Well, things are moving quickly now....
Yesterday, the 18th, we met with Koert-Jan de Weert to talk about investers. Of course he couldn't promise anything, but he was very positive. He's going to take our plan around to his circle of contacts and see what he can put together -- and perhaps he can even get more investers than we are seeking, so that we can borrow less from a bank.
He explained the advantages of working with investers this way: a bank is an institution that in general brings you an umbrella when the sun is shining, and takes it away when it starts to rain. But an invester (if you hook up with the right kind) is usually someone in their later years, who made a lot of money as an entrepreneur, and would like to use their savings to help new entrepreneurs. Especially now, when the alternative is to invest their savings in stocks and banks that are almost completely removed from the actual person or business they are supporting. If we could connect with this sort of invester, he or she would probably be someone who is personally excited about our vision, someone who would drop by regularly to see how it's going, offer encouragement and advice, talk up our project among his or her friends.... In short, it sounded totally in keeping with our way of thinking and working.
Koert-Jan also explained a little how investment contracts work. Banking laws prohibit investers in the Netherlands from lending money to someone for more than a year -- if you do that, then you are acting like a bank and cutting into their business. So companies like Koert-Jan's have set up ways to work around this, so that the loan is called something else. The invester gets a sort-of share in the project, which we can later buy back from the invester. The result is that we can be more relaxed -- the invester (being a former entrepreneur himself or herself) knows that the first years can be slow, and they are looking at the long-term. When it rains, metaphorically, they won't come pounding at the door demanding their payments, but will come with a hammer and nails to help secure the roof.
In short, a very positive and eye-opening experience. Before talking with Koert-Jan, I had the impression that investers were mostly worse than banks -- that in general they demand their money back more quickly, with higher interest, and are more likely to want to take over your show and run it the way they see fit. I'm glad to learn this is just a negative stereotype! (with perhaps some basis in truth -- I'm sure there are investers like that, as well.)
So, after talking with Koert-Jan, I made the last changes to the business plan, added our resumes and scans of the floorplans at the end, and sent it off to him electronically to take around to his millionaire friends. He doesn't have time until the end of this week, so I'm hoping maybe early next week we'll have some preliminary reactions from him....
Meanwhile, I had contact with someone at Triodos (after playing a lot of phone tag and message forwarding, to get to the right person for our project) and sent her the electronic version of the plan as well. She'll review it and get back to us in a few days to make an appointment.
And Wednesday (tomorrow) we go to the Rabobank, whose representative has been reviewing the plan since last Thursday.
I've told people at the shop that I definitely want to stop (even though I don't know for sure what will happen in Bunnik) and we're getting ready to tell our landlord that we are definitely going to move....
Saturday I turn 45, and we're going to have a party for friends and family in the garden (it is supposed to be beautiful weather -- I need to get out and do some work on the flower beds....)
And next week Tuesday I have an appointment with the local midwife. It seems that I am 10 weeks pregnant (and I thought I was just pre-menopausal....)
Life sure is interesting.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Now it is May...
Well, a lot has been happening even though I haven't been blogging for a while....
I've been writing like crazy on the business plan, making more and more improvements to the content, and then every time getting native Dutch speakers to read it and make corrections... it is a long and slow process, and yet....
I'm glad that I'm doing it. Even if we don't get the necessary loans and can't buy the house. Because the whole process is a good reminder to me that I can do more than slice bread and order milk and check people out at the cash register. I can take initiatives, do research, organize my results, inspire other people to want to help me with extra information and ideas. Where this will all lead me, I have no idea, but at least it is leading me out of the shop.
I'm going to disturb the chronological order here a moment and describe one of the more recent chapters in this adventure. I made contact with a friend of a friend, Carole Anne. We met some time ago at a house concert at Anne Ku's. Anne reminded me that Carole Anne had a background at a bank, something to do with investing, and I decided there was no harm in emailing her to ask if she might be willing to read our plan and comment on it. Well, it turned out that Carole Anne is a very busy professional in Amsterdam, who used to read and evaluate 300 business plans a month for ABNAMRO -- now she does private consulting. And she would be happy to read the plan. !! I mailed it off, and about a week later, I got an email back: could we meet in Amsterdam on Friday May 8, to talk about it over lunch? Of course, I said yes. But I was nervous. Were there so many problems with the plan that she didn't want to take the time to write them all in an email? Easier just to name them all and let me take notes between bites of our sandwiches?
It turned out, in fact, that Carole Anne thought our plan was extremely well done, better than many she used to read each month -- so good, in fact, that if I were in an MBA program, I could submit it as my thesis. Wow!
And yes, she also had tips, which were very helpful and insightful and I've been busy adding them in. But even without the changes, she said it was already good enough to take to a bank. The changes will just make it better: I've added an index, and a one-page summary, and a "Sources and Uses" analysis, and a "break-even" analysis, and I've moved the mission statement back into the body of the plan.
But two main challenges remain. One, we are still talking about a huge sum of money, and Paulus and I can't demonstrate that we have experience handling that amount of money. And two, we don't have very much money of our own to bring into the project. If we could somehow hook up with an invester/partner who could help out in one or both areas, it would be a big help. So I continue to "broadcast" our dream in all directions.... Someone (or an organization) involved in hotels/lodgings/events management/restaurants & catering....
We met on Friday May 1 with one potential partner -- an organic caterer named Edsart, with his wife Ellen. All of us went to the Dorpsstraat and had a tour of the place together. We talked there, and later, about the possibility of us all working and living together in the house. Paulus and I would handle the treatments and the bed & breakfast, and Edsart and Ellen would handle the food and the room rental. But we decided that it would be too much: it is hard enough dividing tasks and taking care of everyone's needs in a relationship with two people -- but to do it with four adults plus two children, and at the same time start up an expensive business venture from scratch -- it just sounds like a recipe for disaster. So we agreed to keep it at a regular business level: Paulus and I do our thing, and hire them in as needed for the catering, from their current location. If we are totally busy and calling them 6 days a week, then we can all discuss the possibility of them relocating and getting "hired" permanently. Now... in the meantime I don't know if they want to invest financially... but we want to get positive word from a bank first before we ask people point-blank about money.
Plus Edi, the friend of Paulus' with two successful bars in Utrecht, remains a possibility. If he and his wife wanted to be partners/investers, I think that would impress a bank a lot. Again, we're going to wait until we have more details before asking them directly. But we know already that they are excited for us, and also that they know a lot of other people in the business...
Next Monday we go to meet with another friend of a friend, who runs a marketing and investment company. I sent him an introductory email with a brief description of the project and he responded very positively. His point of view was basically, if the plan is sound (ie it will make a profit) and if it is our dream and we are really passionate about it, there will be a way to do it. Where there is a will, there's a way.
A few other interesting events in the last weeks: We attended two events for Triodos shareholders. (Triodos is an independent European bank that invests in green and sustainable projects) One was organized at Antropia Cultuur- en Congrescentrum in Zeist-Driebergen (on the estate of Landgoed Reehorst.) Antropia is a very upscale yet new-agey/alternative sort of center (all the conference rooms are named after crystals and gemstones, their meals are all organic, etc.) which has received funding and support from Triodos. We heard lots of versions and perspectives on the Triodos philosophy... and kept nodding and looking at each other... surely they will like our project as well? We also heard about how fast they are growing -- apparently in the last year, with all the financial troubles, lots of people decided to take their money out of the banks they were using and bring it to Triodos. Their deposits grew an amazing 10%! I forget how many hundreds of millions of Euros that is -- but it is a lot, and all that money has to get put somewhere. Naturally, not all of it can get put into risky start-up projects, but maybe just a little....
