Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - I need feedback on a new marine business idea please!

stresslessmarine · 03-03-2011, 09:15 AM

Hey fellow lake lovers!
I was born and raised on Lake Winnisquam and have been boating my entire life. There is nothing like the wind, waves, and sun! I have recently returned to the area after obtaining my master’s degree in business from William and Mary in Virginia. You don’t know how much the lake has an effect on you until you leave it! I am looking to start a new yacht/boat management business and I was hoping for your ideas and thoughts. Please do not hold back as any and all feedback will be beneficial especially from you guys and gals!

I have worked in all aspects of the marina environment from yard, taking out the trash, dock repair, detailing, delivery (land and sea), parts, service, sales, marketing, training, rentals, gas dock, etc. I really miss it but I would like to start a new business to put the relaxation back in the boating experience. Boating should be about turning the key and going, it is a place of relaxation and more importantly an activity that can be enjoyed while spending quality time with the family. In my recent role as a yacht broker, I also worked as a yacht/boat manager, looking over the boats and servicing, detailing, moving, repairing them as needed based on a maintenance contract. This will be the basis for my business.

My ideas currently for the business are as follows:
Objective: Provide a stress free boating experience for all involved in boating through the use of reliable contacts, honest service, and fair prices.
Services: Can be part of a maintenance package or ala carte all mobile or my location
• Boat washing interior/exterior
• Boat detailing (wax, buffing, etc.)
• Dewinterization
• Selling prep (getting the boat ready for sale along with market analysis)
• Buyers inspection
• Servicing (coordinating/performing service work both interior and exterior)
• Repairs (Fiberglass, engine, drive, house systems)
• Fueling (Fueling before a weekend so the customer comes up, turns the key and goes!)
• Transportation (Land and Sea)
• Storm Prep (Check on boats during storms, move if needed, additional lines if needed)
• Canvas and upholstery work
• Captain’s training and education
• Parts research (tracking down and obtaining best pricing on needed parts)
• Weekly checkup (check on the boats while owner is away)
• Facilitate and monitor service specialists hired by the customer
• Charter (Lake captain, I have my NH commercial license)
• And anything in between!!
Again, sometimes owning a boat can be a fulltime job in and of itself and I just want to bring people back to a stress free environment in the Lakes Region!
I look forward to any and all feedback good or bad on things such as whether or not you would use a service like this, do you think it is a good idea, is it needed, am I crazy? My pricing will be very reasonable as I plan to run an efficient business without the exorbitant overhead of many of the local marinas. The business will be a full fledged business with licensing, bonding, insurance, marketing, etc.

Thanks!
Chris

Please feel free to email me or message me through the board as well!

03-03-2011, 09:15 AM	#1
stresslessmarine Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I need feedback on a new marine business idea please! Hey fellow lake lovers! I was born and raised on Lake Winnisquam and have been boating my entire life. There is nothing like the wind, waves, and sun! I have recently returned to the area after obtaining my master’s degree in business from William and Mary in Virginia. You don’t know how much the lake has an effect on you until you leave it! I am looking to start a new yacht/boat management business and I was hoping for your ideas and thoughts. Please do not hold back as any and all feedback will be beneficial especially from you guys and gals! I have worked in all aspects of the marina environment from yard, taking out the trash, dock repair, detailing, delivery (land and sea), parts, service, sales, marketing, training, rentals, gas dock, etc. I really miss it but I would like to start a new business to put the relaxation back in the boating experience. Boating should be about turning the key and going, it is a place of relaxation and more importantly an activity that can be enjoyed while spending quality time with the family. In my recent role as a yacht broker, I also worked as a yacht/boat manager, looking over the boats and servicing, detailing, moving, repairing them as needed based on a maintenance contract. This will be the basis for my business. My ideas currently for the business are as follows: Objective: Provide a stress free boating experience for all involved in boating through the use of reliable contacts, honest service, and fair prices. Services: Can be part of a maintenance package or ala carte all mobile or my location • Boat washing interior/exterior • Boat detailing (wax, buffing, etc.) • Dewinterization • Selling prep (getting the boat ready for sale along with market analysis) • Buyers inspection • Servicing (coordinating/performing service work both interior and exterior) • Repairs (Fiberglass, engine, drive, house systems) • Fueling (Fueling before a weekend so the customer comes up, turns the key and goes!) • Transportation (Land and Sea) • Storm Prep (Check on boats during storms, move if needed, additional lines if needed) • Canvas and upholstery work • Captain’s training and education • Parts research (tracking down and obtaining best pricing on needed parts) • Weekly checkup (check on the boats while owner is away) • Facilitate and monitor service specialists hired by the customer • Charter (Lake captain, I have my NH commercial license) • And anything in between!! Again, sometimes owning a boat can be a fulltime job in and of itself and I just want to bring people back to a stress free environment in the Lakes Region! I look forward to any and all feedback good or bad on things such as whether or not you would use a service like this, do you think it is a good idea, is it needed, am I crazy? My pricing will be very reasonable as I plan to run an efficient business without the exorbitant overhead of many of the local marinas. The business will be a full fledged business with licensing, bonding, insurance, marketing, etc. Thanks! Chris Please feel free to email me or message me through the board as well!