Many people in the hotel industry are locked into day-to-day operations for years — or even decades — and simply cannot see themselves doing anything other than what they currently do. Some prefer to stay the course and build a long career within the same organisation. Some climb the ladder and get promoted to Department Head, General Manager, or even CEO. Some change jobs every two or three years, moving between properties and brands to accelerate their growth. Some, after decades in one profession, make the decision to step outside the industry entirely and pursue something completely different. And some take a middle road — one that I will explain in the following paragraphs.
What nobody talks about is what it actually takes to make that leap — how you do it, and what you need to be cautious about.
In my case, after 30 years in housekeeping management and a career that took me across many properties, I decided in 2023 to start a retail shop business selling toys, board games, mugs, party items, and stationery. It was a complete 180° turn — and a surprise to many of my friends and family. For the first time, I was doing something completely foreign to what I had been doing for so long — or perhaps not as foreign as I initially thought, as I discovered along the way. Once you have experience from complex hotel operations — customer service, budgeting, implementing plans — you can transfer that experience and adapt it to your new business. Each person can evaluate and select which business to create, and it is a powerful journey. You find yourself working long hours but not complaining, because you are building something of your own. You get to know new customers, new suppliers, a completely different world from the hotel business that you had previously ignored. And after the 10,000-hour rule kicks in — the principle that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve mastery in any field — you establish your routines, your tricks, your seasons — and you start to fly.
If you were to ask me for advice after 3.5 years as a retail shop owner, I would say this: study a successful brand or franchise that you admire and that has real potential, then create something similar on your own — without getting involved in franchise fees. If you have a stable job, keep it and build your business as a side hustle; only quit when it brings you 2x or 3x your current income. Have enough capital to start, and keep a reserve aside to carry you through the difficult periods — because you will need 3 to 4 years to learn the ropes, break even, and start making decent profits. And if it does not work out, you still have your stable job to fall back on.
If work pressure or a difficult environment is wearing you down — and you cannot leave for financial reasons — there is another way to stay motivated. Start a side business. Before long, your current job will stop feeling like a trap. You will redirect your energy and ideas toward something you are building for yourself, you will stop overthinking your employment situation, and you will start working toward something real. It does not have to be a dramatic leap. It just has to start.
And you will be amazed at what you are capable of doing — and never thought possible.
📌 If you are considering opening a retail shop and need a reliable tool to record sales, transactions, and costs — without spending a fortune:
👉 The Small Shop Manager Programme — Retail Shop Management Tool
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