I've been writing like crazy on the business plan, making more and more improvements to the content, and then every time getting native Dutch speakers to read it and make corrections... it is a long and slow process, and yet....
I'm glad that I'm doing it. Even if we don't get the necessary loans and can't buy the house. Because the whole process is a good reminder to me that I can do more than slice bread and order milk and check people out at the cash register. I can take initiatives, do research, organize my results, inspire other people to want to help me with extra information and ideas. Where this will all lead me, I have no idea, but at least it is leading me out of the shop.
I'm going to disturb the chronological order here a moment and describe one of the more recent chapters in this adventure. I made contact with a friend of a friend, Carole Anne. We met some time ago at a house concert at Anne Ku's. Anne reminded me that Carole Anne had a background at a bank, something to do with investing, and I decided there was no harm in emailing her to ask if she might be willing to read our plan and comment on it. Well, it turned out that Carole Anne is a very busy professional in Amsterdam, who used to read and evaluate 300 business plans a month for ABNAMRO -- now she does private consulting. And she would be happy to read the plan. !! I mailed it off, and about a week later, I got an email back: could we meet in Amsterdam on Friday May 8, to talk about it over lunch? Of course, I said yes. But I was nervous. Were there so many problems with the plan that she didn't want to take the time to write them all in an email? Easier just to name them all and let me take notes between bites of our sandwiches?
It turned out, in fact, that Carole Anne thought our plan was extremely well done, better than many she used to read each month -- so good, in fact, that if I were in an MBA program, I could submit it as my thesis. Wow!
And yes, she also had tips, which were very helpful and insightful and I've been busy adding them in. But even without the changes, she said it was already good enough to take to a bank. The changes will just make it better: I've added an index, and a one-page summary, and a "Sources and Uses" analysis, and a "break-even" analysis, and I've moved the mission statement back into the body of the plan.
But two main challenges remain. One, we are still talking about a huge sum of money, and Paulus and I can't demonstrate that we have experience handling that amount of money. And two, we don't have very much money of our own to bring into the project. If we could somehow hook up with an invester/partner who could help out in one or both areas, it would be a big help. So I continue to "broadcast" our dream in all directions.... Someone (or an organization) involved in hotels/lodgings/events management/restaurants & catering....
We met on Friday May 1 with one potential partner -- an organic caterer named Edsart, with his wife Ellen. All of us went to the Dorpsstraat and had a tour of the place together. We talked there, and later, about the possibility of us all working and living together in the house. Paulus and I would handle the treatments and the bed & breakfast, and Edsart and Ellen would handle the food and the room rental. But we decided that it would be too much: it is hard enough dividing tasks and taking care of everyone's needs in a relationship with two people -- but to do it with four adults plus two children, and at the same time start up an expensive business venture from scratch -- it just sounds like a recipe for disaster. So we agreed to keep it at a regular business level: Paulus and I do our thing, and hire them in as needed for the catering, from their current location. If we are totally busy and calling them 6 days a week, then we can all discuss the possibility of them relocating and getting "hired" permanently. Now... in the meantime I don't know if they want to invest financially... but we want to get positive word from a bank first before we ask people point-blank about money.
Plus Edi, the friend of Paulus' with two successful bars in Utrecht, remains a possibility. If he and his wife wanted to be partners/investers, I think that would impress a bank a lot. Again, we're going to wait until we have more details before asking them directly. But we know already that they are excited for us, and also that they know a lot of other people in the business...
Next Monday we go to meet with another friend of a friend, who runs a marketing and investment company. I sent him an introductory email with a brief description of the project and he responded very positively. His point of view was basically, if the plan is sound (ie it will make a profit) and if it is our dream and we are really passionate about it, there will be a way to do it. Where there is a will, there's a way.
A few other interesting events in the last weeks: We attended two events for Triodos shareholders. (Triodos is an independent European bank that invests in green and sustainable projects) One was organized at Antropia Cultuur- en Congrescentrum in Zeist-Driebergen (on the estate of Landgoed Reehorst.) Antropia is a very upscale yet new-agey/alternative sort of center (all the conference rooms are named after crystals and gemstones, their meals are all organic, etc.) which has received funding and support from Triodos. We heard lots of versions and perspectives on the Triodos philosophy... and kept nodding and looking at each other... surely they will like our project as well? We also heard about how fast they are growing -- apparently in the last year, with all the financial troubles, lots of people decided to take their money out of the banks they were using and bring it to Triodos. Their deposits grew an amazing 10%! I forget how many hundreds of millions of Euros that is -- but it is a lot, and all that money has to get put somewhere. Naturally, not all of it can get put into risky start-up projects, but maybe just a little....
Sunday, April 12, 2009
business plan pdf? updated April 24
I think, just maybe, I've made a huge technological breakthrough.... It would be amazing....
I've been so busy with the corrections and additions to our business plan, most of which involve adding more tables with numbers. The new and improved version now has 25 pages. I want to make it possible for people to access it online, but I wasn't looking forward to adding all the new material by hand again on our website. It is an interesting intellectual puzzle, in a way, building tables in html, but it takes soooo long.
I thought it would be much better if I could figure out how to put a pdf file on the website. Which meant first figuring out how to make a pdf file, and then getting it on the site. My version of Microsoft Word doesn't do pdf... but I found a free software package online called OpenOffice that was able to open my Word file and then save it as pdf, without mutating it too badly. And then, with one line of html text... on the very first try... voila! A functioning pdf download link on the front page of our website!!!
And if all goes well, I can duplicate that success right here, with a direct link to the pdf download: www.innerfireworks.com/businessplan.pdf
Oh well. Didn't work on the first try. Let's give it another shot....
Now it works, and it is even updated, and "all" I have to do is translate it into English now! Which is actually a rather big priority because we are having dinner with a professional American pianist on Sunday, and he and his wife might be interested in getting involved with our project somehow....
I've been so busy with the corrections and additions to our business plan, most of which involve adding more tables with numbers. The new and improved version now has 25 pages. I want to make it possible for people to access it online, but I wasn't looking forward to adding all the new material by hand again on our website. It is an interesting intellectual puzzle, in a way, building tables in html, but it takes soooo long.
I thought it would be much better if I could figure out how to put a pdf file on the website. Which meant first figuring out how to make a pdf file, and then getting it on the site. My version of Microsoft Word doesn't do pdf... but I found a free software package online called OpenOffice that was able to open my Word file and then save it as pdf, without mutating it too badly. And then, with one line of html text... on the very first try... voila! A functioning pdf download link on the front page of our website!!!
And if all goes well, I can duplicate that success right here, with a direct link to the pdf download: www.innerfireworks.com/businessplan.pdf
Oh well. Didn't work on the first try. Let's give it another shot....
Now it works, and it is even updated, and "all" I have to do is translate it into English now! Which is actually a rather big priority because we are having dinner with a professional American pianist on Sunday, and he and his wife might be interested in getting involved with our project somehow....
Monday, April 6, 2009
update through 7 april
I'm going to keep this short because I am still very busy with re-writing and improving our business plan. It has evolved a lot, thanks to great input and feedback (from Jaap and from Wendy especially, thank you!)
When I have time, I'll come back here to write some more about:
Peter de Wit and his advice about monuments, renovation, and subsidies.
Reaction from our friend Ron's colleagues.
Finding information about the "Energy Ball" on the internet -- a very cool modern wind-powered energy generator.
Meanwhile we are busy with tax returns and a few klussen -- I am helping Paulus with painting and sanding -- and Paulus is studying every morning for his pathology exams (he passed the first of three, last week! hurray!) We are getting more B&B guests and Shiatsu clients, which is good, because I am hoping to stop at Rio de Bio very soon.
