Dry Dock and moorings for sale

[MHS]

Phoenix Marine Services at Kings Bromley is up for sale. We cruised past yesterday and reckon the agents sign had gone up since Saturday. 

 

11 moorings and the dry dock are included. The dock has planning permission for conversion into a large house. It’s an interesting project for someone. 

 

https://www.johngerman.co.uk/properties/11076785/sales

[Tonka]

it has been up for sale for about 3 months

[MHS]

4 hours ago, Tonka said:

it has been up for sale for about 3 months

Shame though that the dry dock might disappear. 

[Machpoint005]

10 minutes ago, MHS said:

Shame though that the dry dock might disappear. 

If it wasn't making money (and we don't know whether it was or wasn't) there is probably insufficient demand. You can't create a market out of nothing.

[MHS]

Personally, i never saw Pheonix advertise anywhere, and didn’t see any effort to really market their services at their premises. You have to spend to make money. 

 

As I understood it, most dry docks are in demand. 

[Machpoint005]

1 hour ago, Machpoint005 said:

we don't know whether it was or wasn't

 

28 minutes ago, MHS said:

You have to spend to make money

And your business acumen is gained from?

[zenataomm]

A bit rude

[Machpoint005]

Only asking.

[Nightwatch]

Two of my sons run a business, at the start up I advised that business won't come to them. They have to let potential business know they are there and what they do. Door knocking, leaflet dropping resulted in some business coming in. From that business word of mouth began. Now they have work coming out of their ears, so to speak. Both are reluctant to expand (take on more people and purchase more vehicles). A big decision. This has taken seven years to get where they are. I say go for it.

 

Anyway, if dry docks are in demand, and I agree they are, and this particular one didn't/isn't making money then one explanation might be lack of publicity or poor service. To add, I hadn't heard of this drydack facility. Perhaps it did make money and the owners have seen a profitable way of getting out of the business.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Nightwatch

[Flyboy]

3 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

And your business acumen is gained from?

May I ask you the same question?

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, MHS said:

Personally, i never saw Pheonix advertise anywhere, and didn’t see any effort to really market their services at their premises. You have to spend to make money. 

 

As I understood it, most dry docks are in demand. 

Especially considering there is a marina full of boats next door that need blacking etc.

[Stewart Kirby]

I used them to black the boat. We were moored at Kings Bromley Marina so it was very handy. They did a decent job of blacking but left dirty footprints everywhere. I pointed this out and got a shrug of the shoulders. Not the service I was looking for so I didn’t use them again.

In theory there’s a living to be made with the mooring and dry dock but you have to get the service offer right.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Stewart Kirby

[MHS]

6 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

And your business acumen is gained from?

28 years of running our own businesses. 

3 hours ago, Flyboy said:

May I ask you the same question?

Started our first business with my wife when we were aged 22 and 24. We’ve never skimped when investing in equipment and marketing. Opened two other businesses with mixed success, but wanted to try other markets. 

3 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Especially considering there is a marina full of boats next door that need blacking etc.

And Kings Bromley is a large marina. 

[Grassman]

 

I think there have in the past been complaints from the 2 adjacent cottage dwellers about the noise, stemming back from when it was a busy yard doing other work as well as blackings. I believe there have since been restrictions placed on them as to what work they are allowed to do so that wouldn't help in making it a viable business.

 

With planning permission to convert it to a house having now been granted, whoever owns it all has obviously decided that this is a better option. 

[Nut]

14 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

Two of my sons run a business, at the start up I advised that business won't come to them. They have to let potential business know they are there and what they do. Door knocking, leaflet dropping resulted in some business coming in. From that business word of mouth began. Now they have work coming out of their ears, so to speak. Both are reluctant to expand (take on more people and purchase more vehicles). A big decision. This has taken seven years to get where they are. I say go for it.

 

Anyway, if dry docks are in demand, and I agree they are, and this particular one didn't/isn't making money then one explanation might be lack of publicity or poor service. To add, I hadn't heard of this drydack facility. Perhaps it did make money and the owners have seen a profitable way of getting out of the business.

exactly this I have just started up on my own and I advertise everywhere and leaflet drop plus I have had polo shirts made with the company name etc .I wear them all the time even down the pub on sunday lunchtimes whilst im having a pint.

