We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ed Glorioso a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ed, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk about keeping costs under control when growing. How have you managed to keep costs from getting out of control?

When starting my fishing career the last thing I wanted to do was have massive debt in a brand new boat and brand new truck to pull it with. I found a boat that needed work and spend every waking hour fixing it up to be high quality for my clients while doing so at a fraction of the cost. This gave me time to grow my clientele and my business to a place I am now where I bought a brand new boat and a new truck. Had I put myself in debt to begin with I do not think I would have been able to stay in business long enough to build the clientele I have now.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up fishing in southwest Florida and it’s what I always had a passion for. Even before making it a career I enjoyed taking friends and family out to see the joy they got in catching fish. After college I got a really good sales job but was just never truly happy. I decided to take a chance and with the support of my amazing wife and family they pushed me to go for it. Having a team behind me, especially my wife, has really pushed me to be the best I can be and deliver a time on the water that people will never forget. The biggest thing I am most proud of is how far I have come in less than 10 years in the industry. It is not the easiest job in the world with 4 am wake up calls and sometimes not getting home till after dark, but working for myself has really given me the flexibility to not miss out on the special times in my kids lives. That has been the biggest accomplishment that I have to this point is I will always be able to turn down a fishing trip to be able to be there to support them.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the biggest thing that helped me build my reputation is a culmination of things. My passion for fishing and my passion for helping people catch the first, biggest or top bucket list fish in their life is probably the biggest thing. I get just as excited for them to be reeling in fish as they do doing it themselves. Also the respect I have for the fish and for other fishing guides on the water. So many people forget that part not just in fishing but in life. Respect goes a long way and other people notice that. Especially when I was starting out my business a lot of my trips came from referrals and you won’t get those referrals if other captains don’t approve of you. It is exciting now that I get to be apart of helping the next generation of guides chase their dreams and build their business. There is so many clients for everyone out there that the more we work together on and off the water the more successful everyone will be.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth is a huge way of growing a fishing business. Having clients that you take fishing and show them a great time they go back and tell their friends and it just takes off from there. Most people get too focused on catching as many fish as possible that they forget about the personal side and the teaching side of fishing. That’s why I’ve been fortunate that many of my clients are not just my clients but have also become friends over the years. A bad day of catching can still be a good day on the water with the right mindset and keeping the clients engaged and having a good time.

Contact Info:

• Website: Wickedhooks.com
• Instagram: Wicked hooks fishing
• Facebook: Wicked hooks fishing