Opening of the yacht club- an elite business that requires significant investment, but at the same time, its level of profitability is always high. And the organization of such a business, in addition to dividends in the form of profits, will also provide connections with many influential people, which is always useful.
Main categories of clients yacht clubs are businessmen, athletes, politicians, actors, so the approach to organizing a business should be the most serious. In order for the business to be successful, the yacht club brings good, stable profits and pays off in a short time, first of all, special attention should be paid to the location of the yacht club. The more good and attractive it is, the more customers will visit it, providing the owner of the yacht club with a significant profit.
It should be noted that today find good land almost impossible. Most best places long been dismantled. Nevertheless, it's still worth trying. If the city authorities consider the yacht club a city attraction and appreciate the contribution that it makes to the development of tourism, they may well allocate a coastal site for free. In practice, such cases often occur. However, most likely, to use it, it will be necessary to open a circle for young yachtsmen on the basis of the club. In other cases, the land will have to be bought or rented.
When choosing a location, it is necessary to take into account the classification of yacht clubs, which, depending on the location, divides them into the following types:
- Stationary yacht clubs- clubs located in places that guarantee the constant presence of customers.
- Guest berths- parking lots that are located in close proximity to restaurants, cafes, clubs, hotels and other places of recreation.
- Guest harbors- are built in those places where tourists passing by regularly have a need for rest.
After choosing a location and resolving all issues related to the site, you should place all the necessary facilities on the territory of the yacht club. First of all, you need to take care of the berth. The simplest and cheapest option is to install a floating pontoon berth. The advantage of such a berth is that it does not have a negative impact on the environment, due to which most of the problems associated with sanitary and environmental supervision are simply absent. However, if the clients of the yacht club are owners of large yachts, the length of which reaches 30-40 meters or more, then a floating pontoon berth will not work. In this case, it is necessary to install a pier with metal piles capable of holding a large yacht.
It is worth noting that yacht clubs can be different and include a wide variety of services. In addition to the parking of yachts, their rental, the services of a school for yachtsmen and even a resort and hotel complex can be offered. In addition, a yacht club can also be a kind of trading platform yachts.
As already noted, the opening of a yacht club requires considerable financial investments. Their volume depends on the type of yacht club, of which there are four: 1, 2, 3 and 4-star.
In order to open one-star yacht club, you need to spend an amount of at least 60 thousand dollars. Such a yacht club is capable of 12 to 15 boats and small yachts weighing no more than 4 tons. The office of the club with one star is located next to the parking lot on the water. The main source of income is the rent paid for the parking space.
Two Star Yacht Club can be opened by spending about 250 thousand dollars. Such a club can accommodate about 20 medium-sized yachts. In addition, there is a bar on the territory of the club, as well as a toilet and shower for customers. Thus, the main income is formed not only from rent, but also from the profit of the bar.
Three Star Yacht Club- is already quite a serious business. In addition to yacht parking, customers are offered the services of a bar, a hotel, a restaurant, a repair shop for boats and yachts, a shop selling boats and spare parts for them, showers. Also in such a club, customers can refuel a yacht or boat, replenish their stocks drinking water etc. The construction of a three-star yacht club will cost at least 450 thousand dollars.
The most elite is four-star yacht club, offering customers the widest range of various services, ranging from yacht parking and ending with rooms in luxury hotels, services of elite restaurants and nightclubs. The cost of building such a club is at least $1.5 million.
The main sources of income for yacht clubs are:
Renting yachts;
- courses for yachtsmen, opened on the basis of the club;
- parking of yachts;
- trade in yachts;
- Botels (floating hotels), restaurants, bars, nightclubs located on the territory of the yacht club.
The yacht club is a business that does not bring quick income. However, it is elite and very promising business, capable of fully paying off within the first five years of its operation.
The English proverb “A yacht is a hole in the water surrounded by a tree where money should be thrown” does not stop either the British themselves, who buy about half of all yachts in Europe, or other enthusiasts.
