(1:04) "Everything changes and nothing stands still." - Heraclitus of Ephesus, Greek philosopher, 535 BC - 475 BC.(1:02) We've all heard variations on that quote many times and that's because it is true. Even more true today than it was thousands of years ago.
(0:58) What it means for your marina is that it is impossible to simply stand still. You are either getting better or getting worse. It all depends on how you react to change.
(0:52) It's quite natural to shirk change. The familiar is comforting, we feel we know what to do and how to react. The problem is that the familiar is changing, without you even realizing it. Staying the same and resisting change will only make your position worse.
(0:44) I have seen enormous changes within the boating industry in the 13+ years we have been cruising liveaboards. Amenities once rare, such as great WiFi and courtesy cars, have become standard. Boaters reliance on guide books, magazines, and other forms of paper have diminished and even vanished. The role of the "expert" has declined as boaters turn to their peers for advice and information in the form of reviews, boating groups, and even places like Facebook because they find these sources more trustworthy and reliable. Handle these changes well and you are making your business better.
(0:24) "When you're finished changing, you're finished." - Benjamin Franklin
(0:22) Gone is the day when a flashy picture and pretty words are enough to win you customers. Success means understanding what today's boaters want, how they want it, and where they are finding it. Do that and you are becoming better.
(0:15) For example, today boaters depend on their smartphones more than their laptops. High quality apps that offer the features a boater needs is what they turn to. Will they find you there? And what will they find when they do?
(0:08) "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." - Winston Churchill
(0:06) Change happens. You must anticipate it, monitor it, adapt to it quickly, learn to enjoy it, and be ready to quickly do it again and again.
(0:02) And that's the marina minute.
