Watercraft Rental and Charters

The journey began on Lake Travis in 1992

A rental business was created by friends in 1987.  By 1992 I joined the group to help manage operations.  We rented small craft and chartered boats that held up to 70 passengers.  Beginning with three small personal Jetskis, the company grew quickly.  By 1996, the location grew to approximately 35 vessels.  Including ski boats, Jetskis, pontoon boats, custom charter boats, and houseboats for vacation rentals.

1999 offered me a chance to take ownership.  I had left the company in 1996 and moved to the Dallas area.  Although my sales career was prospering I couldn't pass up the opportunity to help the company grow in a big way.  We opened a second location on Lewisville Lake.  In lieu of pay I received stock in the new venture.  Starting once again with a few boats, a new venture was created.  Within  two years we had grown to the largest rental operation in the DFW area.  2003 brought a a new location on Grapevine Lake.  By 2006 we were operating approximately 80 vessels between the two locations.  Including 5 charter boats and working with events as large as 400 people.

In 2008, I purchased the outstanding stock and became the sole owner.  2009 brought a third location and new charter vessels.  One held a maximum capacity of 240.

Sold in 2022, the experiences and lessons learned along the way created the person I am today.  Ask most entrepreneurs, they'll tell you it's never as easy as it appears.  Perseverance and belief in yourself is a prerequisite.  You also learn to teach yourself everything.  From bookkeeping and accounting, to construction, human resources, contract negotiations, legal responsibilities, computers and technology; the list is never ending.  And of course, the biggest lessons of all; interpersonal relationships with clients and employees.    

People are who the company served and people made our operations successful.  Creating faithful clients requires many things, but I believe most of all, it requires listening.  From wants and needs to successfully addressing the occasional "challenging opportunity," listening is the most valuable trait of all.  (I was taught years ago not to view issues as problems but, challenging opportunities.)

Employee relations are similar to customer relations.  Listening is paramount of course, but combined with clear goals, objectives, and an expectation of excellence; you begin to create a  winning team.  Due to the nature of my business, creation of a new team repeated itself annually.  Most employees were seasonal and young.  With the exception of a few experienced people, most employees were 18 to 24.  The business was not a career path for them, but a temporary stop on their way to their own future.  The main issue?  Watercraft rental is a very litigious activity.  Employees must be trained properly and constantly be aware of how their actions affect their safety, and the safety of our clients.  It also is the direct link to the company's liability in almost every situation.