportunity to meet incredible people from all over the country and world and are extremely cultured because of it", says Shellie. Family time is also made a priority by actively scheduling time off to get away from the business and spend quality time with the family.

As far as giving advice to those looking to follow their dream of owning a B&B, Shellie warns, "To not look at it through rose-colored glasses. It is a business transaction. Yes, its fun to decorate the rooms, cook for the guests, chat on the porch, etc. but the main objective is to make an income." There are a lot of down-and-dirty details that need to be addressed. As part of the experience, Shellie gives her Vocationers a true sense of the ins and outs of running a successful B&B business." It’s not something you can find in a book or a seminar,” Shellie expresses, “It’s something that comes with experience.” Experience that she and Tony now have and would be more than happy to pass on to you!

Vocationer activities will include some or all of the following:
  • Reservation Management – from taking calls for bookings to online reservations/inquiries – using online program and PC-based guest software – sending out personalized confirmations
  • Assist and learn guest check-in process
  • Breakfast planning, preparation and serving
  • Food supplies purchasing/planning
  • Guest services – greeting guests, providing information on local sites of interest, all interaction and entertaining of guests
  • Laugh and have fun each day as you meet incredible people who sit at your table and sip your coffee and share their lives with you
  • Marketing the inn (including Internet, regional and local) and public relations – internet, most importantly!
  • Promoting your niche – every inn is different
  • Understanding inn keeping profit/loss – running reports, paying taxes and all B&B office/business management
  • Learn short cuts, tips and helpful hints to running the inn smoothly, economically and efficiently
  • Learn to deal diplomatically with difficult guests or situations
  • Housekeeping – Laundry, cleaning rooms, making up rooms
  • Guest check-out process
  • Banking and all merchant management with credit cards
  • Maintenance – gardens, grounds, guest rooms, common areas
  • Quality assurance
The Claiborne House Bed & Breakfast Owner VocationVacations® holiday includes:
  • Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job
  • The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post-VocationVacation career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coach
  • A pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job becoming a reality
  • Light breakfasts, lunches and dinners with your mentor

Available: All year based on mentor's availability with exception of holiday weekends

Price: $899 Per Person

Book this dream job vacation


Required Accommodations

Claiborne House

(Required minimum 4-night stay, not included in the price of the VocationVacations® holiday)

Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® adventure:

Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:

Full payment of the VocationVacations dream job holiday is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacations adventure cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. In the US, Grounded Nomads, LLC and VocationVacations holidays encourage all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling. In the UK, Grounded Nomads, Ltd and VocationVacations holidays must require all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling and provide verification of such travel insurance to Grounded Nomads, Ltd.