When I have time, I'll come back here to write some more about:
Peter de Wit and his advice about monuments, renovation, and subsidies.
Reaction from our friend Ron's colleagues.
Finding information about the "Energy Ball" on the internet -- a very cool modern wind-powered energy generator.
Meanwhile we are busy with tax returns and a few klussen -- I am helping Paulus with painting and sanding -- and Paulus is studying every morning for his pathology exams (he passed the first of three, last week! hurray!) We are getting more B&B guests and Shiatsu clients, which is good, because I am hoping to stop at Rio de Bio very soon.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
update March 25
More exciting installments in our quest to buy our dream house in Bunnik!
Tuesday March 24. In the daytime, I worked on the business plan, which is now posted in part on this blog, and complete with tables on our website. What a job! And that's just the first version, and without the attachments....
In the evening, I drove to Wageningen, to a sort of "open evening" at a health food store there called Buys & Ko. I've heard a lot about them and wanted to see it for myself. I was also hoping to see an old friend and colleague, Karl, who now works there... and I was in luck. Karl was there, and quite surprised to see me! (it isn't an easy drive from Utrecht, in the dark and rain... I'm impressed that he commuted every day for many months before finally moving to Wageningen.)
I asked Karl in particular about the "client card" being used at Buys & Ko. Approximately 300 clients signed up for this card a few years ago, when the store came up with this way to raise funds. Each client had to loan a minimum of 100 Euro to the store, interest-free. (150 for a family) They could loan more, but in practice almost everyone did the minimal loans of 100 or 150 Euro. Clients can ask for their loan back at any time, but until now only one person has done this. Each year, there is a renewal fee of 10 Euro to cover administration costs. In exchange for making these loans, the clients received a card that gives them 5% discount in the store, plus the right to participate in meetings to discuss developments in the store. Clients with these cards turn out to be very loyal shoppers -- when the weather is bad, regular customers stay away but the client card holders keep coming, to "their store." As a result, the store had dramatically improved sales figures since starting this service -- a nice extra benefit in addition to the interest-free loan of 30,000 plus Euro.
Karl also told about another store in the area that needed to raise money to pay for moving to a new location. They also turned to their customers for small, interest-free loans. Karl said they
needed 200,000 Euro but they could have raised 3 times that much. They had to tell people, no thanks, we don't need any more. His opinion is that there are plenty of people in the Netherlands, even in this economic climate, who want to do something worthwhile with their money. They aren't so concerned about making a profit, if they get a good feeling or some sort of social benefit from their investment.
But how could we use this idea with our fundraising plan? A card with a barcode and discount -- that's good for grocery stores but not for us. A gift certificate for 25 Euro, for every 500 loaned to us, would be a nice gesture (that's the equivalent of 5% interest, plus it brings us more customers) but it is probably not that interesting to our friends and family in America. I thought, what about organic cotton t-shirts with a copy of the old etching of Het Huis aan de Brug? I started to tell Paulus my idea that evening, but he stopped me -- HE had been thinking about what we could offer as a gift to people who help us with loans, and HIS idea was to use the etching of the house, on ceramic tiles. We laughed. It's crazy, we both work all day and when we get back together in the evening, the conversation always starts with "hey, I was thinking, what if we ...."
Wednesday March 25: I got up very early so I could go meet with Ellen Kok from Terecht Anders at 8 a.m. Ellen is another super-friendly person, who gave me an hour of her time and lots of useful information. Today she has sent an email with even more: documents on B&B rules and regulations, a power-point presentation with good tips on how to plan your remodeling and redecorating, a summary of some national research on B&B's... I'm still reading through it all. Great. My conclusions: I've lowered the prices on our two "luxury rooms" and my "best guess" for occupancy rate, to be safer, but it was good to hear that some B&B's in the area are as high as 85%. Plus that the whole group is friendly and cooperative. And that Terecht Anders is very busy with marketing and promoting, and membership is not expensive.
It was 9 o'clock and my next appointment was with Nellie and Victor, at 10:30, so I had an extra hour. I decided to go visit Samaya again. The same friendly receptionist was there as last time, and she invited me again to look around or take a walk outside. I decided to visit the garden, and one of their conference rooms that was not in use. Again, it was such a great experience. I can't explain it. Something about the place touches me so deeply -- I was actually crying, walking in the garden (luckily it was raining and no one else was outside.) The building is not very old, so I don't think that I am tuning into the emotions of previous tenants. And the tears weren't due to my own sadness or longing or whatever. I think it must be because of all the people who come there for their meditation classes and awareness workshops and such things. Cool, that the effect is so tangible. I wonder if that will keep happening every time I visit, or if the effect will wear off after a while.
At 10:30, I rang the doorbell at Dorpsstraat 1. I had another very nice visit with Victor and Nellie. They are really great people. I hope, if we don't manage to get it all together, that they find other good buyers for their house. I know they will be disappointed if they feel they have to sell to someone who doesn't appreciate the house as much as they do.
On this visit, I learned a few extra useful things for our plans, the most important being that we really need to talk to Peter de Wit. Peter is the restoration architect who did all the remodeling of the house for them when they moved in, plus the big restoration for the city back in 1980. He is an expert on the house, but also on Monument buildings in general and in particular on the subsidies that are available for Monument buildings. We have now made an appointment for Monday. (he's coming here! which means I need to clean up all the papers and maps and spreadsheets that are spread all over the livingroom...)
I need to say something about Netherlands and subsidies (although I will be able to say much more after Monday). I'm not an expert on this subject, but I know that Holland does it much better than the US. One of the reasons my mom is worried about this project is because she has been very active in historic preservation in Ithaca (and elsewhere.) In particular, there is a nice old building in Ithaca, called the Clinton House, which was scheduled to be torn down at one point in the 1960's. A group of people (Historic Ithaca) came together to save it. They borrowed money to make all the necessary repairs, and recovered the money later by renting out office space in the building. But they fell behind on the continued maintenance, and took out extra mortgages on the building to fund other restoration projects, and in the end it was a financial nightmare. Now the Clinton House is being sold to a developer. It's a pity.
The way it works in the Netherlands, if I understand correctly, is that someone can petition to get their building on the city Monument list or the national Monument list. There is a selection process, and it takes a while, but in the end if the building has historical or cultural or architectural value, it is accepted. Once on the list, it stays on the list, even if it is sold. There are some disadvantages to being on the list -- you aren't allowed to make certain changes that affect the "essence" of the building (for example, adding an elevator or a sunroom, hanging a modern plastic business sign on the outside, etc.) But the advantages of being on the list are many, especially if you get on the national Monument list. Then the government pays you to maintain the building. How much and how often is not clear to me yet, but apparently you can put together a "10-year maintenance plan" with a rotation of projects like exterior wall painting, new gutters, new lead/zink panels by the chimneys, etc., and get the plan approved, and those costs are covered. If you need to do a major renovation, there is also money for that. In our case, that isn't necessary because this house had a huge, million Euro renovation in 1980. All the walls have an extra wall built on the inside, with a space between the two walls, for insulation (resulting is lots of deep window sills, perfect for plants...) The roof is renewed and insulated. The electric and plumbing and everything are fine, also the emergency fire escape from the upstairs hall.
(update: I learned that the government used to actually pay monument owners for doing maintenance, but not any more. Now you get to deduct the costs, including the cost of your work hours, from your taxable income. Plus, for the maintenance of the building's exterior, you can apply for loans with very low interest -- around 1.5 %. So, it is still much better than living in an old house that isn't a registered monument.)
