by Karen Spencer | Sep 7, 2019 | Mindset
Every year I do this to myself as we head into September. It happens the same time – every year! It’s my annual panic week when I have a wobble. A wobble that is “Pants! My booking calendar is almost empty”. It happens when I go from the busy busyness of...
by Karen Spencer | Aug 29, 2019 | Running A Business, Starting Out
A guide to buying a holiday home abroad So, you’ve decided to invest in a holiday home overseas. Perhaps to take advantage of low prices and high returns, or for somewhere you can escape the English winter and then make pay for itself in summer. But how do you...
by Karen Spencer | Aug 8, 2019 | Starting Out
At last it’s ready! Your holiday let is ready to taking paying guests. How exciting and well done for making it this far. But now what? You need to know how to rent out a holiday cottage when it’s all new to you Don’t panic, you can do this! Here are...
by Karen Spencer | Jul 22, 2019 | Running A Business
Playing it safe means doing the same things over and over again in your holiday rental business. It means not trying anything new because you keep telling yourself: you’re not techie enough you don’t have time it might not work! Mmm it’s very easy to put objections in...
by Karen Spencer | Jun 25, 2019 | Adding Value
Your guest’s holiday experience matters. I always recommend you go the extra mile; to help your guests to immerse themselves in local experiences; to get more out of their precious holiday time. An ethos that Tobooka , a guest experience booking company, fully...
by Karen Spencer | Jun 1, 2019 | Running A Business
…by actioning your holiday home guest feedback. It’s such valuable business data. When gathered and used properly it’s an easy-peasy way to improve your holiday rental business. Yet just asking for guest feedback is something that’s often...
by Karen Spencer | May 16, 2019 | Running A Business
For business-sake you must avoid doing this in your holiday home What am I talking about? Providing style over substance. You need to provide both! The lack of substance is something I experienced first hand last week on a short break in the UK. 🤦♀️ Yes I constantly...
by Karen Spencer | May 4, 2019 | Marketing
“I don’t have a budget, can I still master my holiday home marketing?” I get asked this a lot. That’s because, amongst holiday home owners who want to break free of the big listing sites and get direct bookings, there’s a misconception. A...
by Karen Spencer | Apr 26, 2019 | Running A Business, Starting Out
No, you don’t need a holiday home business plan. (Unless you’re looking for finance from a bank, and that’s a different blog altogether.) Not the type of plan that springs to mind when you say ‘business plan’: a tedious, stuffy, rigid,...
by Karen Spencer | Mar 11, 2019 | Marketing, Starting Out
You know that to take your own bookings, you need to get found by guests. And social media is a tool to help you do that. You’ve Googled it and sure, you’ve picked up some tips. But how do you translate these into your social media strategy as a holiday...
by Karen Spencer | Sep 11, 2018 | Running A Business
I admit it, recently I haven’t been spending as much time on my holiday rental business as I should. How can I when I’m busy running The Business of Holiday Rental and working with other lovely holiday home owners and helping them to grow their businesses? I’m only...
by Karen Spencer | Aug 14, 2018 | Marketing
Still hoping to get more summer bookings to fill your calendar for end August and September? Don’t panic, there’s still time to get more summer bookings. To do this: You need to take action and you need to take it now. You need to be proactive. You need...
by Karen Spencer | Jun 11, 2018 | Running A Business
I was first introduced to the holiday let industry when I worked for a holiday letting agency. Twelve years ago I got a job in a holiday letting agency. I was looking for a part-time job to fit around two small children and school hours. Little did I know how this...
by Karen Spencer | Apr 10, 2018 | Marketing
Are you using video to market your holiday home? It’s such a powerful marketing tool. And it doesn’t require any fancy equipment or previous experience. So why wouldn’t you use video to marketing your holiday home? Is it because the very thought of...
by Karen Spencer | Mar 17, 2018 | Adding Value
How to make Easter special for your holiday home’s guests Don’t worry, I’m not going to suggest you start hand painting your egg shells. They wouldn’t last two minutes would they! Although they look so pretty. These 5 things are much easier to do and they will...
by Karen Spencer | Mar 8, 2018 | Adding Value
Do you have a question about Hot Tubs For Holiday Lets? It’s very likely to be answered here, in this question and answer session which took place recently on my Facebook page John Corner and Philip Simpson Better Living Outdoors, otherwise known as hot tub...
by Karen Spencer | Feb 25, 2018 | Marketing
And how to use this onion analogy to attract your ideal guest. When guests are looking to book a self-catering holiday they have a search criteria. Think of each criteria as a layer of an onion. Once one criteria is met, they digger deeper and peel off the next layer...
by Karen Spencer | Feb 13, 2018 | Marketing
Free! Do I not know you’re running your holiday home business? I do! And that’s exactly why I want you to offer a freebie because it will benefit your holiday home business in the long run. I’m not talking a free week or even free afternoon tea. ...
by Karen Spencer | Feb 6, 2018 | Starting Out
Can you successfully rent out your second home and still holiday there yourself? Heck yes! You can have your cake and eat it. I for one should know! That’s how I started out renting my holiday cottage. It was bought as a second home. And that’s still...
by Karen Spencer | Jan 22, 2018 | Running A Business
You are the biggest asset in your holiday home business. (Excluding the actual value of the property!) It’s you who ensures your guests have a great holiday, it’s you who arranges that emergency boiler repair, it’s you who does the marketing, sets...
