Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/459238
LAUNCH 10 | Boating Industry | January 2015 www.BoatingIndustry.com What do you think the industry can do to attract more women, as a recreational option and as an employment opportunity? PODLICH: You have to break the barriers in order for others to feel comfortable coming in. A lot of it is subtle. It's so traditionally male [and] we're going to have to think about new ways to bring women into [the marine indus- try]. There may be barriers that people don't even know they're putting up. In shopping for a new boat, there's a lot of training that could happen at the sales level to help salespeople, particularly men, understand that women shop differently. We do a lot more research, we ask a lot of questions. You also have to be aware that they have different needs than a male customer. I suspect that everybody in the boating industry either has a sister, wife, mother or somebody that they can say "I need you to walk through my company and tell me how we could be more female-friendly. Are there any turn-offs? Do our company ads not show pictures of empowered women?" Walk a mile in somebody else's shoes and see how your business stacks up. What can the industry do to improve diversity overall within the boating industry? PODLICH: Diversifying [the industry] so it is just as appealing and available to women is re- ally important, and [to] the different kinds of family units. What households in the country look like right now is not what you'd think – there's a lot of single and multigenerational households. In terms of diversity and reach- ing out to people who don't look like your traditional boater, we all need to open our minds to how we might embrace new cul- tural and multigenerational needs and new business models. Getting all those people into boating is certainly a challenge, but to me it's a significant opportunity and it's an exciting one. If you think about diversifying the ages, I get pretty worried about the [younger genera- tions]. They're carrying a lot of college debt, they have lots going on, they're saving money for their first house – which costs a lot more than it used to proportionately. They've also got a lot of expenses that some of us never had, like cell phone bills, which adds up. If they were kids in boating, how do we keep them in boating? And if they weren't kids in boating, how do we add some kind of boating activity into their repertoire of fun? What advice would you have for young women starting their career in the marine industry? PODLICH: Other women in the marine industry are going to be very supportive of you. Find them and network. Those of us in the industry need to realize that we can be levers for these younger people. I think the boating industry is ready [for young women] – I think the world is ready – so come on, join us! You don't have to know everything. I think women sometimes feel like "I can't apply for that job if I don't [know] 150 per- cent of the topic already." My encourage- ment to the woman is go for it! None of us know the whole job when we apply for the job. That's why it's a new job. You've got a learning curve, but embrace it and ask for help. The more women that we can get into the boating industry, the more appealing that we can also make boating for women, and that's exciting. Benchmark your performance against these five marine dealer key performance indicators, offered through Boating Industry's partnership with Spader Business Management, to stay focused on what's important to your success. Sales Volume 12.7% $7,486,302 through Sept. 2013 $8,439,160 through Sept. 2014 New Boat Inventory 20.5% $2,168,414 through Sept. 2013 $2,612,941 through Sept. 2014 28.4% $346,376 through Sept. 2013 $444,862 through Sept. 2014 KPIs Net Profit Used Boat Inventory 5.5% $586,988 through Sept. 2013 $619,298 through Sept. 2014 41.8% 3.9% 3.1% 13.0% 16.7% 21.5% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Total personnel Total advertising Total floor plan interest Total semi- fixed Total fixed Total net operating profit % of Gross Margin Total personnel Total advertising Total floorplan interest Total semi-fixed Total fixed Total net operating profit Podlich and her team in a J22 prior to a racing event