I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve written a post. I planned on penning something each Friday, but I have been extremely busy and just could not find the time. I’ve got some time right now, so here’s the latest update.
Today is Thursday March 30, 2023. Literally a day and half until we officially open for business. Are we stressed? I’d be lying if I said no, but to be honest, the stressful stuff is pretty much taken care of. There are a few last-minute items we’re working on, but nothing that is going to impede us from fully opening for business on Saturday.
We’ve already begun to book up for nearly the first three weeks of April. Lots of calls coming in for scheduling service to get customers boats ready and in the water, and a lot of those customers have been really supportive with words of encouragement. It’s humbling to know how supportive our customer base is, knowing that John and Jeremy have been working on their boats for years and are only now going to be working on them under a different name; their own, J3 Marine.
It would be self-serving to say that I think we’re going to be successful and this whole adventure is going to be a sustainable future for all of us, but why not be optimistic and hopeful? John and Jeremy certainly have a preponderance of experience behind them, and without them, J3 Marine wouldn’t be anything but a hopeful and fleeting thought. They’ve been working their butts off getting things ready for Saturday, coming in early, staying late, responsive to customers inquiries and concerns about the change. All of it has been amazing to watch and be a part of.
I’ve been stressing quite a bit lately about the start of operations, but mostly because I’ve been doing most of my end of the work remotely. I couldn’t be here each day to see how everything is going and how many calls had been coming in. I did take 3 weeks of leave from my military job to be here for the week prior to the 1st and for two weeks after opening. So far, with not being a boat mechanic myself, I’ve learned quite a bit and have really enjoyed interacting with the customers as they call and come in to get their boats on the schedule. The vast majority of this process, I’ve been a behind the scenes partner. Mostly working on the business and operations plan, finances and budget forecasting, Human Resources planning and coordination, pretty much all the things that don’t get done in the shop. Now that I’m here each day, I get to see it all come together and I couldn’t be any more excited than I was the very first time John and Jeremy brought me in during the initial planning stages.
Even though I wont be here every day working, I’m always going to give 100% of my available free time to make sure this business is successful and the customers are happy and feel like family. At J3 Marine, we’re a family. A family always takes care of their own, especially our family of customers.
Jeff Pitcher