I now have other businesses recommending me and I have no affiliation to them nor have I met the owners? you have to get yourself out there ,talking to people advertising etc etc etc.  Do this and with word of mouth you will succeed good luck to anyone who goes for it.

[Machpoint005]

16 hours ago, Flyboy said:

May I ask you the same question?

You may. I established my own business 29 years ago and have run it successfully ever since. I now have work on the books until next May.

 

All businesses are different, but all are the same in this respect: you have to do three things:

(1) Get work

(2) Do work

(3) Get paid.

 

Lose one of these elements and you are stuffed.

[Athy]

11 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

You may. I established my own business 29 years ago and have run it successfully ever since. I now have work on the books until next May.

 

All businesses are different, but all are the same in this respect: you have to do three things:

(1) Get work

(2) Do work

(3) Get paid.

 

Lose one of these elements and you are stuffed.

I don't know. If you found a way of achieving (1) and (3) while omitting (2), you could make easy money.

[Tim Lewis]

22 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

You may. I established my own business 29 years ago and have run it successfully ever since. I now have work on the books until next May.

 

All businesses are different, but all are the same in this respect: you have to do three things:

(1) Get work

(2) Do work

(3) Get paid.

 

Lose one of these elements and you are stuffed.

It also helps if you get paid more than it costs you to do the work!

[Laurie Booth]

10 minutes ago, Athy said:

I don't know. If you found a way of achieving (1) and (3) while omitting (2), you could make easy money.

Easy get other people to do the work.

[Flyboy]

34 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

You may. I established my own business 29 years ago and have run it successfully ever since. I now have work on the books until next May.

 

All businesses are different, but all are the same in this respect: you have to do three things:

(1) Get work

(2) Do work

(3) Get paid.

 

Lose one of these elements and you are stuffed.

And what sort of business do you have where you don't have to spend money on overheads ? I've ran several businesses over the years and had to spend money to run them. 

[Tim Lewis]

1 hour ago, Laurie.Booth said:

Easy get other people to do the work.

It is called sub-contracting, go to a boatyard /building site these days and you will find very few people employed directly.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Tim Lewis

[Laurie Booth]

Just now, Tim Lewis said:

Called sub-contracting, go to a boatyard /building site these days and you will find very few people employed directly.

That's right, no work to do.

[Machpoint005]

2 hours ago, Flyboy said:

And what sort of business do you have where you don't have to spend money on overheads ? I've ran several businesses over the years and had to spend money to run them. 

I have overheads. The three requirements still apply.

 

3 hours ago, Athy said:

I don't know. If you found a way of achieving (1) and (3) while omitting (2), you could make easy money.

There isn't one. That is the whole point.

2 hours ago, Tim Lewis said:

It also helps if you get paid more than it costs you to do the work!

But you don't need a degree in stating the bleeding obvious.

[Flyboy]

On 02/08/2018 at 14:21, MHS said:

Personally, i never saw Pheonix advertise anywhere, and didn’t see any effort to really market their services at their premises. You have to spend to make money. 

 

As I understood it, most dry docks are in demand. 

On 02/08/2018 at 14:50, Machpoint005 said:

 

And your business acumen is gained from?

 

1 hour ago, Machpoint005 said:

I have overheads. The three requirements still apply.

 

 

So you do have to spend money on overheads. Your reply to MHS seems to imply the opposite when you question his business acumen.

 

Edited August 3, 2018 by Flyboy

[mayalld]

On ‎02‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 14:21, MHS said:

Personally, i never saw Pheonix advertise anywhere, and didn’t see any effort to really market their services at their premises. You have to spend to make money. 

 

As I understood it, most dry docks are in demand. 

I think the question is whether, in business terms, a dry dock represents a good return on investment.

 

The whole kit and caboodle (Dry dock for conversion to a house - with ground floor swimming pool?!?! plus 11 moorings) for 750,000

 

let's assume that the moorings bring an annual profit of £1,000 each, after CRT have had their cut.

 

If we hire the dry dock out at £50 profit a day, and get 100% occupancy.

 

Is a return of £29,000 on a £750,000 property a good return, or is it actually pretty poor. Would the dry dock building bring in more income as a luxury home?