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RE: Fetish Hotels - 12/9/2013 9:20:18 PM

njlauren

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I stayed at a place upstate NY years ago that was a kinky B/B, run by a dominant couple. It was basically a regular suburban house, they had converted the basement into a dungeon, had some gear there, and they also offered meals and such. It was okay, not exactly a vacation resort,but it wasn't bad and the couple was a lot of fun to talk to (really bright people...).

I agree with others, it sounds a lot better most of the time to turn a fetish or hobby into a business than it is. If you were thinking of a B and B, it might be better to have it in a scenic spot or a place where there might be interesting things nearby. Trying to do it in an apartment may not be so simple, if it is a rental the landlord and tenants might have problems with you doing that and zoning may be against it.

I would hazard a guess that you might be able to do something like some resorts do, they are open most of the time as a standard B/B but have kinky weekends and such. It would be hard to mix guests, assuming you would have more than a couple or two there, and trying to run it strictly as kinky would be a very limited market IMO. There are some I have seen that ran for a while, but like the place we stayed at, they also catered to single men or women who wanted to go there and as part of the package, were dominated by the couple for the weekend, so it was a combination of a b/b and/or a professional domination facility. That might work, especially if located in a large town or city,though in theory a couple may like having a kinky b and b where they can do what they want, and also have the freedom to explore a rural area....but I suspect if you try kink only, that it would require you offer services as the couple I mentioned did (the couple split up, but the guy was with someone else and at one point I saw he was still operating, but that was a while ago).

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RE: Fetish Hotels - 12/9/2013 9:47:10 PM

ExquisiteStings

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Joined: 4/10/2007
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When I lived in South FL, and was regularly attending the parties given by the owner of the Fetish Factory, for the annual 3 day extravaganzas, he would book several floors at one of the local hotels in the area; some years it would be the Sheraton in mid Ft. Lauderdale, one year it was the Marriott in N. Ft. Lauderdale & it was at that one that I was walking thru the lobby in full regalia enroute to one of the nightclubs on a Saturday night and saw a group of nuns seated there. They were there for a convention on the same weekend. I waved at them and went over to say hello and I have to admit, they were very open minded about every thing and not shocked in the least.

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RE: Fetish Hotels - 12/9/2013 11:44:23 PM

MasterCaneman

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Joined: 3/21/2013
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Rochsub2009

quote:

ORIGINAL: MariaB

The problem is, the population of BDSMers in England is around .02% and the proportion in the US are going to be roughly the same. Half of those people are going to be couples that probably have all the stuff they need at home. The customer base is minuscule and this is why so many fetish businesses are run on a hobby basis only. There's very little you can do in the fet world that will earn you a decent living.

Thank you for saving me the time it would have taken me to type this.

I often see threads like this where people are proposing turning their kink into a kinky business. The problem is that they typically think more with their penis than they do with their brains about such ventures. And as a result, they typically lose all their money and go out of business.

Regardless of whether the business is owned by a kinkster or a vanilla person, business is still business. You have to do your due diligence. You have to do a thorough market analysis and determine if your business idea is viable. When it comes to kinky businesses, the answer is most often "no" for exactly the reasons MariaB has stated above.

Here are a few questions that you need to think through:
-Have you done a thorough market analysis? How big is the "kink market" in your area?
-Will your business require out-of-town customers to be viable, or can the local market support your business?
-How do you plan to make your target market aware of your new business? How much will that cost?
-How much will the entire project cost?
-How do you plan to finance your venture?
-If you plan to get a bank loan, do you think a banker will agree to finance a "fetish hotel"?
-Do a 5 year pro forma analysis. When do you anticipate your venture will be "in the black"?
-What is your anticipated cash flow for the business? Can you live off of this during your retirement?

The OP stated that he was looking to do this as part of his retirement. I don't know what his financial situation is, but I'd strongly advise against this if you are hoping that this kinky venture will fund your retirement. It is far more likely that it will eat up your pension funds, and you will have to go back to work during your golden years.

I strongly suggest that you do a Business Plan before investing any money into this venture. Be sure to use CONSERVATIVE estimates when doing your pro formas.

While I believe in being an optimist, when it comes to business, my advice is always "Plan for the worst, but hope for the best".

Good luck to you.
-Roch (Who just happens to be a serial entrepreneur)

^^^^ This, in abundance. I did some business plans for a few folks after getting out of school, and while some succeeded (which is to say they're either still open now or were able to cash out without a net loss), others fell flat on their faces. Think long and hard (no pun intended) before committing yourself to something like this. Roch is right, it can effectively end your retirement and in a hurry. That goes for any business, kink or no. I'd love to see the SWOT analysis on this one, though. Never say never, but don't rush in with your eyes closed either.

_____________________________

Age and treachery will always overcome youth and ambition.

