Trading a powerful corporate job for fixing toilets is not everyone's idea of personal improvement. But for Brian Henry it also meant swapping clogged highways for empty beaches and managing his own business.
Worn out after 12 years as an executive at Coca-Cola and Andersen Consulting, Henry, 38, changed course four years ago and moved his young family from Atlanta, Georgia, to Pawleys Island, South Carolina, to run the decades-old Sea View Inn.
The electrical engineer is among a growing number of Americans longing for a slower pace of life who elect to stay home as innkeepers, embarking on second careers that can be as tough as any job but often more fun and fulfilling.
"This is a full time job that is very physical because you are on the front lines managing, marketing and sometimes even washing dishes," Henry said. "You can't be an innkeeper and just manage. You have to do it." (CNN)
Sounds nice, huh? The wife and I have sometimes dreamed of running a cute little retro-ish motel. I would like to run one in Gatlinburg, of course.
Running an inn? I just can't imagine doing that. My grandfather managed a big old hotel when I was a kid. I liked the restaurants, the newspapers from all over the country sold in the lobby, and talking with some of the guests.
ReplyDeleteBut nowadays, all I can think is what a hassle an inn would be. Just ask Dick Louden, the main character on the second 'Bob Newhart Show.'
Mark Daniels
Mark: I agree with you about the inn - too much work to do, especially if you're preparing meals for guests. I think a little motel would be much better. I've always wondered, though, about the people who own little motels at vacations spots (or even the people in general who live there): where do they go on their vacation, and do they even have time to take one? If you live in Orlando, how often do you really go to DisneyWorld?
ReplyDeleteAs you probably recall, Dick Loudon was just the dream persona of Bob Hartley. So, Bob didn't actually do any of the "inn work."