At the Helm: Get social
Jonathan Sweet, Editor-in-Chief
May 1, 2013
Way back in 2009, I first started presenting to business owners on the topic of social media. The reaction back then to this new-fangled technology was predictably confused. I was often asked why companies should spend their time worrying about social media. After all, the user numbers were miniscule:... Read more »
Lobbying for a change
Liz Walz, Columnist
May 1, 2013
Regardless of political affiliation, I don’t think many Americans that content with the state of the economy or the health of the federal government these days. But there is only so much you can do. You have work of your own, right? Running a marine business is a tough job. A full-time job. Here’s... Read more »
At the Helm: Are you paying attention?
Jonathan Sweet, Editor-in-Chief
April 1, 2013
As part of my research for this issue, I recently spent a lunch hour listening to a webinar for small businesses on the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). What I heard surprised and scared me. I don‘t mean the details of the changes in our healthcare system – those I already knew about. It was... Read more »
How to be memorable
Liz Walz, Columnist
April 1, 2013
It was the end of a long, but fun afternoon, and my husband had our youngest son snuggled in his arms as he walked down the hall to our hotel room. Along the way, a housekeeper smiled at them and asked my husband about his day. When she heard that the four of us were on a family vacation, she offered... Read more »
Hungry for it
Liz Walz, Columnist
March 1, 2013
Like so many kids, my eight-year-old son looks out the window and daydreams about being outside on the slopes, in the woods, at the beach, on the playground and in the water when he’s supposed to be doing his schoolwork. He is in second grade, but when we talk about his future as a grown-up, you can... Read more »
At the Helm: Boating’s next wave
Jonathan Sweet, Editor-in-Chief
March 1, 2013
In this month’s issue, we write about the next wave of boating leaders – those young leaders who have decided to go beyond leading their own companies to giving back to the industry through association involvement. The 14 members of the Young Leaders Advisory Council (or YLAC) of the Marine Retailer’s... Read more »
A parent’s perspective
Liz Walz, Columnist
February 1, 2013
I was driving the kids home a few weeks ago when my seven-year-old gently broke it to me that he is no longer planning to live at home forever. Instead, when he grows up, he and his two best friends are moving to Florida to work as yacht captains. This isn’t a big surprise for us. From the beginning,... Read more »
At the Helm: Building a better Top 100
Jonathan Sweet, Editor-in-Chief
February 1, 2013
One of our most important challenges here at Boating Industry is to make sure everything we do is relevant to helping you run your business. It’s not a job we take lightly. Whether online, in print or through our in-person events, it’s a key goal for us to constantly improve and in turn help you... Read more »
Awareness: It’s just not enough
Liz Walz, Columnist
January 1, 2013
My heart stopped for a minute when a dealer walked up to me at the 2012 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo and said: “Liz, that presentation on demographics was awful.” It’s a terrible feeling to know about our increasingly diverse marketplace if you don’t have any idea how your business should... Read more »
At the Helm: Tablet takeover
Jonathan Sweet, Editor-in-Chief
January 1, 2013
This month, we’re taking you inside the tablet revolution, looking at how these mobile computers and their smartphone counterparts have changed the way the boating industry does business. Tablets have grabbed our attention like no other technology before them. Through the fall of 2012 (before the important... Read more »