What is also interesting, this year, is that there is extra subsidy money available for improving energy efficiency (as part of an economic stimulus project from the government.) So we could apply to get a new, more energy efficient water heater (for central heating), for example, and custom made storm windows for the old ones that don't have them yet, and maybe even solar panels or a little windmill. I don't think there will be a subsidy for our new kitchen or bathroom, but who knows? Water-saving showers and automatic lights are good things... Or maybe someone will be impressed with the fact that we want to put in a handicapped-accessible toilet. Anyway, we wouldn't have to worry about outrageous maintenance costs (especially since Paulus can do most of the work himself.)
Another interesting new factoid: The Kromme Rijn river, which runs behind the house, is allowed to partially flood into a flat area each winter, just on the other side of the bridge. The flat area is set up with a mound in the middle, and benches, and lighting poles -- to make an outdoor skating rink! We saw it on our first visit, when it was still very cold. But later in the year, the water is drained away, and you are left with a big swampy area of ground -- a favorite resting spot for massive bird migrations in the spring! Cool! I went home and immediately added "birdwatchers" to our "target audience" list in the business plan.
Victor had some funny stories to share... Apparently, there is a group in Bunnik that likes to organize courses for the locals (I found their agenda already at the city hall -- lots of interesting things, like yoga and photography and music classes). They approached Victor when he first moved there and asked if he would be willing to give a course on restoring antiques. He said, sure, why not? Apparently that caused quite a disturbance in their offices -- lots of people were angry, because when they showed up on the first day to enroll for classes, Victor's course was already full! He ended up running 4 separate sections! He said the same thing about the local people as Michel said, from Bio Goed: lots of academic types, and a rather sleepy feeling in the town -- but very active when it comes to culture and music and so forth. I think this is a very good thing, in general of course, but in particular for our project.
I explained that Paulus wasn't with me because he was busy with a painting job -- in fact, he had painted all day Saturday and Sunday, because the weather was good. Victor said, it's a real advantage being handy with a big house, and Paulus would certainly get extra business in the area. Victor does the exterior painting himself mostly, and he has gotten several requests from passersby: "Can I have your business card, Mr. Painter? Do you have time for a project next month? My back wall needs painting..." Funny!
Tuesday March 24. In the daytime, I worked on the business plan, which is now posted in part on this blog, and complete with tables on our website. What a job! And that's just the first version, and without the attachments....
In the evening, I drove to Wageningen, to a sort of "open evening" at a health food store there called Buys & Ko. I've heard a lot about them and wanted to see it for myself. I was also hoping to see an old friend and colleague, Karl, who now works there... and I was in luck. Karl was there, and quite surprised to see me! (it isn't an easy drive from Utrecht, in the dark and rain... I'm impressed that he commuted every day for many months before finally moving to Wageningen.)
I asked Karl in particular about the "client card" being used at Buys & Ko. Approximately 300 clients signed up for this card a few years ago, when the store came up with this way to raise funds. Each client had to loan a minimum of 100 Euro to the store, interest-free. (150 for a family) They could loan more, but in practice almost everyone did the minimal loans of 100 or 150 Euro. Clients can ask for their loan back at any time, but until now only one person has done this. Each year, there is a renewal fee of 10 Euro to cover administration costs. In exchange for making these loans, the clients received a card that gives them 5% discount in the store, plus the right to participate in meetings to discuss developments in the store. Clients with these cards turn out to be very loyal shoppers -- when the weather is bad, regular customers stay away but the client card holders keep coming, to "their store." As a result, the store had dramatically improved sales figures since starting this service -- a nice extra benefit in addition to the interest-free loan of 30,000 plus Euro.
Karl also told about another store in the area that needed to raise money to pay for moving to a new location. They also turned to their customers for small, interest-free loans. Karl said they
needed 200,000 Euro but they could have raised 3 times that much. They had to tell people, no thanks, we don't need any more. His opinion is that there are plenty of people in the Netherlands, even in this economic climate, who want to do something worthwhile with their money. They aren't so concerned about making a profit, if they get a good feeling or some sort of social benefit from their investment.
But how could we use this idea with our fundraising plan? A card with a barcode and discount -- that's good for grocery stores but not for us. A gift certificate for 25 Euro, for every 500 loaned to us, would be a nice gesture (that's the equivalent of 5% interest, plus it brings us more customers) but it is probably not that interesting to our friends and family in America. I thought, what about organic cotton t-shirts with a copy of the old etching of Het Huis aan de Brug? I started to tell Paulus my idea that evening, but he stopped me -- HE had been thinking about what we could offer as a gift to people who help us with loans, and HIS idea was to use the etching of the house, on ceramic tiles. We laughed. It's crazy, we both work all day and when we get back together in the evening, the conversation always starts with "hey, I was thinking, what if we ...."
Wednesday March 25: I got up very early so I could go meet with Ellen Kok from Terecht Anders at 8 a.m. Ellen is another super-friendly person, who gave me an hour of her time and lots of useful information. Today she has sent an email with even more: documents on B&B rules and regulations, a power-point presentation with good tips on how to plan your remodeling and redecorating, a summary of some national research on B&B's... I'm still reading through it all. Great. My conclusions: I've lowered the prices on our two "luxury rooms" and my "best guess" for occupancy rate, to be safer, but it was good to hear that some B&B's in the area are as high as 85%. Plus that the whole group is friendly and cooperative. And that Terecht Anders is very busy with marketing and promoting, and membership is not expensive.
It was 9 o'clock and my next appointment was with Nellie and Victor, at 10:30, so I had an extra hour. I decided to go visit Samaya again. The same friendly receptionist was there as last time, and she invited me again to look around or take a walk outside. I decided to visit the garden, and one of their conference rooms that was not in use. Again, it was such a great experience. I can't explain it. Something about the place touches me so deeply -- I was actually crying, walking in the garden (luckily it was raining and no one else was outside.) The building is not very old, so I don't think that I am tuning into the emotions of previous tenants. And the tears weren't due to my own sadness or longing or whatever. I think it must be because of all the people who come there for their meditation classes and awareness workshops and such things. Cool, that the effect is so tangible. I wonder if that will keep happening every time I visit, or if the effect will wear off after a while.
At 10:30, I rang the doorbell at Dorpsstraat 1. I had another very nice visit with Victor and Nellie. They are really great people. I hope, if we don't manage to get it all together, that they find other good buyers for their house. I know they will be disappointed if they feel they have to sell to someone who doesn't appreciate the house as much as they do.
On this visit, I learned a few extra useful things for our plans, the most important being that we really need to talk to Peter de Wit. Peter is the restoration architect who did all the remodeling of the house for them when they moved in, plus the big restoration for the city back in 1980. He is an expert on the house, but also on Monument buildings in general and in particular on the subsidies that are available for Monument buildings. We have now made an appointment for Monday. (he's coming here! which means I need to clean up all the papers and maps and spreadsheets that are spread all over the livingroom...)
I need to say something about Netherlands and subsidies (although I will be able to say much more after Monday). I'm not an expert on this subject, but I know that Holland does it much better than the US. One of the reasons my mom is worried about this project is because she has been very active in historic preservation in Ithaca (and elsewhere.) In particular, there is a nice old building in Ithaca, called the Clinton House, which was scheduled to be torn down at one point in the 1960's. A group of people (Historic Ithaca) came together to save it. They borrowed money to make all the necessary repairs, and recovered the money later by renting out office space in the building. But they fell behind on the continued maintenance, and took out extra mortgages on the building to fund other restoration projects, and in the end it was a financial nightmare. Now the Clinton House is being sold to a developer. It's a pity.
