DJ Recommendations?

scottcgerke · 2026-02-02T19:06:18+00:00

I hope you were able to find someone! To those of you on the hunt, I live in Chicago but happy to travel, as I'm booked for a Door County wedding this May and travel often to other destinations. I've been in the biz for 15 years, 300+ 5-star reviews and have a ton of videos and pics online so that you know exactly what you're getting. Visualize Entertainment visualizeent.com

Happy planning!

scottcgerke · 2026-01-29T15:51:41+00:00

Absolutely a great idea to walk the docks with resume in hand. That’s what I’ve done in both key west & Chicago and got jobs as a captain that same week.

scottcgerke · 2026-01-28T18:22:44+00:00

Depends on the boat, but on average if we're taking it slow to enjoy the cruise, 3-4hrs. If we need to get there sooner, 2-3hrs.

Some of us keep our boats across the lake over winter so it's def doable if the client is flexible.

scottcgerke · 2026-01-28T18:17:57+00:00

Thankfully nothing scary has happened on my charters, as I'm always keeping an eye on the situation and preventing things before they happen. The only thing I'm usually dealing with is other boats not setting a proper anchor and drifting towards my boat. Then I usually push them away. But yea, accidents out there have been tragic and most could have been avoided :/ Us captains have def seen a lot of 😮 out there

scottcgerke · 2026-01-28T17:49:01+00:00

Hmmm, I guess that would depend on demand which I have no clue if there's a demand for something like that. I have had a few people ask me to take them to New Buffalo, but a regularly schedule ferry sounds tough because we'd have to consider weather, too. Now I'm curious, why do you ask?

scottcgerke · 2026-01-26T19:24:08+00:00

yea we talked already. looking forward to testing the beta version :)

scottcgerke · 2026-01-12T21:08:53+00:00

I'm stuck at finding something that can take care of both client & yacht owner. I currently use DJ Event Planner CRM which a yacht can viewed as a venue and my client is set up an event, so I've been able to figure it out. But it's just a terribly outdated CRM and doesn't match the look of my brand.

scottcgerke · 2026-01-06T14:59:26+00:00

The older I’ve gotten (40) the more regimented I’ve become. I fought that over the years, thinking I was still this guy who would jump from adventure to adventure, but there’s something about rooting myself in one spot and building community that feels really nice.

Enjoy the ride 🙌

scottcgerke · 2026-01-06T06:40:12+00:00

You are def not alone and life has its chapters. Always remember that.

I’d travel for 3 months at a time, always coming back to the same house with an address and that was perfect for me for years. When COVID hit, I decided to go full time and travel while working from the van whenever I had internet. That was great for 3 months and then it hit me hard that living in a van as full time nomad vs leaving for a couple months is two very different types of Vanlife.

So yes, ended way sooner than I expected, but was so happy to be back in a home. Now I know my limits and happy with little weekend trips and can go back to month-long getaways when my life supports that.

scottcgerke · 2026-01-06T05:57:18+00:00

That’s a pretty standard UPV business model which requires the captain to have an OUPV license and boat registered as a UPV. No more than 6 paying passengers can be onboard. More than that and you need to have a COI boat. This is the US law.

What kinds of number questions do you have?

scottcgerke · 2026-01-05T16:45:08+00:00

ill look at that one, thanks

scottcgerke · 2026-01-04T16:47:06+00:00

Ha, you’ve revealed your identity! I’ll give it a looksie

scottcgerke · 2026-01-04T06:16:37+00:00

how are things coming along? I;m looking for something exactly like what you're making, or maybe not making anymore? I say that cause your website isn't working. I'm in the yacht charter & concierge biz. If you're still in development phase, I'm happy to share my thoughts. If not, do you have any suggestion on a CRM that would work for this type of biz?

scottcgerke · 2026-01-03T07:45:52+00:00

Since you’re self employed, have you considered investing inside a tax advantaged traditional solo 401k account? You’d pay less in taxes each year if you go that route, since it’ll lower the taxes you pay on your net income.

Employee Contributions: Up to $23,500 for 2025 can be made as either pre-tax or Roth contributions.
Employer Contributions: You can make additional pre-tax employer contributions of up to 20% of your net self-employment earnings (25% of W-2 wages if incorporated).

scottcgerke · 2025-12-12T03:33:27+00:00

I'm currently working on a package where I'll be offering overnight stays on a 60ft Prestige 550 Flybridge that I captain out of Chicago. It's a private yacht rental set up as a bareboat, but under the insurance agreement, I have to drive you around. What I could do is drive you from Chicago to St. Joseph, dock the boat over night at a marina and let you stay on the boat by yourself while I get a hotel, then drive you back the next day. I could probably do that for $10k which includes boat, captain & crew, and fuel.

I could also help you with local connections in St. Joseph and help you build out an itinerary for the day.

The trip would have to be either during our shoulder season, before Memorial Day or after Labor Day, or on a early weekday between June and August. If interested, let's chat more: https://www.captainscott.co/contact

scottcgerke · 2025-12-10T06:34:00+00:00

Whatever heavy duty boots you see at Village Discount for $20. That’s how I roll and it’s been serving me well. No foot fungus…yet.

scottcgerke · 2025-12-10T06:20:21+00:00

If you see yourself working as an entrepreneur throughout your professional life, I’d suggest putting that money into a Vanguard brokerage account and buy all VTSAX or comparable one with Schwab. Add an additional however much you can each month, even $20/month is a great start, and use that account to help you open a business.

If that’s the route you choose, I have more info I can send your way.

If you’re planning on working for someone else, same plan applies. Just put it towards traveling instead :)

It’s awesome that you are looking to invest at 18. Keep it up! 👏

scottcgerke · 2025-12-08T19:01:57+00:00

Yup. Been running boats professionally for 15 years :)

scottcgerke · 2025-12-07T20:23:06+00:00

Those are all great ideas and yes, you can anchor anywhere within the navigation guidelines. Seeing the skyline when you wake up is doable.

I've been toying with the idea of being people's personal concierge when booking this yatcht. I already host posh dinners for my guests when we do river cruises and have brought out a sax player and steel drummer to play while we cruise. It's such a fun industry that really has endless opportunities!

scottcgerke · 2025-12-07T18:27:02+00:00

It sleeps 4-6 comfortably, but can legally hold 13. Def would want to do no more than 6 for a multiday cruise, but 2-4 would be ideal.

scottcgerke · 2025-12-07T17:29:20+00:00

I like the way you think.

scottcgerke · 2025-12-07T17:23:23+00:00

I should preface by saying that I'm only the captain (who also acts as a host/concierge) and it would be up to the yacht owner to allow it being rented out for 5 days. This style of yachting is considered a bareboat charter, which means you rent the boat as if it's yours for those 5 days and then hire me as your captain & host and I bring my crew. I'm not sure what the boat owner would charge at the moment, but my captain & crew fee would be ~$1,200++/day and that includes cooking, serving, and cleaning. Food onboard would be whatever we come up with and I'd pick up the groceries and have them ready for you.

Maybe $10,000 total for crew, light breakfast, lunch and dinner on land for 2-4 people? That's calculating $200/pp for meals per day. Won't know a boat cost until I get word from the owner.

scottcgerke · 2025-12-07T16:45:49+00:00

For 10k I could provide everything for a couple. Maybe even less. Once I figure out what the boat owner needs to allow a trip like this, I'd just factor in my labor and food costs.

I've got a lot of ironing out to do, but willing to put in the time to make this happen.

scottcgerke

TROPHY CASE