Newbie starting a Kayak rental business - need guidance!

[whatupgord]

Hello all! I've always been an entrepreneur at heart and I've only recently found this forum. I have a pretty decent education, and I have experience in both tent/event rental and ski/snowboard rental. I believe that a kayak / canoe / paddleboat rental business would do well in my area (Tahoe). I know a decent network of people in hospitality, so I have a route for drumming up business once I'm open. I know to set my rates comparable to competitors in the area, which there are a couple. I plan on doing deliveries of kayaks for people located directly on the beach, so I'll need a truck / trailer for that. I need to look into setting up rentals directly on the beach. I'm not sure how permits work or what beach I'd set up shop on, so I'll need to figure that out. And I'll need a shop / warehouse / office. I'll need to contact distributers to purchase all the rental equipment I'll need. That's as far as I am right now.

Does anybody have advice on how to proceed with this plan? I've written business plans before, but beyond that what steps should I take? I feel that I have an idea that I am confident will work, however I dont have enough direction around me to keep me on task. I would like to set this up by this summer (May/June). I will be able to personally finance a bit of it (20,000).

Thanks in advance! Any and all feedback is appreciated.

-Brian

[chanson]

Make sure you budget a bit into marketing. You will need to get the word out there of course. A lot of startups focus so much on the fundamentals, and planning everything or raising funds that they forget to tell anyone about it!(in a mass way).

I like the idea of hooking up with some folks in the local hospitality industry.

WIll you need to hire any staff?
Could you hire someone to hit the beach on busy/nice days to encourage people to come down and try it?
Could you offer training courses in which people recieve certifications?(like scuba diving)
What about offering to local school divisions or other groups as a group event type thing, maybe incorporate it with a lunch or cook out of some type?
Get a lawyer. Get an accountant.
Do your cost breakdown and make sure your rates are set properly in accordance with that, not just your competitors rates, and there has to be value in your service for the customer.
Do you have a backup for yourself? If you get sick, injured, die, etc. Someone has to know whats going on.

Hopefully those questions help spark a few more topics to explore.


Chris