The way it works in the Netherlands, if I understand correctly, is that someone can petition to get their building on the city Monument list or the national Monument list. There is a selection process, and it takes a while, but in the end if the building has historical or cultural or architectural value, it is accepted. Once on the list, it stays on the list, even if it is sold. There are some disadvantages to being on the list -- you aren't allowed to make certain changes that affect the "essence" of the building (for example, adding an elevator or a sunroom, hanging a modern plastic business sign on the outside, etc.) But the advantages of being on the list are many, especially if you get on the national Monument list. Then the government pays you to maintain the building. How much and how often is not clear to me yet, but apparently you can put together a "10-year maintenance plan" with a rotation of projects like exterior wall painting, new gutters, new lead/zink panels by the chimneys, etc., and get the plan approved, and those costs are covered. If you need to do a major renovation, there is also money for that. In our case, that isn't necessary because this house had a huge, million Euro renovation in 1980. All the walls have an extra wall built on the inside, with a space between the two walls, for insulation (resulting is lots of deep window sills, perfect for plants...) The roof is renewed and insulated. The electric and plumbing and everything are fine, also the emergency fire escape from the upstairs hall.
(update: I learned that the government used to actually pay monument owners for doing maintenance, but not any more. Now you get to deduct the costs, including the cost of your work hours, from your taxable income. Plus, for the maintenance of the building's exterior, you can apply for loans with very low interest -- around 1.5 %. So, it is still much better than living in an old house that isn't a registered monument.)
What is also interesting, this year, is that there is extra subsidy money available for improving energy efficiency (as part of an economic stimulus project from the government.) So we could apply to get a new, more energy efficient water heater (for central heating), for example, and custom made storm windows for the old ones that don't have them yet, and maybe even solar panels or a little windmill. I don't think there will be a subsidy for our new kitchen or bathroom, but who knows? Water-saving showers and automatic lights are good things... Or maybe someone will be impressed with the fact that we want to put in a handicapped-accessible toilet. Anyway, we wouldn't have to worry about outrageous maintenance costs (especially since Paulus can do most of the work himself.)
Another interesting new factoid: The Kromme Rijn river, which runs behind the house, is allowed to partially flood into a flat area each winter, just on the other side of the bridge. The flat area is set up with a mound in the middle, and benches, and lighting poles -- to make an outdoor skating rink! We saw it on our first visit, when it was still very cold. But later in the year, the water is drained away, and you are left with a big swampy area of ground -- a favorite resting spot for massive bird migrations in the spring! Cool! I went home and immediately added "birdwatchers" to our "target audience" list in the business plan.
Victor had some funny stories to share... Apparently, there is a group in Bunnik that likes to organize courses for the locals (I found their agenda already at the city hall -- lots of interesting things, like yoga and photography and music classes). They approached Victor when he first moved there and asked if he would be willing to give a course on restoring antiques. He said, sure, why not? Apparently that caused quite a disturbance in their offices -- lots of people were angry, because when they showed up on the first day to enroll for classes, Victor's course was already full! He ended up running 4 separate sections! He said the same thing about the local people as Michel said, from Bio Goed: lots of academic types, and a rather sleepy feeling in the town -- but very active when it comes to culture and music and so forth. I think this is a very good thing, in general of course, but in particular for our project.
I explained that Paulus wasn't with me because he was busy with a painting job -- in fact, he had painted all day Saturday and Sunday, because the weather was good. Victor said, it's a real advantage being handy with a big house, and Paulus would certainly get extra business in the area. Victor does the exterior painting himself mostly, and he has gotten several requests from passersby: "Can I have your business card, Mr. Painter? Do you have time for a project next month? My back wall needs painting..." Funny!
After our visit was over, I went back to the Shoemakers to talk to Geerke again. Again, such nice people! I discovered that she and her husband had just been written up in a book about Bunnik in 2008 (a sort of yearly report -- I later got myself a free copy at the City Hall.) Maybe we can get ourselves written about in the book for 2009? Or at least a line or two. The book mentioned a few events that happened at the antique business -- and of course there was a large picture of the house. I went around the corner to the local book store and looked for modern-day postcards of Bunnik -- and again, more than half of them included Het Huis aan de Brug! I'm going to scan a few and put them in the next blog entry.... It is just so amazing, to imagine living in an historic monument that people buy postcards of!
Until next time....
the business plan, in Dutch
This entry is long and in Dutch and maybe I should put it as a page on our website or something, because I don't think the tables are going to work... but at least it is on the internet now so I can point people to it (Dutch people, that is....) Feedback welcome! I haven't ever written a real business plan before, so maybe I left out important categories or something. For sure there are lots of spelling errors because Paulus hasn't checked it yet.... English version coming soon!
update: no, the tables didn't work. I've adjusted it and put it on our website now: www.innerfireworks.com/businessplan.html.... I'll leave the first part of the plan below (the description) but the financial stuff is getting deleted. It makes much more sense with the tables!
updateII: I've gotten so much good feedback that I've had to re-write just about everything, so really the part below is not worth reading, unless you are interested in the evolution of our ideas and thinking.... look for a more recent version in the april blogging section.
update: no, the tables didn't work. I've adjusted it and put it on our website now: www.innerfireworks.com/businessplan.html.... I'll leave the first part of the plan below (the description) but the financial stuff is getting deleted. It makes much more sense with the tables!
updateII: I've gotten so much good feedback that I've had to re-write just about everything, so really the part below is not worth reading, unless you are interested in the evolution of our ideas and thinking.... look for a more recent version in the april blogging section.
Huis aan de Brug, Bunnik
Beschrijving Onderneming:
Bed & breakfast en ontmoetingscentrum aan de Kromme Rijn. Biologisch, ecologisch, rustig en gastvrij.
Uitgebriede omschrijving: Rijksmonument in Bunnik aan de Dorpstraat 1: privé woning, B&B, praktijkruimte en ontmoetingsruimtes voor besloten activiteiten. 100% biologisch eten, eco-vriendelijke producten, groene stroom, e.d.
Begane grond: privé slaapkamer, privé keuken, privé badkamer met douche en toilet, privé eet/woonkamer, praktijkruimte/ontmoetingsruimte 5x5m, ontmoetingsruimte 4x8m, eetkamer/ontmoetingsruimte 4x4m, ingang/receptie, gemeenschappelijke entree hal met grote eettafel, receptie zaal 9x10m met twee toiletten en uitgang naar terras, cateringkeuken en spoelkeuken.
Verdieping: 4 B&B slaapkamers (twee met eigen toilet en douche); badkamer met douche, badkamer met ligbad, en toilet op de gang, bergruimte, gemeenschappelijke woonkamer annex kinderspeelruimte, grote zaal 11x10m.
Buiten: terras, tuin, loods met opbergruimte, fietsstalling, hot tub en sauna, half-open schuren als bescherming.
