As I sit here, rubbing my eyes and wracking my brain to come up with a title to this post, my hope is it’ll just magically appear or drop into my head by the time I’m finished.

I’m not really too sure where I need to begin with all that I’m learning about running a business.  Do I go into detail about a situation that I’m dealing with? Nah, there’s no point to that because my point isn’t to embarrass anyone.  It’s to share what I’m learning as a business owner.

Let me backup ever so slowly and begin with this:

I am A Business Owner!  The  revelation of that has only recently hit me~

I AM a business owner who runs an AirBnB and I’m a professional (I still struggle to say that word) photographer. Two businesses that involve People, up close and sometimes very personal.

The AirBnB business means that I am responsible to serve guests that I do not know who come into my home and sleep in a room they’ve paid me to stay in for a night or a number of nights.

 

Plain and simple, right?

No.

Well, yes, in the truest sense of the word, but No, with a capital N.  People are complex creatures that come from all walks of life with a multitude of experiences, thoughts, and beliefs. Those different things play themselves out during their visit in our home.

Even before we meet, I have an opportunity to connect with the guest and get some preliminary info about their trip, what they liked about the photos of the room as well as any questions they may have.  This is helpful to both of us and usually it’s a great start to their stay here.

By the time they get here, we’ve both formulated a brief connection.  Yet, as they walk through the front door with their luggage, they’re also carrying an invisible suitcase of mindsets and expectations. Sometimes that suitcase spills out all over the floor before they ever get to their room, leaving an awful mess to deal with.

That happened this past weekend.

What I’m learning as a woman of God who runs a business, is that there is a fine line between being professional and crossing that line into people’s personal lives.

Let me try to bring some clarity to what I’m trying to convey.

I love people.  My heart is to serve others and make our home a place of rest but also a place of community.

But some people who stay here aren’t looking for me to serve them or to connect on a personal level!  They just want a place to drop their clothes, a bed sleep in or do whatever they want behind a closed door and be left alone.

I get that…sometimes.  But last night, I think it made sense because my amazingly wonderful and wise husband enlightened me with these words:

“Just because an unkind, thoughtless, or ungrateful person walks through our front door doesn’t mean they’ll instantly become kind, thoughtful or grateful while they’re here or by the time they leave. You cannot change people.  That’s not your job as a business woman.  There are boundaries you must stay in to run a business, Daune.  Being professional about a matter is all that is required of you.  You’re not our guest’s mother!”

Oh. My. Word.  I love this man.  He knows how to wound me in such a way that I want to become a better person.

There will always be people who, somewhere along the way, missed valuable lessons on how to treat others, were mistreated themselves and in turn, do the same things or maybe they fear rejection so it’s just easier to lie than to face the truth.

Whatever the reasons may be, it has nothing to do with me or my business.  Thinking like a business owner takes practice, persistence and confidence.

These are the things I’m learning.

I really don’t know if these things can be learned through reading a book or going to a class.  Maybe.  Honestly, I think the best way to learn things is to have people in your life who sharpen you, tell you the truth, challenge you and love you through it all.

Now, if I really don’t want to succeed, then I would choose NOT to listen to the truth.  That would be just plain stupid.

We get to make our own choices in life.  We do not get to choose the consequences of our choices…ever.

So, from this point on, I’m making a point to pay closer attention to the invisible suitcase they are carrying and not allow my own expectations, beliefs or opinions to get in the way of doing business.  When I need to confront a guest on a matter, to think professionally about how to deal with the issue and not allow their immaturity or attacks to sway my decisions.
I am a business owner and I have a responsibility to keep business and my personal view separated.

Well, the title hasn’t quite hit me, but by the time you get here, it won’t matter anyway.

Have a great day friends.