In a previous life Jem and I set up painting holidays in France. We followed a similar process when developing HMS and I often refer to the experience when discussing the studios… which happened on Wednesday.
First lots of research … and yes there was a demand for painting holidays. We looked at the stats which referred to the huge numbers of leisure painters and their interest in painting holidays.
We looked at preferred accomodation, which region would appeal and what others had to offer. Shared bathrooms were a no no and we settled for accomodation on the edge of Riberac, a small town in the Dordogne.
We marketed the holidays in two magazines targeted at leisure painters. I set up a website with all the details and set the ball rolling 4-5 months before our first week . Jem created a menu ( my cooking would definitely put people off) and I created an itinery. Between us we were hosts, teachers, cooks, cleaners, drivers, bookkeepers, graphic designers, gardeners, waiters etc etc. Hard work but great fun! We had a waiting list by the end of our first year!
Developing a successful business in France gave us the confidence to set up the studios.