Moreover, the owners of expensive ships often strive not only to cut the waves under their own sail, but also to literally earn on a fair wind by providing ships to renter tourists. According to aggregator websites that accumulate information from all charter companies, approximately 70% of the 14,000 boats rented in the Mediterranean are privately owned.
Over the past 10-15 years, sailing has gone from exotic to standard middle-class entertainment. Spending a week on a yacht at sea costs from €500-700 per person, which is comparable to staying at a hotel. In addition, most large companies at least once organized a business regatta or cruise for clients and partners. According to 2014 statistics, the Russians were among the top three in terms of the cost of renting sailing yachts, paying an average of about €3,000 per week.
Participants of the commercial yachting market interviewed by Forbes agree that in a good scenario, the owner of the vessel can count on incomes of 15-20% of the cost of the yacht per year in the first 4-5 years of operation, then they decline quite sharply. After that, the best points of the business plan will be investments in repairs - about 10% more - and sale on the secondary market. The deal can be called successful at a price of 60-70% of the original cost.
Thus, in five years, the owner of the yacht can receive a net profit of approximately 25% of the invested funds. However, in order for these calculations to be justified, a lot of effort will be required.
Choose a yacht
In order to comfortably accommodate 6-8 people on the ship, it is worth considering the most popular models of yachts 40-50 feet in size, which are especially popular and are universal in service: Bavaria Cruiser, Hanse, Beneteau Oceanis, Dufour. They can be used for both cruises and regattas. According to itboat.com, the purchase of such a yacht would require €150,000 - 200,000.
There are quite a few purchase options. If we are talking about buying a new yacht, then it is worth making friends in charter companies that receive significant discounts from manufacturing companies - from 40 to 70%. It is possible that it will be possible to take advantage of part of this discount, especially if the buyer immediately concludes a contract for the lease of the vessel.
If you choose from options in the secondary market, it is better to hire a surveyor (inspector). “He is on your side because you pay him. Make a list of defects and the cost of fixing them, and begin systematic, reasonable negocianism. I have not yet heard that a person who really wanted to buy a yacht for reasonable money did not achieve his goal because of the owner’s refusal to compromise,” advises Yury Fadeev, director of the Kabestan yacht company.
The easiest way is to buy a new yacht and contract with a charter company to rent it out. Some of these companies even offer joint acquisition schemes. Typically, when renting a yacht, the owner of the yacht receives about half of the rental income. The company takes care of current repairs, parking, insurance and other expenses.
According to Mikhail Kosolapov, FirstByFirst project manager, a yacht owner can earn a profit of 3-5% if the vessel is loaded at least 22-24 weeks a year. Only large charter companies can provide this. Small enterprises do not guarantee the flow of customers, in addition, there is a high probability of shifting risks onto the shoulders of the owner - for example, in case of major accidents.
Currently, the largest operators of the charter fleet in the Mediterranean are Navigare Yachting, Croatia Yachting (Croatia), Istion Yachting, Nomicos (Greece), Sailing Race Service (Italy), Alboran Charter (Spain). A big advantage for a charter company is the presence of a base not only in the Mediterranean, but also, for example, in the Canary Islands or the Caribbean. Thus, the Spanish Alboran Charter offers yachts for rent in Tenerife, Cape Verde and Cuba.
plot a course
The ideal region for commercial yachting is the Mediterranean. Southeast Asia, The Caribbean Sea cannot bring a stable income due to difficult logistics. The most popular countries that combine good infrastructure and transport accessibility are Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Spain.
It is important that the basing conditions allow you to do what is defined in the business plan. For example, it is difficult to teach navigation along a monotonous coastline - only a complex water area is suitable for this purpose, where there are many harbors, islands, and ship traffic. If the owner of the yacht initially planned to deal mainly with regattas, then it is necessary to be based on the islands in the Mediterranean Sea (for example, in Mallorca) so that you can easily get to the race venue.
Turkish waters used to be very popular, but events recent years caused serious damage to the charter industry in this area. Tensions with Russia have contributed, but the exodus of German tourists has had a far greater effect. This happened after several high-profile terrorist attacks, including an explosion in Istanbul, when 12 German citizens were killed. According to Atlas expert Viktor Martyshov, about half of the charter yachts based in Turkey changed their moorings after this incident.
