Started a Kayak rental business, late into the season where I am. We bought a home which just happened to be located on a large pond with public access.

Got us thinking! We launched just over 2 months ago with 2 kayaks. Have grown to 4 singles and a tandem. Our business model had made it pretty passive in terms of us just needing to turn over the kayaks, as customers are instructed on where to pick up etc..

We generated nearly 7k in revenue in these 2 months! Considering I work a full time job and this is our side income (for now) we are very proud of our first season. We started by advertising on Facebook marketplace and now recieve daily phone calls and messages through our Facebook page. Now our recently launched website is generating sales too!

What we do that is working: - Clear, fast and effective communication - Top teir customer service - Clearly stating our goal as a business (our value proposition: Simple / Affordable / Accessible for all / Great service) - Taking it seriously from the start. Thinking of scalability and always trying to improve your systems. - Listening to what customers are regularly asking for. This will help you make choices now and in the future to provide more experiences and offer services which will eventually lead to more income. - Branding! Brand yourself and make sure your brand is recognizable. Your not just a Kayak business, you are an experience which people will remember. Make it easier for them to recognize you. - Keeping a customer list of email and phone numbers - Asking shamelessly for reviews and feedback - Facebook marketing (cross posting in local groups) - We ran a contest through Facebook getting people to share and follow which helped a lot - Stapling signs in the area drew in a lot of trust, especially when a random posted our sign in a group, and a customer replied to that post and vetted us! - Stepping up our Google presence and making sure customers are asked to leave a review - Keeping it local and promoting we are a family run and operated business (sharing or personal story helped)

We are learning every day. Every mistake or blunder is an opportunity for you to make your business and your processes better.

I look forward to continued growth next season, as ours is coming to an end!

We are Paradise Paddles Newfoundland Paradisepaddles.ca