women at work
anne tops guest house charts in plymouth After 30 years working as a tax specialist in Scotland, Anne Anderson decided on a complete change of lifestyle and location. At the age of 51, single mum Anne took the bold decision in December 2006 to relocate to Plymouth and take over an ailing guest house which was in need of a total makeover. With no experience of running her own business, let alone a guest house, it was a high-risk strategy - but one that has paid off handsomely. Five years after re-opening the Sea Breezes Guest House in Grand Parade, West Hoe, it has been voted the top bed and breakfast out of 57 in Plymouth on the popular website Trip Advisor. She recently received a Certificate of Excellence from the website for her achievement. But success has not come easy for Anne. An extensive refurbishment project took six months to totally transform the property – with Anne doing all the decorating herself. “I found a wonderful local builder called Bob who has been fantastic, but there was still a huge amount of work for me to do. There were nine bedrooms originally but I knew I wanted to reduce that to six, all with en-suite. “There was a massive amount of structural work needed and then we discovered that not only the central heating system had to be replaced, but also the electrics and fire alarms.” Anne knew Plymouth reasonably well, thanks to regular stays with her brother who
Anne Anderson, proprietor of Sea Breezes Guest House
lived in the city at the time. He helped Anne find the Sea Breezes. “Even though the property was pretty run down, I just fell in love with the location of Sea Breezes and could see it had great potential.” She re-opened Sea Breezes in May 2007 - with no experience and no customers. “It was a pretty daunting prospect and I opened the doors with some trepidation,” said Anne. But her approach to the business was simple. “My benchmark has always been that I would be happy to stay here myself.” She started to get referrals from other guest houses and regular bookings from Plymouth University. A year after opening, the Sea Breezes website was launched with an online booking facility and the business started to take off. “I ran the place single-handedly for the first few years which meant no holidays, little time off and 18 hour days on a regular basis,” said Anne. She now affords herself the luxury of a cleaner who does what Anne describes as ‘the hard graft.’ Anne suffered a major setback in April 2010 when she was involved in an horrific accident on the A38. Returning to Plymouth from Exeter Airport she was in the outside lane of the dual carriageway following a white van. “The van suddenly veered to the inside lane and to my horror I saw a car coming straight at me. It was being driven the wrong way up the A38 by a 79-year-old woman.” The two vehicles collided at over 120 mph, but Anne’s quick reactions, her seat belt and airbags saved her from serious injury. But the shock of the accident left deep emotional and psychological scars. Anne suffered nightmares and flashbacks and was diagnosed with post traumatic stress. “I needed counselling to help me come to terms with what had happened and ultimately it has given me a lot more confidence and made me a stronger person,” she said.
Bookwise
Anne has shown strength and determination to bounce back from that setback and has seen Sea Breezes steadily climb up the Trip Advisor table to the No 1 spot.
Small business specialist
Book-keeping, Accounts, VAT, Payroll Service, Credit Control, Self Assessment, CIS, Typing & General Administration
Phone or e-mail Clare for no obligation quote. All services available at either an hourly rate or fixed monthly fee. Tel: 07816 824293 or 01752 407740 E-mail clarejenkins596@btinternet.com 6
the plymouth magazine
“I never ask my guests to review Sea Breezes, but I have received some wonderful endorsements,” said Anne. “It’s great being voted as the best guest house in Plymouth, but it has taken a lot of hard work to get there. I have a wonderful clientele with lots of regulars, including many walkers who are referred to me by Encounter Walking, who organise walking holidays along the South West Coast Path. “I love my business, I love Plymouth and feel really quite privileged to live here,” she added. Sea Breezes 28 Grand Parade, Plymouth Tel 01752 667205. Website www. plymouth-bedandbreakfast.co.uk