We were lucky to catch up with Stacy Mohs recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stacy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Small business ownership and the idea of starting with nothing with a dream to grow and become something is always a risk! Can the business thrive, how do we drive customers and sales, what is the best way to promote a unique business that includes adventure and getting people out of their normal box? There are many times in our lives that we had ‘great ideas’ and a plan to make something big but never bit the bullet until FLOATERS Recreational Rentals. The pure nature of our business is not a run of the mill brick and mortar- we are a seasonal, weather dependent adventure based activity which has a niche of its own. FLOATERS Recreational Rentals started as a brain chile on the way to our up north property, ‘wouldn’t it be fun to be able to go to our local beach and rent a kayak to get out for the day?’ The idea of not having to bring our own equipment back and forth, store it and have the hassle of getting the items to and from the lake seemed like a good time! So, we asked ourselves, why has no other person, or the city themselves, offered an amenity like recreational rentals on the lake?
Long story short, we got home from the cabin, called the city and figured out how to offer an amazing rental option right at Big Lake Beach! The cost and time involved (with both of us- owners- having full time jobs) has been more than we may have imagined. The risk is still somewhat undetermined if it was worth it all but we certainly hope to continue to see growth. FLOATERS is an option for new paddlers or expert and offers a type of customer service you cant get everywhere!

Stacy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

FLOATERS Recreational Rentals is a ‘person powered’ rental service that helps community members get out on the lake or hit the trails without having to have equipment of their own. We hit the ground running at the tail end of the COVID pandemic hoping that our experience would give people an opportunity to do something adventurous, be active and take advantage of the thing that gave our town its name- Big Lake. Part of the idea came from wanting to be a customer of such a service, no hassle enjoyment of the water we all crave in the hot summer months. As we know, kayaks, paddleboards and bicycles are an expensive hobby and hauling these items to and from home can be a challenge, as well as storage. The special thank about our rental business is we also offer items that are not common practice to own on your own- tandem bicycles and tandem kayaks. There is nothing better than having an opportunity to explore Big Lake on the water or paths without having to have the burden of owning the equipment.
Now that we are in season two, we have been blessed with the power of persuasion and have a semi-permanent shed rather than a trailer that we hauled daily- to and from the lake. Our beautiful structure, right by the beach, with the water as a backdrop definitely has a different presence than we had last year. Our employees are well trained to answer questions from renters and give the full experience from their first ‘hello’ to their final ‘see you next time’. We pride ourselves in being a service rather than just a rental company. Our staff bring rental equipment to and from the beach so the customer only has to paddle and enjoy their time on the water. We are a very weather based amenity- too windy or cold can break our day- so we make the best of the 90 day season we have and are open by appointment on our normal days we are closed. Part of our mission is to be a positive experience in town and we highly encourage customers to explore the other wonderful shops and experiences that are offered in Big Lake.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Turning our dream into a reality truly hit us smack in the face! We dreamt up the idea of FLOATERS in March of 2022 and after a lot of hard work we were open by Memorial Day of the same year. Since we dove in head first we didn’t take a lot of time to think out the true costs that would be involved with this small business adventure. I think part of us thought that our idea would get shot down by our City or the Council since it seemed like a no brainier idea- why hadn’t anyone else done this business model right in our beautiful city? I think now, we realize that much of the reason we are the first of offer recreational rentals is the cost involved. With our quick turn around we had our heads in the paperwork and started purchasing what we needed: leases, state and federal requirements, recreational equipment, safety equipment, branding- the list goes on and on, not to mention- how are we going to afford employees?! Once we out the pen to paper we realized our huge initial investment went above and beyond what we would have imagined but we were fortunate enough to have the money to bank-roll everything without taking out a loan. The beauty is- we are not a brick and mortar, we do not have the expenses and overhead some businesses do, so we managed without drawing against anything we currently owned.
We also take major pride in our items, if something loses its integrity or begins to look used and abused we retire it and get something new. We want to continue to look like a legitimate business that someone is proud to rent from, not a scratch and dent rental. We have had many comments on how pristine everything looks- from our paddleboards to our lifejackets.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Spouses starting a business together- bad idea? When we thought up this business idea we never knew we would be where we are today. We sort of had a built in business partner without knowing it when we first met. Who could have told us way back then we would be where we are today. You always hear those horror stories about going to business can tear you apart but we have been so fortunate to have our own outlets and roles within FLOATERS that things have been quite smooth.
Terrence has an eye for detail with equipment and a passion for driving the unique part of the rental like encouraging people to use the kayaks for fishing, getting out on the water and experiencing reeling in a big one from a kayak rather than a boat, the pulling and thrashing has a whole different feeling. He is also the one with a crazy imagination- what can we add to our rental fleet next, it was his idea to add tandem kayaks as an option, especially on a windy or chillier day to offer something that would still get people out into Big Lake even if they don’t want to get on the water.
Stacy has the eye for marketing, it is part of her background with her career and she takes pride in the way each post on social media looks, the updating of the website and is particular in the aesthetics of the rental space. Another piece that Stacy has sort of taken reign of is the employee management part, she is the main contact of employee concerns, schedule, payroll etc. Both partners definitely have a role they play and know when to ‘stay in their lane’- and when to cross over!     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.floatersrecreationalrentals.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floatersrecreationalrentals/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloatersRecreationalRentals/

Image Credits
personal photos, release signed by customers