The hospitality industry is a capital-intensive business. It requires ongoing capital investment in adding infrastructure, upgrading amenities and ongoing repairs, maintenance and upkeep. This often requires taking of loans. These loans are often mortgaged against the property and monthly EMIs need to be paid which increases monthly outgoings.
Despite attrition, staff has to be well-trained, motivated and monitored to ensure guests are well-treated and get continuous, positive experiences before, during and after their stay. This requires putting in of strong systems, investing in software/hardware/training; gradually hiring professional supervisory staff and management personnel. This makes for growing fixed costs.
It requires right brand positioning, clinical customer segmenting, strong and consistent promotion, ongoing offers and methodical follow-through of enquiries, close co-ordination between the off-site sales team and the onsite operations team to ensure occupancy rates climb up and stay up. A calendar has to be drawn up to ensure seasonal sales are well-prepared for and capitalized upon and enough activities prop up non-seasonal sales.
Maintaining a delicate financial equilibrium is the key to sustaining the business. Many businesses in this industry operate on a hand-to-mouth basis on a yearly basis. It is astute CEO-level, dashboard-based decision-making that gives an edge to making and keeping the business profitable. That requires capturing and recording all financial data and plugging all leakages. And ensuring buffers are available for any exigencies that might occur.
Hiring a Business Coach in these circumstances is not just a bold decision, it requires crystal-clear vision, steely commitment and a firm desire of structurally and permanently turning around the complete situation for good – come what may.
Karyn Lobo is one such person. She attended a programme by another prominent business coach, but wanted personalized handholding and enough time to discuss operational and all other matters from her perspective. I felt honoured to have been promptly chosen by her as her business coach as she had seen the changes in her brother and the resort sales through my coaching.
I worked with Karyn on all operational and financial matters,
With her brother, Ian & his team for Marketing and Sales.
With her father and his team for engineering and maintenance matters
And occasionally with her mother and her team for housekeeping, resort cleanliness and orchard-development.
I received this testimonial today, 10 months after a 19 months in-house, business coaching assignment.
“Raymond, it’s like our session, so much has happened and happy to share with you as a lot of my actions come from a place of what I have learnt from you and my continued effort to self-learn and educate on how to manage.”
– Karyn Lobo, Co-owner, Pinewood Resort, Karjat. https://www.pinewoodresort.co.in/
Ian candidly attributes his guidance in decision-making and the strength he got to handle matters personally and professionally to his strong foundation in prayer apart from the inputs gained from coaching.
It is heartening for me to spontaneously review the family’s and team’s collective progress and see them on course to running Pinewood Resort, Karjat now as an elegant 3-star property, distinguished with 4 swimming pools and other amenities of course!
I can work with earnest, owners of family-owned businesses wanting professional, implementable, handholding on turning around, reviewing, restructuring and re-orienting their business(es), improving profitability and increasing cash flows; reorganising the workforce and professionalising work culture.
Raymond D’Souza
SME Business Coach and Part-time CEO
Structuring Workability, Profitability, Sustainability, Growth and Expansion.
(91) 98676 35525 raymond@passionpreneur.in
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