If there is nothing that appeals to you more than a life on the open wave, then running a boat hire business could be the perfect fit. However, before you make a splash in the boat hire world, it’s important to ensure you have considered the following factors.
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Make sure you have all the necessary permits
When it comes to running a boat, business permits are not optional. You must have them to operate. However, the permits you will need will depend both on the types of boats you are operating, as well as your location.
With that in mind, it makes sense to thoroughly research the legal and permit requirements, as well as all the insurances you need, before you put any of your boat business plans into action.
Get your docking facilities sorted
Making sure you have advocate docking facilities for your boats is a practical essential that you must not skip. This is because if you have docking and launching problems this will impact your customer’s experience and so affect your profits and reviews.
The good news is there is a range of docking options to consider. In particular, something like this dry stack boat storage can work very well. This is because you can store and launch your boats on demand, 7 days a week, by simply using their app. Something that means you don’t have to worry about having to get down to the docks two hours early to ensure launch, every time you have a customer.
Get an online reservation system in place
Both for the convenience of your customer, and yourself, using an online boat booking reservation system is key. Indeed, with such a system you can reap all sorts of benefits including increased bookings from those that do not wish to call on the phone to book.
Additionally, an online booking system will allow you to capture customer data, both for marketing purposes, and insurance, as well as ensure that you never get double booked and end up disappointing your customers.
Last, of all, an online booking system will make it far more simple to keep detailed records of your business, making both complete your tax returns, and identify areas that can be improved faster, and easier too.
Market your boat business
All businesses need marketing, and boating is no exception. After all, the right people need to know about the services you offer to book them. With that in mind, a variety of marketing approaches can be useful.
First of all, SEO will be crucial to your digital marketing strategy. This is because good SEO with a tourism focus helps make sure that your business gets found online, in particular, Local SEO will be useful here because it will mean that your services are picked up when people search for things to do in your location.
Secondly, social media can be very useful for those looking to run a boating business, This is because it is primarily a picture-based app, and it can encourage customers to share images of their own experiences something that can help convince others to give it a go.
