With both unemployment and financial hardship increasing, many people are looking at ways to either start their own business or supplement their existing income.
An increasingly popular option is to put your home-making and culinary skills to good use and start a bed and breakfast business.
Whether you live in a city or town and want to open, for example, a Leicester bed and breakfast, or are hoping to start a "boutique style" country retreat, there is a lot to consider beforehand.
However, regardless of whether you live in a busy city such as Leicester or, on the opposite spectrum, in a sleepy village in the countryside, the main areas to get to grips with are: obtaining permission, building work, fitting out and decorating guest rooms and finally advertising and marketing.
With regard to obtaining permission, this very much depends on the amount of building work you are planning to do.
In this respect, permission is no different to a house extension.
However, if the guest accommodation becomes more than merely the use of a few bedrooms, then you should contact your local council's planning department for advice, as certain permissions may need to be sought.
If you intend to run the bed and breakfast business from your own home, you are likely to need permission from your local council, particularly if there are already several such establishments in your area and you will have to formally apply to them for "change of use".
Next to consider is the building work.
It is essential to familiarise yourself with the most up to date health and safety regulations, as the regulations for bed and breakfast tend to change quite regularly.
Different regulations will apply, dependent upon the size of your house and the number of guests you will be accommodating.
Nevertheless, you will probably have to install safety features such as fire doors, emergency lighting and fire safety signage, and it is also likely that your kitchen will require some work.
Separate washing and toilet facilities will be necessary for you and your family which cannot be used by your guests.
This could mean some internal remodelling of doors and walls.
Next on the list comes fitting out and decorating of your bed and breakfast.
For the bedrooms and guest areas, like dining rooms and lounges, make the areas clean, bright and fresh.
It is a good idea to think of a theme and carry it through the rooms, although you should avoid garish colours.
If you live in an historic cottage or village, good quality antiques or reproduction pieces will always be appreciated.
On the other hand, if you live in a modern house or in a busy bustling city, then go for a clean streamlined look.
Do not skimp on cheap furniture; this is false economy as it will look tacky and will soon need replacing.
It is best to avoid a "fussy" or cluttered look, which will require a lot of cleaning or dusting.
Keep personal photographs and mementos out of the guest area, otherwise guests will feel as if they are intruding in your private space.
Finally, you will need to consider advertising and marketing, including a logo, brochure, website and promotional materials.
Once you're up and running, there will be many other areas that you will need to pay attention to such as managing accounts, maintaining a good reputation and many more, whether you are running a Leicester bed and breakfast or a "boutique style" country retreat.