Have you ever seen Ghosts? No, not that kind of ghost, I’m talking about the CBS sitcom Ghosts. To be honest, it’s provided a welcome diversion from the madness out there in the real world. I’ll even admit to watching a heaping handful of episodes in one sitting on a recent cold and rainy evening.
In this comedy, the protagonist, Samantha, and her husband Jay have inherited a large manor from her recently-deceased, distantly-related, aunt. Early in the series, Samantha suffers a pretty serious tumble down the stairs. As a result, she gains remarkable new abilities. Namely, Samantha can see and speak with the many ghosts who reside in the home. And don’t worry, I’m not really giving anything away. The writers and producers made it clear early on that this was the entire premise of the show.
Deciding to Host
For better or for worse, the house is too large for the couple to live in alone. They desperately need to earn money to help pay for necessary renovations to the space. So, Samantha and Jay decide to turn the home into a bed and breakfast. This approach not only capitalizes on Jay’s culinary skills but also gives Samantha’s writing background an opportunity to shine. They’ve agreed that she will create the B&B’s website.
Glory Gets in the Way
Unfortunately, like many other hosts we’ve worked with over the years, Samantha gets hung up on the idea of perfection. This drive to launch the perfect website prevents her from making any real progress on its development. By this point, Jay has completely abdicated this task to her. Every morning, he checks in to see if the site is ready for launch. Jay seems keenly aware their meager savings are swiftly declining and is beyond eager to begin hosting.
Day after day, Samantha finds convenient excuses for her lack of progress. So, it’s at about this point in the show where we began literally shouting at the TV screen. We yelled to the show’s protagonists as if they could hear us, “Have you never heard of Airbnb?“. When that didn’t seem to get through, we shouted, “You should just list on Airbnb or VRBO! You’ll have reservations next week!“
Getting Started
Self-imposed limitations of idealized perfection can be one of the primary demotivating factors in the stagnation of businesses that languish in the development phase. As a very wise Voltaire wrote, “Best is the enemy of the good.”
Of course, reservations made through your own website can be a great idea for hosts. And hey – we can even help make that dream come true! But realistically, a greater number of potential guests will find your listing on a reliable resource like Airbnb or VRBO. Because they are familiar with the platform, guests will have fewer concerns and feel more confident making a reservation. Our best advice is to get started on one of these user-friendly aggregators. Effectively leverage the positive reviews and invaluable experience you gain from hosting. Use these newly acquired assets to flesh out the details of your own website.
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