Norma Jean Gaynor: First Professional Inn Sitter
Norma Jean Gaynor, almost 83, is often called Marilyn by her elderly friends to playfully make the association with movie star Marilyn Monroe whose real name was Norma Jean Baker. Our Norma Jean worked for the phone company for 27 years and retired with a pension.
“I loved retirement,” Norma Jean said. “Retirement allowed me the spontaneity to seize opportunities as they came up.” She liked the idea that didn’t have to sit on a porch in a rocking chair and watch people walk by with their children and their dogs. If someone called her up for lunch or if she wanted to mentor children, she just did whatever she felt like doing.
She saw an ad in the newspaper for a housekeeper for the Beech Tree Bed and Breakfast. On a whim, she applied for the job and was hired. Norma Jean learned everything about running an inn from management to housekeeping and meal preparation. Then, she realized that many owners of small inns rarely take a vacation because of the volume of reservations. So she took a class in “Small Business” at a local college, ordered business cards and applied for a license. Norma Jean Gaynor became the first professional Inn Sitter in the state of Washington. Within three months, she was working every weekend. Six months later, it became a full-time job. After only two years of being in business, she was fully booked for the next two years. Her total startup investment cost was $60. She became so busy that she decided to retire again.
Norma Jean’s advice to anyone wanting to start a business is to “listen, watch and be patient. It is amazing what you will learn by being a keen observer of the world.”