| How do marine type businesses start? Have you | | | | and also jet boats and customized landing |
| ever thought of turning a hobby into a | | | | craft to haul cattle. The puzzle was coming |
| business? Let me tell you a story of how I | | | | together, but we had to figure a way to lower |
| got into the Boat Detailing Business when I | | | | the weight of the boat so we could still |
| started our in the car cleaning business | | | | carry 1800 Lbs of water without capsizing or |
| which grew into a franchise system. So often | | | | tipping in big waves especially in ocean |
| we read in business books to study markets | | | | marinas. We put all of our heads together |
| and develop business plans when in reality it | | | | and our prototype now works. We knew the |
| does not exactly work that way. Let me tell | | | | business worked since we had three |
| you a story of how sometimes the entrepreneur | | | | independents who all made well over 150K per |
| just falls into opportunity.I met a guy who | | | | year and I have the marketing because people |
| came to our web site to buy a Car Wash Guys | | | | who get cars washed may own a boat and |
| franchise who had been detailing boats for | | | | everyone calls in under one 1-800 number so |
| ten years in Redding CA and later in Coeur D' | | | | we could use my existing customer base to |
| Alene, ID. At the time we were getting about | | | | also get boat customers. We decided to start |
| 600,000 hits on our website per month so that | | | | by offering these boat franchises to existing |
| wasn't too surprising judging from the odds. | | | | franchisees of any other system we had to |
| He didn't have the money but we talked about | | | | grow very fast very quick. Our goal was to |
| the industry a lot for our franchisee fee or | | | | set up and add 100 units the next year.And |
| the equipment needed. . He had some fabulous | | | | here is the kicker, the pontoon manufacturer |
| Ideas about boat washing however. I then was | | | | has a deal with a pleasure craft loan company |
| marketing up in WA state and ran across | | | | and can finance the equipment, 1/2 franchise |
| another Boat Detailing in Everett WA, who | | | | fee and boat for 15 years and the payments? |
| also detailed cars, really sharp Mormon kid | | | | $333.00 per month. Ha, that was all we |
| previously from Salt Lake. Also really knew | | | | needed to make it available for all of our |
| his stuff, attends boat shows and has | | | | team and anyone who really wants one. All |
| established himself as a marine cleaning | | | | this happened from a back burner project in |
| products guy. We hit is off and all decided | | | | less than a year. Then I wrote a 500+ page |
| to work together. I then met a guy in | | | | manual using all of our expertise. Nathan |
| Newport Beach who details the interiors of | | | | one of our friends in WA State washed Craig |
| Boats and designed the original equipment for | | | | Mc Caws Boat; a 106-foot Yacht.Sounds great |
| Nauticare, an onsite, pontoon mounted oil | | | | right? Well not exactly, turns out insurance |
| change and bilge cleaning franchise. WOW. | | | | was tougher than we thought and the |
| This would round out the knowledge I needed | | | | government regulators had attacked our |
| to put together The Boat Wash Guys. sank the | | | | companies based on competitor complaints and |
| first pontoon prototype in Lake Mead; | | | | the whole thing got put on hold. No jobs were |
| entrepreneurial disaster, total loss. o | | | | created, very few boats ever got cleaned and |
| | | | the whole project sank. This does not mean we |
| add insult to injury the local lake | | | | could not start it up anytime we changed our |
| enforcement wanted to investigate and it cost | | | | minds, it just shows you that no matter how |
| $4,000 to | | | | good you plans are as an entrepreneur you |
| | | | always have to watch out for the Tsunami of |
| recover the damn boat; back to the drawing | | | | brain dead regulators in Washington DC. This |
| board with safety in mind. We could not sell | | | | project today sits on the back burner once |
| a franchise if the boats sank and that was | | | | again, with all the pieces ready to go. |
| our intention to set up franchises for boat | | | | Entrepreneurs should be well advised to watch |
| cleaning. A sure way to sink any franchise. | | | | all the details before sinking $100,000 |
| So we remembered that one of our franchisees | | | | dollars into an idea without looking at all |
| in Lewiston ID has a brother who build boats | | | | the details. Think about it. |