One of the main problems for the owner of the vessel is the extension of the season. Even in comfortable conditions In the Mediterranean it is difficult to provide a yacht with work for more than 6 months, usually tourists come from May to October. In this regard, many owners of yachts and yacht companies are trying to bring their ships to the Atlantic in autumn and winter. The Kabestan company, for example, moves its fleet to the Caribbean, where it continues the season. Atlas organizes amateur regattas every autumn. Several yachts sail the route through the Mediterranean, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, Madeira and on to Cuba. As a result, the vessels bring profit to the owners for about 10 months a year.
Find clients
Another important issue is vessel occupancy. As experience shows, it is very difficult to endlessly attract new customers. The owner of the Mana Mana catamaran, Marat Nasyrov, warns that the presence of one or more boats does not guarantee a flow of customers, especially in such a saturated market. Moreover, there are many small companies that seek not so much to make a profit as to earn at least some money to compensate for their expenses.
Loyal customers are the main source of income, but in order to get them, the owner of the yacht must show some flexibility. “The industry is cyclical, there is a fashion for events: now everyone goes to learn yachting, then to the Caribbean regattas, then the Rolex Middle Sea Race is sold in 10 minutes,” says Yuri Fadeev.
Renat Batyrov, the owner of the Hundred Captains company, adds that he constantly comes up with something new for clients: “Now we offer walks, a yachting school, and participation in regattas. When we built a sales system, we began to make a profit.”
According to Fadeev, the most difficult projects are regattas. In order for them to start bringing in money, you will need an event for 10 yachts or more. This is a very serious logistics. “A lot of people enter this market without understanding what is happening, because from the outside everything looks simple - people arrived, settled on yachts, the money was paid and spent on the luxurious life of the organizers. Usually such approaches are limited to one regatta, no one else comes,” the expert sums up.
Victor Martyshov notes that in order to attract customers, one has to work hard at sea, on land, and in virtual space. “Now it is difficult to imagine a company without its blog, website, without a community of people who went to sea together. All this is very interesting, but also very difficult. But only this approach brings profit,” he says.
To get the maximum profit, you should heed the advice of experts:
Have the project managed from the start, or handle it personally. Few manage to combine their main job or business with commercial yachting. “In this industry, like in any other startup, you need a good team, and this is very difficult. If you find people who can work hard, have great technical skills, and can be at sea all the time, away from their families, the industry is yours. If not, then it is better to invest in real estate: in any case, it will not sink and will not ask for thousands of investments annually, ”Yuri Fadeev from Kabestan shares his experience;
Register a company in the home country of the yacht. In most cases, this is much easier than in Russia, but each jurisdiction has its own nuances. The owner of Morozov Yachts, Alexander Morozov, notes that despite the differences in taxation of companies in the EU countries, the burden on ship owners is approximately the same everywhere. Yuri Fadeev adds that in some states there are tax incentives for companies engaged in charter flights, for example, in Croatia and Malta, which allows you to reduce VAT to 13-15%. Registration of an offshore company may also be a good option. In this case, you will have to spend several thousand euros on clearance services, but then you can save on taxes and VAT when buying a yacht. If such a scheme is not suitable, then the lowest VAT rate in Cyprus is 15%;
Put all possible expenses in the business plan. For example, Renat Batyrov, the owner of the Hundred Captains company, says that if a yacht is rented out for cruises, then about 5% of the original cost per year is required - this is only for maintenance and minor repairs. If participation in regattas is expected, then these costs will be twice as high;
Think ahead about the risks of expanding your business. “Scaling up to a second yacht is like having a second child: things get not two, but four times more difficult. It is necessary to expand only if you are 200% sure that everything is ready for this. It is at this stage that many companies lose any prospects for profitability,” Yury Fadeev shares his observations.
Carefully develop a customer acquisition strategy. Even for one yacht, there must be a sufficiently developed promotion system. Many companies use social media, promotion in search engines, corporate sales.