Mogelijk gebruik van ontmoetingsruimtes:
- concerten of repetities (koor, kamermuziek, akoestische gitaar, piano, e.d), optreden, tentoonstellingen, exposities
- muziek / kunst cursussen of lessen
- yogales, meditatie groepen, seminars en workshops, trainingen, intervisie, behandelingen
- pilates les, dans les, bewegings workshops
- recepties, diners voor besloten groepen, proeverijen, kooklessen (beneden grote zaal)
- bedrijfspresentaties, lezingen, seminars
- trouwerijen (boven grote zaal)
- wellness arrangement (behandelingen + eten + hot tub /sauna gebruik + overnachten)
- combinaties van boven (bijv: trouwerijen + receptie + overnachten, seminar + diner + overnachten, schilderlessen + wellness arrangement)
Aansluitende activiteiten:
- kanohuur, fietshuur (evt. ook mogelijk bij ons)
- wandelen (bijv. naar Fort Rhijnauwen, Amelisweerd, de Moestuin in Maarschalkerweerd), picknicken
- uitstapjes in Bunnik (bijv. naar de Wapen van Bunnik)
- feesten in Bunnik (bijv. bij Hofstede van Beesde)
- bezoeken van de sauna in Houten
- toeristische uitstapjes naar Odijk, Werkhoven, Wijk bij Duurstede
- allerlei mogelijkheden in Utrecht en Zeist
Doelgroepen:
- eco-toeristen, natuurliefhebbers, vogelspotters
- internationale toeristen
- gezondheids-bewuste mensen
- mensen die een cursus of conferentie volgen in de omgeving, bijv. bij Samaya, Amadorra, Universitair Medisch Centrum, e.d.
- mensen op zoek naar rust en de mogelijkheid voor een wellness arrangement
- mensen die lijden aan chronische ziekten zoals kanker, asthma, HIV, CVS, suikerziekte, voedingsallergieen, e.d.
- familieleden daarvan
- bedrijven en organisaties die bezig zijn met het milieu, duurzaam leven, gezondheid, kunst en cultuur, muziek, biologische en streek producten, e.d.
Er wordt niet gerookt in het huis en om het huis. Dieren in overleg.
Onderscheidend:
Als B&B, zijn we anders dan een hotel: we bieden een aparte en uniek omgeving aan, in een Rijksmonument naast een natuurgebied, met veel persoonlijke aandacht.
Als B&B in een Rijksmonument en naast een natuurgebied, zijn we al anders dan de gemiddelde B&B. Verder spelen we in op de “groene” markt (met 100% biologisch eten, natuurlijke schoonmaakmiddelen, gefilterde lucht en water, e.d.) Mensen in de welzijnsmarkt kunnen we ook aantrekken door onze wellness arrangementen (behandelingen, wandelen, hot tub en sauna.) In onze keuken, bereiden we zonder moeite vegetarische of gluten-vrije of suiker-vrije maaltijden – alles kan.
Als ontmoetingscentrum, zijn we anders omdat we ook overnachtingen kunnen aanbieden. Bedrijven, organisaties en/of individuele therapeuten zullen de rustvolle sfeer, dichtbij de natuur, en onze lekkere en gezonde maaltijden waarderen. Ook uniek bij het Huis aan de Brug is de makkelijke bereikbaarheid: 100 meter van het oude dorpscentrum met winkels en postkantoor, 2 km van de A12, 10 minuten van Utrecht, goede verbinding met de bus of trein.
In de zomer, kunnen gasten en bezoekers gebruik maken van fiets- en wandelpaden en kanohuur faciliteiten. Met deze is het mogelijk om een overnachting of een seminar te combineren met een bezoek, bijvoorbeeld, aan het Bezoekerscentrum thee huis bij Amelisweerd of het Pannenkoekenhuis bij Rhijnauwen.
We streven er naar een informele sfeer van gemeenschap te creeren, door mooi ingerichtte gezamenlijke ruimtes. Bij de eetkamer horen grote tafels voor meerdere families en gasten. In de woonkamer zijn kasten vol met bordspellen en legpuzzels.
Onze vaardigheden:
Emily is Amerikaanse met veel ervaringen in andere landen en culturen. Voor toeristen die geen Nederlands spreken, bied dat een mate van vertrouwdheid. Zij heeft Engelse les aan anderstaligen gegeven en weet hoe ze haar taal eenvoudig en begrijpbaar kan houden. Zij kan zich ook als buitenlandse goed inleven in de ervaringen en interessen van internationale toeristen.
Paulus is heel praktisch ingericht. Hij heeft diploma’s en werkervaring als kok, hovenier, klussenman en therapeut. Hij heeft als chefkok en diëetkok gewerkt in restaurants en zorginstellingen, en ook zijn eigen catering bedrijf gehad. Ook heeft hij een aantal jaren makrobiotisch gekookt en gegeten. Nu heeft hij zijn eigen klussenbedrijf, “Paulus de Eco-kluskabouter,” en is aangesloten bij de VLOK, Vereniging van Klussenbedrijven.
Paulus zijn laatste baan was als technisch beheerder voor DOENJA dienstverlening in Utrecht. Hij deed alles, van kleine klussen naar zaalbeheer naar veiligheidstaken. Hij was hoog gewaardeerd voor zijn rustige maar zeer efficiente en doelgericht gedrag. Bij exposities of andere evenementen wilde iedereen hem erbij hebben. Hij heeft BHV en EHBO certificaten gehaald.
Emily werkt nog steeds bij Rio de Bio Natuurvoedingswinkel in Utrecht, waar zij 5 jaar geleden als bakster is begonnen. Nu werkt zij als assistent bedrijfsleider. Zij heeft veel contacten in de biologische sector en heeft bijna elke taak in de winkel gedaan, van roostermaken naar afdelingschef naar bestellen naar boekhouding naar personeelzaken.
Emily en Paulus hebben al jaren een Shiatsu praktijk aan huis, welke ze vooral ’s avonds en in het weekend runnen. Ze zijn leden van de NVST: Nederlandse Vereniging van Soma Therapeuten. Naast hun praktijk, hebben ze momenteel ook één logeerkamer voor gasten. Deze hebben ze aangemeld als B&B kamer in augustus 2008.
In 2007 en 2008, waren ze allebei bezig met de medische basiskennis examens voor hun beroepsvereniging, en met een jaar-lange cursus voor startende ondernemers bij de Utrechtse Ondernemers Academy.
Emily heeft zelf een website gemaakt voor de praktijk, het klussenbedrijf, en de B&B. Zij zorgt voor alle reserveringen, facturen, inkopen, marketing, en boekhouding. Paulus zorgt voor het onderhoud, niet alleen thuis en voor klanten maar ook voor familieleden en vrienden.
Emily en Paulus houden ervan in hun vrije tijd activiteiten te organiseren waarbij gasten, vrienden en familie in een gemoedelijke sfeer samen kunnen komen. Bijvoorbeeld, huisconcerten, groepsdiners, lezingen en workshops.
Omschrijving bouwplan:
Begane grond:
Waar een prive toilet met fontijntje, een bedrijfstoilet met urinoir en twee wastafels, en een bergruimte nu staan: wanden en deuren verplaatsen en voorzieningen uitbreiden naar: Prive badkamer met toilet, douche en wastafel; kleine schoonmaak wasruimte met gootsteen; een gewoon toilet en wastafel; een invalide toilet en wastafel. Uitdaging: heet water inbrengen van andere kant van het huis.
In huidige keuken, extra wandkasten en werkoppervlakken inrichten.
Extra deur installeren tussen ingang en het kantoor; daarvoor een balie bouwen en plaatsen.
Nieuwe catering-keuken en spoel-keuken inrichten waar huidige restauratie werkruimte staat. Als deel daarvan, het huidige lange raam (voormalig deur) aanpassen ivm afzuigkap en wasdroger. Uitdaging: heet en koud water en gas inbrengen van andere kant van het huis, riolering aansluiten. Tweede lange raam (voormalig deur) aanpassen ivm keuken installatie, raam inzetten dat we kunnen openen.
Dubbel deur naar terrasje installeren ipv huidig groot raam in receptie zaal.
Muziek /technische installatie (inclusief beamer, scherm, CD speler en speakers, draadloze microfoon mogelijkheid) in receptie zaal.
