Imagination & Dedication Leads To Reputation Without Limitation!

I hope you enjoyed our last blog! I know that our sarcastic sense of expression might offend you, but that isn't our intentions at all! We use this style to not only grab your attention, we also use it for humor & to keep both of us awake! The point I'm trying to make is simple; Laugh, Have Fun, Stay Awake & Don't Cry! Now, let's move on to the subject at hand.
Do you know who invented electricity? For most of us it was Benjamin Franklin w/ the key & kite test, but the true inventor is found many centuries before & several scientific tests before Benjamin Franklin! The true answer is found in the 6th century by an inventor named "Thales of Miletus" which introduced the first account of static electricity. This soon led to several other scientists, Gilbert, Cardno, and Von Guericke, which used the manuscripts of Thales of Miletus to test electrical & magnetic forces in order to produce electricity. Likewise, Benjamin Franklin used the previous manuscripts & soon other inventors & scientists would use Franklin's reports & on & on, but why were we always taught that Benjamin Franklin was the inventor rather than Thales of Miletus? The answer to your question may be found in electricity's true inventor. Here's what I mean...
Time plays a bigger role in our lives than we like to give it credit for! Our fast-paced society doesn't concern themselves w/ the origin of the issue, much less the origin of the answer! Our performance is placed on a timer rather than the quality of the results! You don't need a biography to find out who Benjamin Franklin is, all the teacher wants is who got us to where we are today! Yes, Benjamin Franklin did speed-up the process to produce the results we have today, but why is he considered the inventor rather than Thales of Miletus? While rubbing 2 furs together isn't as sexy or exciting as flying a kite w/ a key in the middle of a lightning storm, it still produced the same results, didn't it?
As a business owner/operator, I try to play many roles that most business owners find a waste of time or useless. I play these roles because of many reasons, but 1 of those reasons is so my employees understand their job better which should lead to faster production & more efficient results. For example, when I send them to repair project, I always tell them that the 1st thing they should do is pull-up the decking so you can see how the substructure is reacting to the current conditions & to find the origin of the damage or find out why it broke. There is a reason why it broke & I want them to find out why it did rather than use the mentality that "it's broke just because." They are also taught to look at their surrounding environment for an answer as well. When they find the cause, they then know how to not only repair the damage, but prevent it from happening again! This type of action & result was never heard of by my clients, much less my industry! The word soon spread & I was gaining a great reputation that other companies had no choice but to try to offer the same products & services that I did.
Once we established what clients could expect, our great reputation would soon make a difference in other cities, counties & states. We were not only the originators of what a boat dock company should be, but we also were becoming the innovators by coming up w/ new ideas & techniques to use in certain situations that helped to not only fix the problem, but again we were able to prevent the problem from occuring ever again! This would not only prove to be a benefit, but overwhelming problem at the same time! We simply could not keep up with the demand that our reputation was supplying! Only 1 saying came to mind; "Be careful what you wish for!" Most of you would have said, "Hire more people" & while that is good advice, you have to realize that the people you hire still need to perform quality work. If they don't, then all of your reputation & progress that you have worked hard to establish will now go to waste! So, rather than ruin all my hard work, I decided to turn away the work. One of the most difficult lessons I ever had to learn, but it was a lesson that I'm fortunate to experience. Not many biz-owners can say that they have had that luxury especially in today's economy!
For over 9 years now, I still try to hold true to those same values that got me to where I am today. It's really difficult considering how we have evolved from a quality first country to a checkbook first economy. My last blog explains this idea that we have molded ourselves into. We truly need to get past this madness & get back to the same values that made us great to begin with! The only way we're going to get past this is 1 person at a time. Clients, Co-Workers, Friends, Family, etc. & if you speak w/ 5 people on Monday & each of those people talk to 5 people each day, you will have reached over 78,000 people in 1 week! If you don't want to talk with them, simply send my last 2 blogs to everyone you know & see what happens in 7 days! You don't have to be into boating or the marine industry to find the correct answers to this message, simply seeking for the origin will help you understand the meaning. Who knows, "Your Imagination & Dedication Might Lead You To A Reputation Without Limitation!" I hope that not only this blog, but all of my blogs will provide you & others with the inspiration it takes to restore the pride & dignity we once held above all other nations! If you have any questions, comments or concerns, plz feel free to contact me anytime or simply leave a comment below. Thank you for your time & consideration on these matters.