* Calculations use average data for Russia
Only truly rich people can afford to buy their own yacht, although the cost of some of these watercraft is not too high so that just wealthy people cannot afford it. For some, yachts become a serious hobby, which is a sport and a hobby.
Therefore, the so-called yacht clubs have long existed, which protect the interests of their members, solve for them many issues related to sailing, training and repair. Any yacht owner will sooner or later think about joining such an organization, and many of them do become members of yacht clubs. However, it should be noted that yacht clubs, like hotels, can be of different levels, focused on people with different incomes. In this regard, you can open your own yacht club without even having many millions and act as an organization that brings together not the richest representatives of this hobby.
You can only do this business in a city or region where there are a large number of yacht owners, and you need to first study whether the market is oversaturated. Even one organization in the city can unite all or the vast majority of owners of yachts and boats, so no one will need the emergence of a new player in the market. It should not be forgotten that in any case the number of members will not be too large, and even after a few years of work it will not increase much.
However, yacht clubs are engaged in sufficiently diverse activities to have stable income from various sources, and some of their services are available not only to rich people, but also to the middle class who just want to ride a yacht or relax. Yacht clubs also often act as organizers of sporting events, regattas are held on the basis of the yacht club, in which not only yacht owners, but also ordinary people participate, sometimes such events are organized large enterprises. In this regard, the yacht club does not always exist at the expense of membership fees, and has a stable and fairly high income, being engaged in organizational activities. Given this, we can talk about the high profitability of such a business, but this will be achieved only after a few years of work, and after the same period, return the invested funds.
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At first it will be quite difficult, especially if there is more than one competitor, but as soon as the yacht club gets its recognition, it will turn into a very good source of income. But an entrepreneur who does not understand anything about river transport is unlikely to succeed in this area.
Depending on the format of the work of the club, its activities from a legal point of view can be interpreted in different ways. This is due to the fact that the yacht club is engaged in the rental of water transport, organization of sports events, training of beginner yachtsmen, offers services for entertainment and recreation of the population and serves ships. As a sports organization, a yacht club falls under the definition (OKPD 2) 93.12 Services provided by sports clubs, but it can be different: (OKPD 2) 93.29 Other entertainment and recreation services, (OKPD 2) 50.3 Services for the carriage of passengers by internal water transport, (OKPD 2) 77.34 Services for the rental and leasing of water vehicles, (OKPD 2) 85.41 Services for additional education for children and adults and (OKPD 2) 33.15 Services for the repair and maintenance ships and boats.
Rarely does a business like this start. individual entrepreneur, usually this is an association of several businessmen who open law firm. It is often possible to find a yacht club that is legally a non-profit organization, this has its advantages, because a non-profit sports club can count on grants and government support, but in fact it should not be aimed at making a profit. This direction is more interesting for those people who are owners of yachts themselves and seek to unite with other owners to defend their interests and mutual support. In the case of a commercial organization, the form of a limited liability company is preferable, because in this case simplified system taxation. However, sometimes it makes more sense to open Joint-Stock Company, although this form is not available to him.
It is very important in this type of business to find a suitable location for the location: you will need a site on the shore with the possibility of convenient launching of ships and their mooring. It is best to find some kind of bay, protected from strong waves and wind, but such places are often occupied by boat stations or competitors, or given over to the needs of the municipality. However, often local governing bodies can offer an entrepreneur a convenient place from the land funds of the state itself. Such land cannot be redeemed, especially if it belongs to a nature protection zone, but it can be taken on a long-term lease, and in this case you can count on very good conditions rent at a reduced rate.
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It is with an appeal to the authorities that it is worth starting the search for the territory, only if this does not work, you can turn to private individuals. Then it is possible that you will have to allocate large funds for the purchase of land or pay quite expensive rent. The size of the plot directly depends on how many parking spaces for ships are expected to have and how large the own fleet of water vehicles will be.
It also plays an important role which Additional services will be offered, because additional premises will be required for training and repair, while these will be both ordinary buildings and those built on the water. In order to be able to park watercraft, you need to build a pier, and the simplest one can consist of a pier and pontoons.