Verdieping:
Houten vloeren leggen in de vier slaapkamers.
Inbouwkasten in slaapkamers bewerken (MDF vervangen door hout, deuren toevoegen of weghalen, e.d.)
Een extra badkamer (douche, wastafel, toilet) installeren op het einde van de gang, met toegang op de gang en van de slaapkamer op de hoek.
Evt. brandpreventie/ brandveiligheid maatregelen nemen.
Houten vloer in overloop en trappenkasten afwerken (schuren, lakken, schilderen)
In grote zaal, extra zijdeuren maken naar de bergruimte. Nieuwe verlichting installeren.
Evt. nieuwe CV-ketel installeren.
Overal: gele en groene houtwerk schilderen: wit of neutraal. Wandverlichting en vloerverlichting (met spaarlampen.) Voorzetramen waar zij niet al bestaan – maar dat kan ook in de komende jaren.
Buiten: infra-rood sauna en dompelbad bouwen/installeren. Zonnepanels of kleine wind- of watermolen, afhankelijk van mogelijkheden en subsides.
Opstart plan:
Van tevoren: Zo veel mogelijk meubels en apparaten kopen, op marktplaats. Bedden, matrassen, lakkens, kussens, linengoed, nachtkastjes, borden, bestek, eettafels, diepvriezer enz.... Ook zo veel mogelijk wat we later gaan verkopen aan gasten: plattegronden, gidsen, kado’s, streek producten, souvenirs. Collectie van fietsen klaar om te verhuren. Alles kan opgebergen worden in de twee zalen en de loods. Logo, huisstijl, visitekaartjes, fliers, reserveringssoftware al klaar. Subsidies al aangevraagd (CV-ketel, alternatieve energie bronnen, schilderwerk) B&B aanmelding veranderen van Groenedijk naar Dorpsstraat met bericht dat we een periode gesloten zijn ivm verbouwing. Begin al met reserveeringen.
Eerste maand: B&B kamers aanpassen (schilderen, houten vloeren leggen, brandveiligheid, extra badkamer, meubels) Kleine aanpassingen in de privé keuken om deze te kunnen gebruiken voor de B&B. Kleine ontmoetingsruimtes inrichten. “Gasten” (klusser-vrienden uit Belgie e.d.) kunnen in de ontmoetingsruimtes, eet/woonkamer, en kinderspeelruimte slapen. Persberichten rondsturen, mensen uitnodigen voor openingsfeest.
Tweede maand: Reserveringen voor B&B accepteren als het mogelijk is. Emily draait B&B (ontbijt, schoonmaak, reserveren) Paulus gaat door met privé badkamer, toiletten voor beneden zaal, balie. Emily schildert in privé keuken, eetkamer, slaapkamer; eetkamer deur.
Derde maand: Paulus installeert cateringkeuken en spoelkeuken, verlichting in trouwzaal, deur naar terras. Emily regelt tatamis, meditatie kussens, terras meubels, catering meubels; schildert trouwzaal. B&B draait door.
Vierde maand: finishing touches: muziek installaties, tuin, kantoor, telefonie, kunst regelen.
Eind vierde maand: openingsfeest. Alles klaar, en mooi.
Over deze vier maanden:
Inschatting kosten: 50.000 aankopen, 20.000 verbouwing, 15.000 hypotheek/leningen, 15.000 maandlasten, verzekering, eten, openingsfeest, e.d. = 100.000 Euro
Inschatting inkomsten: 0 + 3000 + 4000 + 5000 B&B, 6000 borgsom van huidige huurcontract, 3000 levensloop regeling = 21.000 Euro
Inschatting spaargeld: 7000 Triodos aandelen, 11.000 geleend aan Rio de Bio, 14.000 aandelen Intel, 2000 deposito, 2000 betaalrekening = 36.000 Euro
Een typische dag bij het Huis aan de Brug:
Emily en/of Paulus begint met het ontbijt om 7 uur. Het wordt als buffet klaargezet in de eetkamer: yoghurt, muesli, broodjes, croissants, beleg, jam, fruit, iets lekkers uit de oven. Gasten lopen binnen tussen 7:30 en 9 uur. Ze krijgen dan verse koffee of thee en eieren naar wens. Ze kunnen aan kleine tafels in de eetkamer zitten, aan een grotere tafel in de entree hal, of buiten op het terras. We proberen een leuke sfeer te maken zodat gasten elkaar kunnen leren kennen. We bieden geen privé ontbijten aan in de kamer (ook geen televisies in de kamers, wel één in de gemeenschappelijke woonkamer.)
We ruimen de eetkamer op om 9:30, en zetten evt. koffie en thee klaar voor de pauzes bij de ochtend workshops of trainingen. Gereserveerde picknick manden zetten we ook bij. Misschien hebben we groepen in twee van de vier ruimtes. Ze kunnen de eetkamer gebruiken tussen 10:00 uur en 13:00 uur. Om 13:00 ruimen we het weer op en is de kamer klaar voor evt. gebruik als ontmoetingsruimte, of voor koffie en thee bij de namiddag pauzes.
B&B gasten zo wel als overdag gebruikers kunnen picknickmanden meenemen, tegen statiegeld, als ze van tevoren reserveren. Manden worden door De Veldkeuken dagelijks geleverd, samen met onze bestellingen voor de keuken (vooral broden.)
Tussen ontbijt en het regelen van koffie/lunch, zorgt Emily voor evt. afrekening van gasten die vertrekken. Ze ruimt de kamers op als er tijd is (anders gaat ze verder in de namiddag, of belt ze een oproepkracht als het heel druk is.) Paulus zorgt voor evt. klaarzetten van stoelen, tafels en aparatuur in de ontmoetingsruimtes, als dit niet al de avond daarvoor gedaan was.
In de namiddag, zorgt Emily voor B&B reservaties (die vooral door internet binnenkomen), en wat boekhouding en administratie. Een paar keer per week, zorgt zij voor bestellingen: groente en zuivel van de Moestuin en Kroon, melk en karnemelk van de Hondspol in Driebergen, broodjes van Zonnemaire, droogwaren en schoonmaakmiddelen van de Nieuwe Band of Varuvo, sappen en appels en peren van Kavel 55. Brood en picknickmanden en bloemen van De Veldkeuken worden dagelijks besteld. Afhankelijk van de hoeveelheid van de bestelling, wordt het aan ons geleverd, door ons opgehaald, of in samenwerking met de natuurvoedingswinkel in Bunnik (Bio Goed) geregeld.
Paulus zorgt voor het technische beheer. Alle onze meubels zijn tweede-hands (ecologisch verantwoordelijk, dus). Paulus doet evt. reparaties in de loods. In zijn vrije tijd, repareert of vernieuwd hij wat extra meubels in opdracht of gaat hij verder mijn zijn interesse in beeldhouwen. Emily in haar vrije tijd gaat verder met haar schrijven (als haar eerste boek bij de uitgever ligt, kan zij aan haar tweede beginnen...)
Iemand (één van ons, of een oproepkracht) blijft altijd bij de balie of in de omgeving om de telefoon op te nemen, de winkeltje te draaien, en/of gasten te helpen. De anderen kunnen buiten werken, in de tuin of in de loods, of de B&B kamers schoonmaken, of boodschappen doen.
