We have 25 start-up tourism businesses on the training and mentoring programme that we are delivering for Wexford Local Development at the moment. We are more than half way through the programme, and the emphasis has always been on “doing it for real”. With that in mind, over the course of the programme, we have invited along a series of guest speakers that work in the tourism sector.
Linda Tuohy, Oceanics Surf school
This week, we were delighted to have Linda Tuohy, of Oceanics Surf School in Tramore as a guest speaker. When Linda and her husband started Oceanics fourteen years ago, they founded what was then the first surf school in Ireland. Although they were passionate hobby surfers, their original business idea was to open a Fantasy Science Fiction shop in Waterford City. But they realised it would never be a viable business, and after a brainstorming session, they decided to start a surf school instead.
Linda gave a wonderful talk to our toursim start-up group, which they deemed to be “honest and inspiring”. Here are just eight of the points she made about the lessons that they learned over the last fourteen years.
The Lesson |
The Learning |
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1. |
Mentors aren’t always right |
Oceanics’ business mentor was very helpful to them, and a gret source of impartial advice. However, their mentor said it would cost at least £30,000 to start the business. They started it with a loan of £10,000. |
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2. |
Don’t be put off by finance |
If you can’t afford to do what you want, change what you want. Bring it back, find a workable alternative and go with that. |
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3. |
Competition can be Positive |
You will have competition, don’t ignore it. You won’t like competition, but you can learn to make the best of it. Competitors aren’t always on your doorstep, or even in the same business as you. Competitors can be in another location. Competitors vie for the same customer as you. In relation to Oceanics, although there were initially no other surf schools in Ireland, they were competing against other outdoor activities for the same customers. Now they look at their competitors and think; “is there something I could do with them”? So, Oceanics now organise a festival in Tramore, along with their competitors. They share the organisational work to benefit them all. Also, competitors can turn an area into a destination. There are now four surf schools in Tramore alone. That makes it a surfing destination. |
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4. |
Confidence Can be Learnt |
Networking with other business people can help enormously to boost your confidence. You will realise that you are not too bad actually, when you compare yourself to other businesses. If you step away from your business to attend programmes such as this one, it can be enormously beneficial for your business. This is not just because of the new skills learned, but also because of the confidence that it will give you in your own abilities. |
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5. |
You Need to Develop your Product |
The need to develop your product is true for most businesses and especially for tourism businesses where the season might only be six months or less. You have to live all year around, so the need to generate year round income can stimulate creativity. Oceanics have changed the way that they teach surfing, so that now it is possible to teach in quite low waves, which increases the number of days that they can teach. In addition, Oceanics offer different experiences for school tours. They offer not just surf lessons, but also ecological beach tours. They have developed educational material that ties into the school curriculum, so that their tours are relevant to schools. |
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6. |
Keep it Fresh |
Longevity can bring staleness. New can be good. Innovate. Bring new people in. Be different. |
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7. |
Make Your Product Match the Price |
The school tour market is very competitive. If you have to match a price, change your product to meet the price. That way, you can maintain your pricing structure without losing the business. |
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8. |
Social Media Brings Transparency |
Social Media can be a good way of networking online and increasing your visibility. It also means that your new ideas are quickly viewable by your competitors. You have to accept that and move on. |
So, there you have it. Eight of the lessons learned from fourteen years in business. Thanks a million to Linda from Oceanics Surf School for taking the time to come in and share her business experiences with the tourism start ups. Linda can also be found on twitter @oceanics_ie.
What lessons would you add? Do let us know in the comments below!
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eg. Finance - don't be put off
eg. Confidence- Totally important & also Positivty -
eg. Keeping things "Fresh" up to date
eg. Developing the Product -
I would like to say "Thanks so much for coming to speak to us"....
Very enlightning Presentation - Well done in your business venture of 14 years --- Staying power is good ...