Why we're in business

I read a lot of business books. Mostly on running business differently. There are standard ways to run B&Bs, but for the most part, I don't think we do anything by the standards, and that's fine by me.

We had guests recently who basically said that they were cool just hanging out and talking all day, because that's WHY they came to stay with us. My heart burst!

We started out being in business to save the house from foreclosure. We love this house.
But as the years have gone by, and airbnb has become more popular, we are beginning to love being in business so that guests, like our most recent ones, continue to grace us with their presence. When the stay is over, we relish the moments we shared...the stories, the messages, the pleasant/funny/profound conversations. We really do! We talk about guests all the time and we love getting updates from them.

We're in business because community is built in so many different ways. Some people are friends for life, some people are family or coworkers, and some people are guests in our home for a couple days. But in each gathering there is awesomeness. In each story told, there is empathy, positive energy, and interesting adventures. You can't get that in hotels. Each person in their own cube, living in isolation. Not for us.

Sharing a bathroom, a kitchen, and even an entryway creates community in different ways that only contribute to the overall experience. It may simply be an exchange of smiles, but in my experience of travel and now of being a B&B owner, there is only good things to be had by this type of sharing. So that's why we keep doing this.

Playing bigger

In another blog, I talk about playing small not serving me. It's an interesting thing to reflect on because not a lot of people can probably (hopefully?) notice that I play small a lot.

And in the B&B, people don't stay long enough to find that out. But that's a cop-out! Just because a guest only sees a snippet of my life, doesn't mean that I shouldn't be the "big" that I know, or dream, I can be.

Playing bigger speaks to me about how I run the business, how I attract others to the business, how I use my values to build the business, how I market the business and ultimately, how people view the business in their lives.

I know that when I encounter a person, cause, or a business that is out of the ordinary, it impacts me. I know that when great care is taken to improve my experience of life, I feel grateful. I want to pass that info on to the next person. I've read a lot of business books, articles, and websites and there are a lot of people doing this and it warms my heart. That's important to me! That people care, that they want to improve my life, and that they think that's a priority in their business. Me too!

Synergy is always undergoing changes, mostly physical, but in the coming months, we'll be undergoing more non-physical changes. We'll be taking a closer look at why people book with us, what impacts their experience, and how that impact has rippled out in the world. I want more of that in my business and I look forward to that discovery.

If you were a guest of ours feel free to comment if staying with us has changed your life in any way, big or small.

And we're back!

May is almost over and we've been busy at Synergy!
We've already had several guests come to stay and we're getting more reservations each week. I forget how much I love meeting new people, talking about different cultures, and comparing notes on food, places to visit, and anything else that gets us going.

Baby K has been blending right in, having no problem sharing his home with the lovely folks who grace us with their presence. We just had a few four-legged friends visit too and Baby K loved it! He definitely wanted to pet the dogs and the dogs weren't that into it, but we are learning "gentle" and "nice touch."

The weather is currently leaving something to be desired, but as it always goes with Spring and Summer in Seattle, you never know what you're going to get. And in Burien, our weather is even a bit different from Seattle's, a mere 20 minutes away.

I can't believe it's already about to be June. Time flies!

If you're a past guest, feel free to keep checking back in on here to find out what we're up to (and watch Baby K grow!) and if you are future guest, check out our rooms in the top right corner (the links will take you to our airbnb site).

Oh!

If you have had the pleasure of imbibing Josh's lovely teas and you've been dying to buy some, check out bfullers.com. You can order tea online now and there are samplers and tea sets and a lot of new products.

Getting Synergy Back Online!

After the arrival of our lovely son, Kalev Milo, on August 31, 2012, we have been itching to get back into our B&B world. We miss it so much!

And we are learning that a little one and a B&B need some separation (our living room looked like a Toys R Us showroom for about 5 months) so we are remodeling our basement and moving down there so that guests can still roam free without the fear of stepping on Legos or having to use Lincoln Logs to stir their coffee.
We will definitely be up and running by the summer months and Kalev will be excited to meet all of you while learning the ways of the biz. If you are looking to make a reservation, please contact us and we will set you up.
Synergy B&B has moved things around a bit so that there is a TV room/Business Center (with an iMac and printer) adjacent to the public veranda, adding a third common space to our home, so folks don't only have to congregate in the Great Room. We will have three rooms to rent, all with queen-sized beds and shared bathrooms.
Our Writer's Retreat is getting a makeover (more writer-themed decor, a reading nook, and a beefed up writer's desk) and Northern Light is getting a few upgrades as well.Our third room will become our Feng Shui room, decorated with feng shui information, cures, and themes. We love to educate and share our passions!

In addition to the physical space, we are looking into all-inclusive, themed retreat packages for folks, to stand out from other B&Bs. Feel free to share any ideas you have!

We're still working through www.airbnb.com, but we do hope to branch out into our own website as soon as we get a minute to design it.

Thanks for your interest, support, and of course, thanks for staying with us!