Awkward Watersport Guys Podcast

In this episode, Kevin and Greg have a discussion about bareboat charters and why it's confusing as hell. What is a Bareboat Charter? A Bareboat charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible for taking care of such things. 

Kevin and Greg discuss Crypto Currency and why it could be great for our industry. Also, the guys try to make sense of Yelp's business model, and why businesses should still care about them. And some entertaining conversation towards the end about our previous guests and our best moments with them. 

In this episode, Kevin and Greg talk with Natasha Baker of Sup Pup and Rachel Dickey of TripShock about the importance of diversity in watersports. Natasha and Rachel share insights and stories of their experience of working in an industry that is predominantly male owned/operated. They provide some great ideas on how we can develop female employees to one day run successful companies. 

On this episode, Justin Buzzi, CEO and founder of Get Up And Go Kayaking joins the show to talk about how he built a successful kayak tour franchise in Florida. Justin not only shares how he did it, but does a deep dive into the economics of his operation, and the challenges he faces. 

Kevin & Greg welcome Douglas Quinby, Co-founder and CEO of Arival to share the latest traveler trends and insights, and give some updates on what's new with Arival. Arival is the only industry conference that brings together many sectors of tours and activities, but also provides education and curated news at arival.travel .  In this episode, you'll hear about... Traveler trends and...

The AWG "Mentoured" Series provides an opportunity for new operators to come on the show to share their startup story, ask questions, and get advice on all aspect of running a watersport business. This episode features Shawn Walsh from Jet Ski Texas, a new jet ski rental company out of League City, TX (jetskitx.com) .  Kevin and Greg share advice on getting eye balls to his website and r...

Kevin and Greg talk about the surge in bookings and what they recommend operators should be doing to get the most out of it. They also discuss what the think the future might bring for the industry in a post-covid era. 

The guys talk about recent events in both the industry and with their businesses. Supply chain issues are hurting the ability to get more equipment and parts, and Kevin talks about what we need to do to prepare our businesses. Greg shares a new feature to more easily get customer info and re-target them, and Kevin shares his infamous story that made its rounds through social media. 

Kevin and Greg share their thoughts on how they handle refunds and cancellations, and what operators can do to provide a better customer experience. Some of the things you'll hear about in this episode include... Why negotiating with customers on refunds can often save you time and money. How your cancellation policy can hurt bookings if too aggressive.  What to do when bad weather cancel&apo...

Christian Watts, CEO from Magpie Travel joins the show to talk about what operators need to know about reselling your tours and rentals. Some great takeaways from the show Never let a single reseller be more than 20% of your business. Work with resellers that bring something to the table that you can't otherwise do yourself. Companies that are serious about growth use resellers.

Kevin and Greg discuss how operators should be pricing their tours and rentals, and some deep dives into some new and old topics. In this episode, you'll hear about... The 3 principles of pricing: Margins, Market, Movement. What dynamic pricing is, and why you should care about it. How to figure out what your price should be.  Experimenting with different pricing concepts.  Why deep discounti...

In this episode, Kevin and Greg speak with Ben Calder, CEO of WhereWolf about enriching the check-in process. WhereWolf is an industry leading waiver software based out of Queenstown, New Zealand. Ben shares why getting data from customers during the check-in process is an amazing opportunity. 

Kevin and Greg get social with Instagram influencer Cali Hlavac , CEO of Sassy Tangerine Creative out of Destin, FL. In this episode, you'll learn about... Finding your followers through hashtags and location The Do's and Don'ts Tips on managing your Instagram page Why it's important to have an Instagram presence What to look for in a social media manager Kevin's great ide...

Are you looking to buy a business? Or maybe you have an opportunity to buyout a local competitor? Kevin and Greg are joined by Tim Murphy, CEO of Boomers Parks to talk about what you should be looking for before and after an acquisition. In this episode you'll learn about... What to look for when buying a business. How to obtain financing (and what not do to). What you should do with the exis...

Many operators use Facebook as a means to advertise to their customers. However, a recent iphone update could change the way you reach customers.  Marica Brewster from Von Mack Agency breaks it down for us, and shares some tips on how to work though it. 

Kevin and Greg discuss some unique ways to increase your profit margins by using both tangible and intangible upsells. Some of the ideas you'll hear about are... Cancellation Protection Damage Protection Affiliate Programs Photos & GoPro Rentals Boat upgrades Life preserver upgrades

Kevin and Greg are joined by watersport entrepreneurs Steven Edwards and Jaden Cymbaluk from the AAMP Agency out of Las Vegas.  In this episode, you'll hear... Why customer acquisition matters Which metrics are worth tracking Which online marketing channels offer the greatest returns If Email marketing is still worth it

Greg & Kevin discuss and debate why operators should still invest in rack card distribution. 

Paul Bulka Jr. of Aquatic Aviation and Bulka Media joins the AWG to discuss the state of watersports on the West Coast (USA). They also discuss their experience with Groupon and share their thoughts about digital marketing. 

Find the right people for your seasonal staff is not an easy task, but this week's guest John Hall brings a new perspective on recruitment. On this episode you'll learn where to find new employees, how to retain them, and why having a plan can make all the difference. Before you hire your next employee, make sure to tune in! John's top websites for recruitment Facebook LinkedIn Zip...

Have you ever wondered what else you could do with all of the knowledge you've acquired by being an operator or watersport professional? Or maybe you have thousands of photos from your guides that are just taking up space in the cloud. Tune in for this episode as Kevin and Greg share their thoughts and ideas of how to make the most of it. 

Ryan Turner from YourBikerGang.com joins us to talk about some of the cool hacks he has for growing his business. 

Kevin & Greg break down the boating incident in California involving Glee Star Naya Rivera. You can read the full article here -> https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/naya-rivera-family-sues-wrongful-death-glee-star-death-224842971.html

Kevin & Greg dive into the topic of domain names, and why you need to be creative when choosing one for your business. Greg also shares a story about how he nearly got sued by Facebook, and what he learned from it. 

Chris Woodruff gets Awkward   as he discusses the growing pains of acquiring Vero Beach Bait & Tackle, and how he plans to integrate with his existing business, Paddles By The Sea.