Deciding to buy a holiday cottage business when you have never done it before! with Nicky Cooper, Tredarrup Farm Holiday Cottages cover art

Deciding to buy a holiday cottage business when you have never done it before! with Nicky Cooper, Tredarrup Farm Holiday Cottages

Deciding to buy a holiday cottage business when you have never done it before! with Nicky Cooper, Tredarrup Farm Holiday Cottages

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What does it actually feel like to give up a 35-year London career, say yes to a seven-acre farm you’ve never run before, inherit fifteen animals you’ve never looked after, and move to a county you’ve never lived in, all in under four months? Nicky Cooper is about to tell you.Nicky is one of Sarah’s 2026 Bootcampers and the new owner of Tredarrup Farm Holiday Cottages: a stunning North Cornwall farmstead near Port Isaac with four converted holiday cottages, fifteen animals (sheep, goats, running ducks and more), and views over the Allen Valley that she describes as genuinely hard to put into words. She moved in just a few months ago, having first spotted the property in September last year and fallen completely in love with it on the very first visit.In this conversation, Nicky shares the story behind the leap: from her corporate sales and management background, the slow-building restlessness that made her start googling “places in Cornwall with holiday potential” on a bad day at work, and how an accidental Savills recommendation led her to a property that was over budget, completely off-brief and absolutely perfect.They talk about the very practical side of buying an established holiday business: why taking on a going concern rather than building from scratch was so important, how to find these properties (more straightforward than you might think), why having a solicitor who understands both commercial and agricultural conveyancing matters and the huge advantage of inheriting existing goodwill, guest databases and marketing assets.Nicky is also brilliantly honest about the learning curve: the never-ending to-do list, the tech stack that suddenly has no IT department behind it, the challenges of going from colleagues to business partners with the person you live with and the importance of scheduling time off-site before the business completely takes over.She talks about how coaching has helped her stay grounded, why community (like the bootcamp) has been invaluable when things get lonely and why a sense of humour has proved just as essential as any business skill.If you’re a host who’s ever wondered what it’s really like to make the leap, or if you’re thinking about it and want a genuinely honest account from someone in the thick of it, this one is for you.---Key TakeawaysBuying an established holiday business gives you a running start — existing bookings, goodwill, guest data and marketing assets mean you’re not building from a blank page, which is a huge advantage if you’re brand new to hosting.You don’t have to use specialist agents to find holiday businesses for sale — Rightmove covers most live-on-site opportunities, since they’re often listed as residential properties with the business as ancillary income.Make sure you love where you live, not just the business opportunity. Running a hospitality business is full-on, and if the property doesn’t work for your life outside of hosting, it will eventually catch up with you.The tech and systems involved in running a short-term rental are consistently underestimated — especially by people coming from corporate roles where there was always a team doing it. Build in time to learn, and don’t be too proud to ask for shortcuts.Scheduling regular time off-site isn’t a luxury — it’s how you reset, stay creative, and remember why you made the leap in the first place. Nicky and her partner built this in from early on.Community matters more than people expect when they start out. The solo nature of running a property business can be isolating, and finding your people — whether a bootcamp, membership or local network — makes the whole journey more sustainable.---Find out more about Tredarrup Farm Holiday CottagesVisit the website: https://tredarrup.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tredarrupholidaycottagesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tredarrupholidaycottages---Do you have a marketing roadmap for your business?No more winging it and feeling like you are in constant marketing chaos! Create your easy-to-follow marketing roadmap for the year ahead. My Direct Bookings Bootcamp is now available ON DEMAND! Let’s make this the best year yet for direct bookings! Head to my website for more info.---What would you do with an extra £20k+ in your holiday business?I've saved £100k in commission in 5 years by taking 100% direct bookings and now I show Airbnb hosts, holiday cottage and glampsite owners how to do the same.It is easier than you think to move to 70%+ direct bookings.If you currently rely on Airbnb or another online agent (OTA), take Sarah's FREE quiz here - it's time to give them the boot!---Connect with Sarah:WebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedIn---
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