The cost of one square meter of a plastic pontoon is about 10 thousand rubles, a full-fledged garage for a small yacht made of metal structures will cost about 200 thousand rubles, a pier 5 meters long will cost 50 thousand in general, the construction of your station cannot be called too costly, it is much more expensive to maintain a full-fledged workshop for the repair of watercraft with full-fledged equipment, and several hundred thousand will be required here, depending on the equipment. If there are no buildings on the territory, then you need to build at least an administrative building, and this is already a full-fledged construction works. It is also worth adding work to improve the territory, which, depending on the size of the site, can cost several million. After all, you need to enclose your territory with a fence, organize a checkpoint, pave it, and also provide it with security and surveillance systems.
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If you have a large budget, you can seriously think about building your own cafe on the territory, which can be located both on land and on water. In many yacht clubs, cafes and restaurants are organized on the territory of motor ships or other large vessels. And some yacht clubs do without it at all.
It will also require a large number of permits to operate. First of all, you need to contact the Ministry of Emergency Situations, where they issue a license allowing the use of the coastal territory and adjacent waters. The yacht club must be safe for visitors and watercraft, and in the event of storms or other bad weather conditions, there must be warning and rescue facilities on the territory of the yacht club.
If you intend to organize cruises and passenger traffic, including entertaining excursions, you will have to do with more than one department and get more than one permit. You can find out more about this. To engage in sports activities, you should contact your local association or the Russian Yachting Union (its representative office), formerly known as the "River Club Union of Yacht Clubs and Yachtsmen" - this is the non-profit organization is the largest and most famous association of yachtsmen in this country. Cooperation with such organizations will also be useful for the businessman himself, because through them you can receive information about any events and receive comprehensive support.
Also, difficulties may arise if there is a desire to train beginner yachtsmen. Under the new legislation, commercial organizations can now also engage in full-fledged additional education, but they need to obtain an educational license. Thus, the entrepreneur needs to find people who can document their level of education and the ability to teach. More detailed information presented in federal law dated December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ (as amended on July 21, 2014) “On education in Russian Federation”, with amendments and additions, which entered into force on October 21, 2014.
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So, the yacht club is an organization with a large list of services. The cost of joining a club may vary depending on its level and consumer expectations. At the same time, if a high-level club is being organized, then the cost of membership and annual fees simply should not be small. An elite club should be expensive, even if it is not too expensive for the entrepreneur himself to maintain it. However, an elite club must have highly qualified employees, and in addition to servicing and providing yachts, it is necessary to engage in a variety of other activities that may be of interest to wealthy people. Up to the fact that the activities of the club are combined with the opening of an elite billiard room, a golf club or an expensive restaurant. In addition, you can have your own hotel nightclub. Moreover, all these services are not aimed at a wide range of consumers, but directly at the members of the yacht club. Yes, and its own fleet of water vehicles should contain a large number of them, and there should not be cheap yachts here.
The cost of opening such a yacht club is estimated at tens of millions of rubles. The main income in this case is formed to a greater extent from the provision of additional services, and the yacht club itself becomes simply an indicator of prestige.
However, if we talk about the simplest yacht club, then you can invest in an amount not exceeding 2 million rubles, but this is without taking into account the purchase of land. It is clear that it can be different depending on the location and city of work.
Perhaps the biggest or one of the biggest expense items will be purchasing your own water park. The cost of the simplest yacht starts from one hundred thousand rubles, but it will not be a very spacious vessel, which can only be rented out to a small group of people, but not to arrange excursions on it. It is necessary to purchase at least five swimming facilities, because it is better to allocate more space specifically for the parking area. Many of the yacht owners have more than one or even two swimming facilities, so even one member of the club can occupy several places with his water transport. However, for such a modest amount, it is unlikely that it will be possible to provide any additional services, and even the workshop will be relatively simple. Therefore, the main income of such a club will consist directly in providing a flock of night places, that is, in essence, offering the service of a boat station in the first place. Therefore, it is not worth lingering at which stage for a long time, and at first you will have to invest a lot cash in its development, because the members of the club value, first of all, the comprehensive maintenance of vehicles, and not just the provision of a parking space.