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. ~ Sun Tzu

Goddess Wrangler

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RE: Fetish Hotels - 12/10/2013 2:39:14 PM

MalcolmNathaniel

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BTW: Back in the late 1980s early 90s my family run a country inn/restaurant. There is often a romantic dream that it would be a good way to retire.

They are notoriously hard to keep in business. Something like 95% of all restaurants close within five years of opening. Ours did too. There are far easier ways of losing a million dollars, trust me.

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RE: Fetish Hotels - 12/10/2013 4:19:03 PM

kalikshama

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Joined: 8/8/2010
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quote:

Here are a few questions that you need to think through:

[snip]

Great post Roch!

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RE: Fetish Hotels - 12/12/2013 2:26:16 PM

mummyman321

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Joined: 10/31/2005
From: Dusseldorf
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As many people here have stated and I do believe it would be a tough job to make a go of it. It is not impossible but I would not risk my retirement on it. If I had some extra money to burn I might consider it for a hobby but not a living.

People tend to underestimate the amount of work required to run your own business and over estimate the profit they think they can make. Here are some things you need to think about if you are serious.

A Good Business Manager:
This means you know how to manage money. For any profitable business you need a model. What money will be used for what? What percentage of the money will be used for expense, maintenance, advertising, reinvestment into the facility/businesses?

Have a business model:
Know the numbers. What is your possible maximum audience? If only 0.02% of the people in the UK are into BDSM, what percent of them would be willing to visit a B&B that catered to their lifestyle? There are approximately 63,000,000 people in the UK. A 0.02% would yield about 12,600 people who are into BDSM. Now how many of them are would be willing to go to a B&B? Then what percentage of those are willing to come to your B&B?

Marketing:
How are you going to market your B&B. What services are you going to offer? Are you going to offer home cooked meals. Are you near a nice shopping area? Tourist area? Are there things to do nearby? Do some research on B&B’s and see what they typically offer besides just having a place to stay.

Being adult oriented I would assume having a “gift shop” to sell insertables and other kinky toys might not be a bad idea.

Money Handeling:
What forms of payment will you accept? Visa/MC/Discover? Remember they charge a fee for every transaction. That will put a 3 to 5% dent in your profits. Even if taking checks the banks will charge you a processing fee.

Customer Satisfaction:
What are you going to offer that customer really wants? In business always remember this, The consumer is the boss. If the consumer is not happy they will not buy your product or service or recommend it and you are out of business. Simply having a B&B that caters to the BDSM community is not a recipe for success. So what are you going to do that will delight the consumer?

Legal Requirements:
What are the legal requirements if you turn your flat into a business? Do you have handicap access and bathroom facilities? Do you have emergency exits? Are you required to have a sprinkler system? Are there laws concerning BDSM where you plan to have the B&B?

Summary:
I am not trying to be negative. My point I am trying to make is you really need to think about how you would make a go of things. There is a lot to think about and check into. Nine out of every ten new businesses fail.
Here is an interesting article on starting up a B&B. This is not oriented to the BDSM community but an excellent article on what you need to do to be successful.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/83704#

If you decide to give a try, good luck with it!

_____________________________

Life - Its not about where you are but about the journey to get there - I prefer to choose the road less traveled

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RE: Fetish Hotels - 12/12/2013 5:31:45 PM

DOM68005

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Joined: 12/5/2006
From: Nebraska
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Many have covered the business angle and I agree you need to limit it to about 10% of your investable capital. When it runs out, you're done with this venture.
I have known a retiree to buy a vanilla motel, but the only thing that saved him financially was a fast food company bought the place for the location. He and his wife said the place was more work than it was worth. They could never go anyplace.
While I live in the USA and have no plans to go overseas, I still would offer a few wants, needs, and desires as a potential customer. Do NOT depend on people like me. Anything I do like this is gravy to you,
What policies do you have in case vanillas wonder in? What about singles? What policies in case of civil authorities visit or their regulations? Do you have a lawyer/solicitor on call?
What will the common areas look like and what will you allow in them?
Do you have rooms with BDSM friendly designs including tie downs in the beds, walls, ceilings, and floors. How much weight can they handle? Does each room have a complete bathroom for two? Are the rooms soundproofed to avoid disturbing others? Do you allow nudity in all areas? If so how do you insure against health issues? same for the rooms and dungeons Do you have all the correct kinds of insurance?
Does the dungeon have room for more than one person? IF not or if someone wants it to themselves, What are the arrangements? Will you have more than one dungeon (specialized rooms)? Are rules posted in the rooms and dungeon(s). What agreements do you have the guest sign upon arrival?
IF something were to go wrong, do you have someone well versed on BDSM aftercare including advanced first aid on hand 24/7? Do you have an agreement to include visitor passes with a local BDSM club?
Have I covered everything. not even close.
In my fantasy, I rent out a couple of spare rooms at my home. All visiting subs are nude and help with the chores. I'm not holding my breath on that one either.

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