Have you ever thought of being the boss of your life? Are you a fishing expert? If yes, then I’m sure you’ve thought about starting a business as a fishing guide. The dream job is more of an ideal lifestyle, and one should be able to understand the business more than just being an expert in fishing.
A profitable charter fishing company is one run by a guide who has multiple different hats. A salesperson, marketing manager, and instructor are only a few of the roles you’ll wear to make your business a successful guide. Fishing guides that focus solely on being the best fishermen usually fail and miss out on numerous opportunities to gain new clients.
Getting Started
If you own a boat and a tackle and a boat, you’ve got all the necessary equipment. You will need permissions, permits, and licenses. Each state is unique, and you should check with your fishing service to confirm that you are holding the correct licenses, such as a United States Coast Guard license.
Insurance for charter boats is highly recommended and could be quite costly. Look around and look into “Great Lakes Insurance” to get coverage.
Websites are the best marketing Tool!
If you have a well-designed site, you’re well-positioned to build leads. A website that is not marketing-friendly is nothing more than an ordinary business card. Google is the most popular, with the most popular for conversions to fishing guides, offers you an excellent opportunity to get your site in the hands of customers who are looking for it 24/7. Making use of search engine optimization in order to achieve high organic rankings will pay dividends over the long term for you.
Pay-Per-Click advertising with Google AdWords is also a high rate of conversion for marketing. For a fishing guide, one can make a payment to Google to show up for keywords you are certain will are likely to convert. A few tricks to master to use in PPC is to bid only on keywords that are converting to your benefit. Keywords like “Fishing Trips” are high ROI Keywords, and you can eliminate the so-called budget saboteurs or tire kickers.
Give Your Customers a Great Experience!
Your customers are among your most valuable asset. They bring in cash in the ways of referrals and trips. Make sure to treat them as efficiently as you can and they’ll become extremely profitable.
Be patient and attentive to your customers. You’ll need to wear your instructor hat on excursions since the majority of your clients do not have any knowledge. Be positive and helpful.
Have a backup plan for times of slowness
The fishing charter business is influenced by the state of economic growth. The average person doesn’t have as many holidays or take fishing trips in bad times. In these situations, it’s essential to keep an alternate plan. Activities like commercial fishing and live bait fishing or sightseeing tours are great methods to get your day off.
Summary
The profession of the fishing guide can be extremely lucrative, however, it is important to realize that you’re a professional first. A guide who does not hustle to earn business is left at the dock and set up to fail. Making a solid marketing plan and an effective website is the most important factor to succeed.
Read my book about “How To Start A Charter Fishing Business” including trade secrets that are revealed. I’ve had the pleasure of working with hundreds of guides to fish who earn over $500 every day doing their passions. Find out how to get started and also how to promote your business immediately. This is especially helpful for existing guidebooks or for start-up guides.