The best advertisement for such a business is the direct installation of good reviews from members who will be able to attract their acquaintances and friends to the club. If you can find at least a few people who have yachts at their disposal, they will surely be able to attract a few more members, because the yachtsman's friends probably also have their own yachts, or at least boats. However, you need to place information about yourself on all thematic portals on the Internet in your region, create your own website, register club pages in all social networks.
In addition to people who want to join a yacht club, you need to attract those who may be interested in boat trips or relaxing on the banks of a river or lake. In some yacht clubs, there is a practice of issuing membership after purchasing only one cabin on an existing watercraft, or when renting a yacht or boat for a long time. That is, it is not necessary to have your own swimming facility. It can find its customers, because there are people who want to be in a yacht club (it's prestigious in certain circles), but do not have the means to buy their own yacht. In the case of elite clubs, some members simply do not want to deal with the purchase and registration of a swimming facility and will pay for its rental, regardless of its value.
The staff in the yacht club can be very large, if a large number of services are offered, the issue in the same club can be serviced by no more than 5 together with the entrepreneur. Finding specialists for such work is quite difficult, because you need to find experienced mechanics who understand swimming facilities and know how to repair them; teachers who will be able to conduct courses for yachtsmen; seafarers who will be able to serve and drive ships; administrative and organizational work including marketers and personnel managers. You should also pay attention to finding people who can organize regattas. The entrepreneur himself will also be involved in the work, and it does not have to be a managerial position. It is better to outsource all business processes that are not related to making a profit.
Such an undertaking should be planned for many years ahead, because at first there will be few members and orders for additional services. Much depends on the location, because the popular and well-known coastal zone is of interest to ordinary vacationers and, most importantly, those who drive their own yachts will be the first to spend their leisure time on the territory of the yacht club (but only if the yacht club is engaged in not only by providing parking spaces for water vehicles), and the latter will moor and pay rent for it.
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This type of business is elite and therefore, for its implementation, you will have to spend a significant amount of money. But the profitability of the "yacht" business always remains on top. In addition, by organizing a yacht club, you will provide yourself with connections with the most influential people, since they will use your services. What do you need to open a yacht club?
For the most part, clients are successful businessmen, politicians, actors, athletes. In order for your yacht club to bring good profits and quickly pay for itself, you need to take the issue of its location very seriously. The better and more attractive the location, the more customers, and therefore your profit will increase significantly. It's no secret that today it is almost impossible to find a really chic site. All good places have been sold out for a long time. You can solve the problem either by buying the plot you are interested in (and this is very, very expensive), or by renting it (also not easy, but still easier than buying).
Choosing a location for opening a yacht club
All yacht clubs are classified, depending on the location:
1. Stationary yacht clubs - such clubs are located where the client is guaranteed to be present. For example, near the houses of the owners of "boats";
2. Guest berths - such parking lots are built next to, cafes, clubs, hotels and other places of recreation;
3. Guest harbors - are built where there is a constant need for rest for passing tourists, etc.
Choose a location based on the type of yacht club you are planning to organize.
Next, you need to start placing all the necessary facilities on the territory of the yacht club. First of all, you need a pier. The most inexpensive and “problem-free” option is to install a floating pontoon berth. This design does not violate the environment and thereby removes a large number of problems with the relevant authorities and sanitary and epidemiological supervision.
As a rule, companies that manufacture and sell pontoon berths also install them, which reduces costs and saves time. But, if your clients are owners of large yachts, the length of which is 30-40 meters or more, then a pontoon berth will not work. Here you will already have to install a structure with metal piles that are capable of holding a large vessel.
How much money should be invested in opening a yacht club?
It all depends on what level he is. Let's mentally divide all yacht clubs into four types: 1, 2, 3 and 4-star.
To open a one-star yacht club, you need to part with an amount of $60,000 or more (1,800,000 rubles). Such a yacht club can accommodate 12-15 small yachts and boats, the weight of which does not exceed 4 tons. The office of such a club is located on the water, next to the parking lot. The main income from such a yacht club is the rent for a parking space.
