Business in Masuria

 

Inflatable sleeves – probably the most famous belaying equipment in Poland for medium-swimming children.

I will ignore their actual usefulness as a rescue device and move on to an interesting picture that I have recently observed at the lake.

Well, these sleeves were put on by a mature woman. And since it was quite large, in order to put on the sleeves, it had to let out a significant amount of air from them. As a result, these sleeves served more as a dubious ornament (in fact, when inflated, they would not help much) than equipment in any way increasing the already considerable buoyancy of the observed woman.

Why exactly about these sleeves?

And it is on the shoulders of the white-headed.

Well, these sleeves closed me with a certain clasp of observations from observing the struggle of Masurian entrepreneurs with reality.

At the beginning I would like to point out that I love Masuria  (if any of the Dear Readers has not realized it yet) and at the moment and today it seems to me that there is no such force that would discourage me from it. Although I admit that many of them are trying to do this.

No complaining

Initially, my intention was to describe in detail how various elements of our yacht’s equipment did not work, the unshakable shipowner and how hostile the approach of our home port is, but I will not 😉

Some time ago I wrote 2 consecutive blog entries, the overtone of which was characterized by decent nervousness

One about the days off that you have to give up  and the other about the struggle in the National Court Register , which I am now starting all over again.

After writing these articles, I decided that these would be the last “complaining” entries, so this one cannot be.

How it is

So I will try to describe a way of thinking that, in my opinion, would have a salutary impact on the customer experience in Masuria.

Although probably not only there.

Besides, I have dealt with customer service before  and I am still convinced that it is the easiest way to win people’s hearts and wallets.

Coming back to the said Masuria and the boat business.

I am aware of the fact that this year’s vacation is a bit different than all the previous ones.

The COVID reality scared people and discouraged a large part of them from traveling abroad, so it is imperative that you spend your vacation in Poland. And since apart from the sea (there is nowhere to lie on the sand – so many people) and the mountains (even a queue to Rysy), only Masuria remains from the popular regions, it is hardly surprising that everything that does not sink is sold.

Utopia

However, let’s do some intellectual experiment and turn the existing reality a bit in the direction more expected by the client.

Currently, shipowners live in complete isolation from marina managers, and they, in turn, are not very interested in providing customers with services other than the basic infrastructure for the boat (pier, electricity, water) and crews (toilets, showers, washing facilities).

What if this situation was reversed?

The case seems as simple as the construction of a flail

Let’s consider what our client needs. Let’s do at least once the trip he is going to make.

So let’s pack the car with a lot of junk, let’s get supplies for a week on the way to the store (unless someone has already offered us to do the shopping for us – maybe we already have the yacht stocked?), Let’s stop at the parking lot without any obstacles at the gate, because it is known that we are to come there and we have given the registration in advance.

Let’s pack bags for a trolley in the port (or maybe someone will help us?) And take them to the yacht.

During such an experiment it will come out whether the road that the cart moves is adapted to it. And if it is not, it will also be revealed what changes in the infrastructure are needed.

On the quay, the shipowner will give us an efficient boat, describe all the systems on it, show us the place of storage of spare parts and instructions, and wish you a successful cruise.

Later, down the hill, we swim on the lakes, we pass under bridges, we moor in other ports, where at the entrance a polite boatswain shows free places adapted to our unit and helps to moor safely.

Then we go ashore, we can refresh ourselves using the port’s infrastructure, eat dinner in the port’s tavern or on our own boat – if you prefer.

We will also use the offer of the local store to refill our supplies and continue our journey the next day.

The days of the cruise will pass in such a nice way, then we will return to the home port, where the shipowner will pick up the boat from us, listen to any comments, take a look at them and take them into account in the final settlement.

And again packing the car, pram, parking lot, departure.

In this way, our pleasant experience of the cruise and the preparations surrounding it will make us willingly recommend both the port and the shipowner to other friends.

Simple isn’t it?

I think so too. In practice, however, it doesn’t work that perfectly for some reason.

A pity, because Masuria is beautiful and sailing can be a lot of fun.

Fortunately, the choice of boat charter companies is considerable, there are also many ports, and by trial and error and subsequent recommendations, you can finally choose the set that is closest to the ideal.

Combinatorics

Such an imperfect ecosystem has a chance to last forever, also because we, Poles, can cope with all circumstances. Also those not very favorable.

Some people call it combining, which already has negative connotations already, and I’d rather not use it here.

It is similar with building companies by us. Usually we try to act alone, like Zosia Samosa (by the way, I invite you to the episode of my podcast about Zosia ), hoping that somehow it will be, somehow we will manage. After all, not such things with the brother-in-law …

There is method in this madness

And it is probably some method. Maybe in many cases effective.

The question is, is this a business we mean?

Do we have such aspirations?

Or maybe we want to build something bigger, something we will be proud of and known all over the world?

I try to answer these questions first in my podcast, which I have already mentioned – The Way of the Loner , during projects carried out in the Synergy Laboratory and, above all, using Dr. Wong’s experience during MOC seminars.