Boating Beyond The Economy!

WAIT! I know that you're thinking, "Great! Another pesimistic article about the economy, right?" Well, I'm here to tell you that this article won't be like that at all! Matter of fact, I'm just as tired of hearing the media & their analysts down the economy just as much as you are! Instead, I would rather spend this time trying to help you effectively understand how price affects quality in our industry & how you can determine what products to choose or not to choose!
For over 9 years now, Stokes Dock Co., llc has been providing clients all over the nation with the best quality products & services available in the industry! Our mission is to provide our clients with these 5 industry-leading tasks, which are, The Best Quality, Long-Lasting Durability, The Most Advanced Technology, All-Around Performance, Creative & Effective Techniques & Industry-Best Client Satisfaction! Every product & service we offer will always go through a series of tests & must include everyone of the tasks previously stated or we don't offer it! This type of industry standard has never been heard of & has left us with an incredible reputation that is growing fast!
Now, with a quality 1st & price 2nd mentality, doesn't exactly make our products the most affordable. In today's economic struggle, more people want more effective methods & products for a cheaper price. This type of plague is destroying our nation's most prideful branding logo that our ancestors worked very hard to preserve & we are steadily ruining it everyday! What does "Made In The U.S.A." mean to you or the products & services you purchase? For most of us, it meant that the products & services you purchased from that paticular retailer contained the best materials available, but it never claimed to be the cheapest in price. Sometime later, this would produce a negative marketing campaign for the retailer. We became influenced & infatuated with the concept that products can be produced cheaper which in turn allowed the product to sell for a cheaper price. Unfortunately, we forgot the fact that the product contained cheaper materials which produced several negative results that should have alerted our intelligence alarms, but someone must have successfully unplugged those switches from our brains.
The 1st negative result this campaign produced was that the client would have to purchase the item several times more than the quality product. For example, let's say you were comparing 2 different boatlifts which we will call Boatlift-1 & Boatlift-2. Boatlift-1 definitely contains the best structural components, better workmanship & will last you 10 years while Boatlift-2 contains smaller structural components, cheaper factory workmanship & will last you only 5 years. Boatlift-1 is priced at $8000 & Boatlift-2 is priced at $5400, that's a $2600 difference! I know that the first thing we think of is how can Boatlift-1 cost so much more than Boatlift-2? I'm going to take my chances w/ Boatlift-2 because a boatlift is a boatlift...Congratulations, You Just Fell For The Oldest Trick In Sales 101! You have also paid for the education that it took to take advantage of you! This isn't going to feel so good saving that money & I'll show you why:
Let's say that Boatlift-2 lasted the 5 years & 2 months, but then dies & goes to boatlift heaven. You now have to purchase another lift which may cost more than $5400 because of overall product price increases & it's now $6750.00 for the same lift with the same design & performance. You now have spent $12,150 in 5 years for the same lift when you could have purchased the best lift for $8000 in the 1st place & still holds a warranty good for 5 more years. The product manufacturer of Boatlift-2 has just lured you into the world of checkbook economics & you fell for it! I call this scenario "checkbook-world economics" because you are more worried about price than quality! Don't feel so bad, you've not only made the manufacturer of Boatlift-2 more money, but you also secured jobs for 1 more lift sale & helped the economy...Thailands economy that is! Did I fail to mention that Boatlift-2 was produced overseas? Oh well, I'm justified because "Made In America" doesn't matter to you or anyone else anymore! You saved money for the time being...Sucker!
Stay tuned for another episode of "Boating Economics 101. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, plz feel free to contact us anytime or simply leave a comment to this post. Thank you for your time & consideration on these matters.