A “two-star” yacht club will cost its owner $250,000 (7,500,000 rubles). About 20 medium-sized yachts feel comfortable in such a club. There is a bar for customers, as well as a shower and toilet. The main income is rent, as well as profit from the bar.
A "three-star" yacht club is already a very serious business. A bar, a hotel, a restaurant, showers, a repair shop for yachts, and even a shop selling boats and spare parts for them are open around the clock for customers. In addition, owners of yachts and boats can refuel their vehicles, replenish drinking water supplies, etc. The cost of building such a yacht club starts at $450,000 (13,500,000 rubles).
The most elite "four-star" yacht club will cost you at least $1,500,000 (45,000,000 rubles)! Such a club offers its clients the widest range of services, from yacht parking to luxury hotel rooms, chic restaurants and nightclubs.
Now you know about opening a yacht club as one of the types of business. This is a very promising business that usually pays off within the first five years of its existence. If you have the necessary amount and are focused on the long term, then why not try yourself in the yacht business?
Yachting is a modern hobby for active, dynamic people who appreciate new experiences, a healthy lifestyle, comfort and quality. Dmitry Solopov, the founder of TABI, spoke about his love for sailing, the specifics of the development of the yacht business, plans and prospects for Thirst.
History of the project
As Dmitry Solopov recalls, love for yachts and sailing accompanied him all his life. It all started from early childhood. Dmitry's parents met in Odessa, and, naturally, the family often visited the sea in Odessa. Both the father and all the relatives of the Solopovs are sailors. Any sailor in Odessa is a yachtsman, but Dmitry's father, Andrei, was an avid yachtsman. And, of course, he passed on his passion to his son.
Dmitry was 6 or 7 years old when his father first brought him to the Odessa Yacht Club. They got on a boat, 8 meters long, and went to sea. It was the beginning of the 80s. The boat was old, most likely received by indemnity after the war - a completely wooden classic Bermuda sloop. Dmitry climbed into the bow compartment, opened the anchor cover and watched, without climbing out onto the deck, how the bow of the yacht broke the waves on the sidewind with foam. These impressions, according to him, Solopov will never forget. He was completely infected by the sea - Alain Bombara's "Overboard involuntarily" became the young man's reference book.
Probably, Dmitry would have become a sailor - but the choice of a further life path led him to Moscow, where he continued his education and became first a philologist, then a journalist, and then a media manager. But the passion for yachts remained, and after a while Dmitry returned to his childhood and youthful passion. 10 years ago at the Moscow yachting school, he received a skipper's license and since then regularly, two or three times a year, took boats for charter. The first years he really liked to just go in for yachting, periodically go sailing. But gradually he began to see the shortcomings of the existing charter companies - the realization came that a youthful dream could be transformed into a promising business idea. With an experienced eye, the future founder of TABI found more and more opportunities to improve the quality of boat rental service, expanding the range of services offered to customers.
Getting Started, Investments, First Difficulties
TABI is a relatively young business project, but it already has a certain financial base. Naturally, in order to start efficient work required significant investment.
Yachts are a capital intensive business. If we talk about yachts from 55 feet in size, this is almost 20 meters - they are not cheaper than 700 thousand euros. In addition, the process of technical and service support for such a boat is not cheap - in order to be in a decent, competitive condition, the vessel requires constant care and professional supervision. However, when proper organization business and marketing, its profitability can reach 20 percent per annum.
Dmitry Solopov: “We passed the last 2016 in test mode. Then we operated only one boat. Now we have several of them. In fact, initially there were two people in the team - me and Lev Rodshtein, the current CEO of our company. This season we were joined by Alisa Neladus, Commercial Director TABI, and Alena Roman, Executive Director, who is responsible for interior comfort on boats. We pay special attention to this."
Work with clients
TABI is a brand that is being developed on the basis of the concept of improving the quality indicators of cooperation with customers and the formation of a loyal customer audience. The reputation of the company is a professional service, well-maintained yachts, a benevolent atmosphere. The company appreciates each client, and tries to do everything to provide him with a comfortable, pleasant stay, maximally focused on the implementation of a specific request.
