Q1: Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business please include what group is all about and which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple in cities?
Ans: We are a boat rental company located in Clearwater Beach
Marina on the island across from Pier 60 on Coronado Dr. Our booth faces the beach and we enjoy that view daily! We can take up to 6 people on our tours. We include a USCG Licensed Captain and all equipment needed which ensures you have a pleasurable day on the water. Bring your food and drinks for the day. We have iced down coolers for your trip. Whether you want to cruise through the beautiful waters enjoying the view of the celebrity homes or look for dolphins that will jump in the wake of the boats. There is something for everyone. You can anchor up at one of the islands and take a dip or stroll down the white sand beaches looking for that perfect shell. It truly is paradise and we can’t wait to share the experience with you. If you have more of a need for speed, the jet boat provides that thrill seekers adventure with tubing being the most popular for the young or young at heart. We also offer wakeboarding and water skiing for those with experience
Q2: Kindly give us a brief description about yourself?
Ans: We had a business in NC prior to moving to FL in 2021. After 25 years in the same industry, we wanted to make a change and the opportunity presented itself while on vacation on Treasure Island.
Q3: What inspired you to start a new business?
Ans: We bought a business from the original owner and kept a lot of the same employees and procedures. After all, it was a successful business with a great reputation. I would say the major change would be the online book ability option. We wanted people to be able to plan their vacation prior to arrival in the area. I think people appreciate that option. We also have added a pontoon boat to the options for a more relaxing ride with more room to spread out.
Q4: What three pieces of advice would you give to a budding entrepreneur?
Ans:
- Research the competition in the vicinity of your business to see what the market allows for pricing and promotions.
- Surround yourself with a team you can trust that will provide ideas for making things run more efficiently
- Always look for opportunities to improve what you’re doing whether its a new software or marketing campaign.
Q5: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans:
- Recognizing that you are ultimately responsible for everyone and everything that goes into your business.
- You must be able to delegate and trust your team
- It is really hard as an A type personality to let go and not be in charge of everything all the time. But it is imperative that you learn that skill for you along term sanity.
Q6: How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: We are a seasonal business, so it ranges from 6-12 hour days
Q7: To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: We are a service industry and our motto is We provide memories that last a lifetime
and smiles are delivered here”. We want to capture as many as possible for all visitors to our area
Q8: How do you go about marketing your business?
Ans: We are fairly new to this industry, but word of mouth is huge and social media is a large part of our exposure. We always ask for people to tag us on their videos and leave reviews for us on the many different platforms available today.
Q9: Where did your organization funding capital come from and how did you go about getting it?
Ans: We were fortunate to have another business to sell when we purchased this one and the balance was provided from SBA loan.
Q10: What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Make sure you are always ahead of the curve. Paradigm shifts are always happening and you don’t want to be a Blockbuster Video store when streaming movies come to town.
Q11: Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 to 10 years?
Ans: With the growth in this area, there is no telling what can happen in the future. But we are always looking at offerings and opportunities!
Q12: Excluding yours what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: I think Elon Musk is pretty amazing and forward thinking in all of his endeavors
Q13: How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: It is the number 1 priority on the list. Your team is your the face of your brand and they can make or break your business and reputation.
Q14: How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: We try different offerings usually for a month or so to see if they take off.
Q15: What motivates you?
Ans: Building a business that can sustain through the slow times as well as the busy while keeping the staff busy. Ultimately having management to run the daily operations while we handle the back end of marketing is our goals.
Q16: How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: We listen to our employees for ideas and also customer requests are helpful as well.
Q17: How do you define success?
Ans: Balance between business life and personal is always the goal.
Q18: How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: We think the reviews online are what keep people coming back to us.
Q19: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: The ability to make changes and know that the effort that you are expending is ultimately for your family and your employees
Q20: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: I would say every time a customer says that they had a great experience holds the most gratification for us.
Q21: What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: The biggest difference is the employee has the ability to leave their work at work. The business owner must do whatever it takes whenever it needs to be done. Sometimes that means working late nights
Q22: What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Ans: We make our employees feel appreciated and valued. We think they should have a voice and their ideas be heard.
Q23: In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Busy!!
Q24: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: We believe that everything happens for a reason and fear is a state of mind that we reject
Q25: How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: We fell in love with the west coast of Fl on spring break and knew this is
where we wanted to live.
Q26: If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: Nikola Tesla- I believe he was an amazing inventor and his research is prevalent today for many reasons.
Q27: Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: High school football coach Billy Henderson in Clark County GA.
Q28: What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: I don’t think there are any mistakes. I have come to realize that our timing for things may not be the same as the universes. Respecting that things happen for a reason and protection from ourselves sometimes is necessary.
Q29: What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: We enjoy hiking and enjoying nature. There are so many national parks that we need to visit and that is so exciting to look forward to when time allows.
Q30: What makes you happy?
Ans: Family time and our children chasing their dreams.
Q31: What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Timing for special occasions sometimes has to be flexible. We have figured out that it doesn’t necessarily matter when we celebrate, its simply that we do when it works for our schedule.