In de namiddag kan ook Paulus of ik een behandeling geven. Tegen 17:30, als nieuwe mensen binnen komen voor het derde dagdeel, moet iemand weer stoelen e.d. klaarzetten. Als er geen avond reserveringen zijn, kunnen we iets extras maken in de keuken voor de “winkel” – een appeltaart of suiker-vrije brownies, bijv. Deze worden ingepakt in folie en liggen in de verkoop koeling naast de keuken. Hier kunnen mensen de hele dag een hapje of een drankje kopen, voor naast hun picknick lunch of voor later. (B&B gasten kunnen zelf thee en koffie maken de gehele dag in de gemeenschappelijke woonkamer boven.)
In de “winkel” kunnen B&B gasten en andere gebruikers wat biologische, ecologische, cultureel en/of kunst-gerelateerde spullen kopen. Sappen, noten, kleine hapjes en toetjes... wandelgids, kookboeken, boeken over het Kromme Rijn gebied, poezie... tandpasta, massage olie.... kunst artikelen, CD’s.... We zullen ook souvenirs van Het Huis aan de Brug verkopen (biologische T-shirts, briefkaarten, e.d.) Als er interesse is, kunnen we ook de water filters en lucht filters verkopen die we zelf gebruiken. (Deze winkel blijft heel kleinscalig; meer is niet nodig omdat er ook grotere winkels in de buurt zijn.)
Een paar keer per week krijgen we grotere partijen, voor een trouwerij of receptie of tentoonstelling. Voor deze, als het ook druk is in de B&B, bellen we onze oproepkracht. We nemen ook stagiaires van de Vrije School in Zeist. Waar mogelijk, gebruiken we De Veldkeuken of andere biologische catering bedrijven. Er is genoeg om te doen, met bloemen en muziek en alles in orde te houden – maar dit is ook juist leuk.
B&B gasten moeten inchecken tussen 18 uur en 22 uur (het derde dagdeel, dus) behalve als iets anders afgesproken is. Na 22 uur, gaat de voordeur op slot en gasten die al eerder ingechecked zijn mogen terug komen van hun activiteiten, maar dan moeten ze aanbellen. We hopen dat een meerdereheid van onze gasten bij ons zijn om te wandelen e.d. en niet om tot de kleine urtjes te gaan dansen, bijv. Als dat niet het geval is, dan blijft Paulus langer wakker en neemt hij regelmatig een middagdutje.
B&B gasten die weg gaan moeten voor 12:00 uitchecken. Dan hebben we minimaal tussen 12 uur en 18 uur de tijd om de kamers schoon te maken.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
update March 23
Whew. Today was a rollercoaster day.
My friend Wendy wrote with an idea for how we could raise money: sell "shares" of, say, 1000 Euro each, to friends and relatives, and at the end of each year hold a lottery and pay back, say, 10 people. I thought, hmmm, it sounds like something another friend, David, had recommended. I wasn't too hopeful that we could raise enough for the 40% that a bank needs to give a mortgage, but probably we could raise enough for start-up costs, if we could negotiate a rent-to-buy contract with the owners. It "just" involves convincing a few hundred people that we are a good risk, but I am quite certain we could do that -- this is a great project. Fun, socially and environmentally and culturally responsible, and my latest "best guess" for profit is 25,000 Euro per month (which we would then divide between banks, other lenders, and the tax man.)
I wrote back to her, and David, asking them to please tell me more.
In the meantime I had an email from Lilianne, Nellie and Victor's real estate agent. She was glad to hear that I am actively busy, but wanted to have a clearer idea how it was shaping up for us financially. The owners, she said, were not really that interested in any option other than selling the house. Reading between the lines, I got the idea that they were getting impatient and perhaps had other potential buyers. Oh dear. All my work and dreams for nothing?
Luckily I also had an email from David. He "scolded" me: what am I doing, putting limits on what is possible before I even start? Why do I think I can't raise 40% of two million in a creative way? He explained more, and I followed up with some internet research... (I hope I got it right, David...): his recommended way of starting up a new business is called working with seed capital. A person goes around to lots of regular folks, convinces them that he has a great business idea, and asks if they can lend a small amount of money to get it started. 500 Euro, say, or any multiple of that. If the person says yes, then you agree on the details: how long can they spare the money and can they lend it interest-free, perhaps in exchange for a gift-certificate at the future business? You put everything in a contract and sign it. Then, when you a nice collection of contracts, you go to bigger investors and see if they will join in. And after that you go to a bank. In the end, a typical division is 33% seed capital, 33% bigger investor(s), and 33% bank. And, David has a financial advisor whom he recommends highly, who could explain more and help us out. So....
I wrote an email back to Lilianne (with copies to Wendy and David and others) saying, we understand that a rent-to-buy arrangement is less than ideal (although if it wasn't 100% off the table, we could get some expert advice from Paulien in Deventer on how to set that up...) And if they have other potential buyers with money in hand, naturally that is more interesting than waiting for us to gather our finances. But that we still have hope, thanks to this seed capital idea. I explained the 25,000 per month expected profit, and that I am almost done with a first version of our business plan, which we will take to several experts for their feedback. If they can confirm that our numbers are realistic, then we can approach people more confidently to ask for seed capital. And PS to David: yes! please connect us with your financial advisor!
My friend Wendy wrote with an idea for how we could raise money: sell "shares" of, say, 1000 Euro each, to friends and relatives, and at the end of each year hold a lottery and pay back, say, 10 people. I thought, hmmm, it sounds like something another friend, David, had recommended. I wasn't too hopeful that we could raise enough for the 40% that a bank needs to give a mortgage, but probably we could raise enough for start-up costs, if we could negotiate a rent-to-buy contract with the owners. It "just" involves convincing a few hundred people that we are a good risk, but I am quite certain we could do that -- this is a great project. Fun, socially and environmentally and culturally responsible, and my latest "best guess" for profit is 25,000 Euro per month (which we would then divide between banks, other lenders, and the tax man.)
I wrote back to her, and David, asking them to please tell me more.
In the meantime I had an email from Lilianne, Nellie and Victor's real estate agent. She was glad to hear that I am actively busy, but wanted to have a clearer idea how it was shaping up for us financially. The owners, she said, were not really that interested in any option other than selling the house. Reading between the lines, I got the idea that they were getting impatient and perhaps had other potential buyers. Oh dear. All my work and dreams for nothing?
Luckily I also had an email from David. He "scolded" me: what am I doing, putting limits on what is possible before I even start? Why do I think I can't raise 40% of two million in a creative way? He explained more, and I followed up with some internet research... (I hope I got it right, David...): his recommended way of starting up a new business is called working with seed capital. A person goes around to lots of regular folks, convinces them that he has a great business idea, and asks if they can lend a small amount of money to get it started. 500 Euro, say, or any multiple of that. If the person says yes, then you agree on the details: how long can they spare the money and can they lend it interest-free, perhaps in exchange for a gift-certificate at the future business? You put everything in a contract and sign it. Then, when you a nice collection of contracts, you go to bigger investors and see if they will join in. And after that you go to a bank. In the end, a typical division is 33% seed capital, 33% bigger investor(s), and 33% bank. And, David has a financial advisor whom he recommends highly, who could explain more and help us out. So....
I wrote an email back to Lilianne (with copies to Wendy and David and others) saying, we understand that a rent-to-buy arrangement is less than ideal (although if it wasn't 100% off the table, we could get some expert advice from Paulien in Deventer on how to set that up...) And if they have other potential buyers with money in hand, naturally that is more interesting than waiting for us to gather our finances. But that we still have hope, thanks to this seed capital idea. I explained the 25,000 per month expected profit, and that I am almost done with a first version of our business plan, which we will take to several experts for their feedback. If they can confirm that our numbers are realistic, then we can approach people more confidently to ask for seed capital. And PS to David: yes! please connect us with your financial advisor!
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