Dmitry Solopov: “Today we have dozens of clients, and the main thing is that today we have a 100% return. That is, everyone who traveled with TABI last year returned this season as well. It's just wonderful! The average cost of a week of travel ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 euros, if we are talking about the base model of the 2017 season - the Beneteau 55 yacht. Not so much for a summer season in the Mediterranean or for a winter in the Caribbean, given that the yacht comfortably accommodates three couples! Just compare that to the cost of a five star hotel. But to compare it in terms of impressions is impossible!
Effective management and teamwork
TABI is a young company and the team working here is also young and energetic. The people who came to the project clearly understand the goals and priorities of the company, are result-oriented and have a high level of professionalism.
Dmitry Solopov, as a leader, believes in the principles of effective distribution of obligations and functions, loyal modern management and good relations within the team. Strict control and supervision cannot achieve effective results if employees do not have the right motivation. And it is impossible to create it without understanding the importance of each employee, without corporate solidarity, mutual respect and tolerance. Of great importance is the initiative of employees, the ability to generate ideas and the willingness to implement them.
TABI practices daily communication of the whole team for creativity and brainstorming, joint development of story routes. This allows you not to fall into everyday routine work. Also here with great pleasure they hold working meetings outside the office, each time in a new place where you can drink / eat something new and thereby catch good mood and inspiration.
Dmitry Solopov: “It is important that all employees understand perfectly what exactly they are selling, as they are personally familiar with the product and have tried it on themselves. We arrange special trips for the team so that they are saturated with the spirit of sailing adventures, they understand what the thrill is. Another important point is the implementation of the ideas of employees by management. For example, this is how we created an “adventure into the unknown”, when a person goes on a trip and does not know what places he will have a route to, what country he will sail to, what exactly awaits him on the shore. This adds even more piquancy – to look from the sea to the shore, to try to guess what kind of place it is, what language is spoken here, what is the name of the city.”
Integration into the competitive space
TABI's competitors are charter companies that provide clients with yachts for recreation and travel. However, the company boldly competes with any type of marine holiday, as it tries to convince customers that the best pastime is sailing. In addition, much attention is paid to ensuring the comfort and safety of movement on a yacht, developing interesting routes, and finding additional opportunities for organizing interesting and quality pastime for clients.
Dmitry Solopov: “Despite the fact that our prices are not lower than the market, we offer whole line benefits that a regular charter campaign does not have. First, the journey does not end where it begins, but at any point that the client desires. This makes it possible to see fundamentally more places and get more impressions than in the "loopback" route.
Secondly, we do not just rent a boat, but develop routes. We are studying which bay is more interesting to go for a swim, where it is better to stay for the night, which restaurant is a must-see. We reserve a table in this restaurant for our clients. We book places in marinas along the route of the yacht and at the same time we can book any marina at the first request of our travelers. We have a constantly working call center where the client can call at any time. Rest on a yacht is a luxury story, a luxury experience. And if you want a box of Moet champagne by the time you arrive at the marina, we will do our best to fulfill this desire.”
Achievements and plans
TABI is a project that is developing actively and dynamically, constantly expanding the range of services provided and increasing its financial potential.
The main achievement of the company is the formation of a professional, friendly team and a loyal client audience with a 100% return. The core value is professional knowledge yachts, seas, ocean. Here they are responsible for the lives of people, guarantee their safety. Without a deep knowledge of the topic, even the management of the company, and not just the skippers, it is impossible to build a productive dialogue, set constructive and feasible tasks. Each TABI employee is deeply immersed and understands the topic.
The company plans further promotion in the selected market segment, expanding the geography of its activities.
Dmitry Solopov: “This year we entered the Russian market, from the next we have plans to enter the European one. We also plan to increase our fleet with larger yachts.”
TABI in facts and figures
Year of foundation
Starting investments
Purchase of 1 yacht of 55 feet, worth about 700 thousand euros.
Profitability
Basic model of the season 2017
Yacht Beneteau 55.
Average weekly travel cost
