We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rob Scholl a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Rob, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
Growing up netting blue crabs and casting for mullet off the sea walls of Tampa Bay, Florida gave me a great appreciation for nature. My dad had a boat, and he would take me out fishing almost every weekend. I learned all the fishing holes, times to go fish, Solonar tables and all the different species that inhabit the Gulf of Mexico and the lakes of Florida. Having a huge connection with the ocean and my knowledge of fishing, I started a charter fishing company called Clearwater Flats Fishing, Inc.
Incorporation, web design and social media was relatively simple, the biggest challenge was in how to market the company in a cost-effective way, getting a positive return on investment and reaching as many people as possible. The Tampa Bay fishing charter market is very saturated and the competition for getting clients is difficult. After doing some research on other charter fishing companies in the area, I learned that they were spending a lot of money on google ads, search engine optimization, yelp, trip advisor and other online platforms. Knowing that I had to use a different inexpensive strategy to compete and survive, I stated brainstorming with a few of my college friends. They have degrees in marketing and successful business, growing their businesses from scratch on a limited budget.
An online presence is important, but when we did a test marketing online, we spent a few thousand dollars a month and did not receive a positive return on investment. We needed a new plan, so we started exploring alternative marketing strategies. The conclusion we came to was to employ gorilla marketing tactics. Morse specifically, distribute stickers with the Clearwater Flats Fishing logo, create high end yeti cups, T-shirts and hats. 75% of the gorilla marketing campaign went to the production of the stickers, that was where we were going to focus the majority of our efforts. Having close friends with middle school kids in a variety of schools around the Clearwater and Tampa Bay area was going to be the method for distribution of the stickers. I paid my them $10 an hour on the honor system and gave them each around 500 stickers. The cost for a block of 500 stickers was $60. I employed 5 kids for 5 hours to put the stickers on public benches, under crosswalk buttons, on their computers, at boat ramps, docks, piers, their friends’ skateboards and bikes, etc. (NO CARS or ONE HOUSE/MAILBOXES was the rule). The stickers were starting to show up everywhere! Random people at restaurants and out in public would see my shirt and say, I see your stickers everywhere. In addition to the kids putting the stickers up, I as well as my friends focused on bars and restaurants. We put the Clearwater Flats Fishing stickers eye level on bathroom urinals, toilet paper dispensers and coolers in bars. The main focus for this was we wanted to target places where the kids couldn’t go due to their age. When you are marketing at the ground level you also get direct feedback from people you encounter along the way. This was vital to our success; we would ask people if they liked the brand/logo and what they wanted out of a day on the water. Many times, people would book with us just after seeing our guerrilla marketing efforts. We spent a total of $670 in labor and stickers, which has led to 3-4 more additional charters a week.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Captain Rob, I am a former Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer and native Floridian who grew up fishing the pristine waters of her shores, bayous, inlets and reefs. As a result, I have developed an intimate knowledge of the fish, waters, and wildlife of Florida. Graduating from Clearwater Central Catholic High School and the University of Colorado at Boulder has taught me business and marketing skills as well as having a strong network of professional friends. Having this background in education as well as my experience with Fish and Wildlife, I can ensure you will be provided with a safe, successful, and informative experience on the water.
I am a captain holding an OUPV/6-pack certified United States Coast Guard License. The 22-foot bay boat meets and exceeds all safety standards set by the US Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Opportunities to catch snook, spotted sea trout, mangrove snapper, flounder, tarpon, grouper, ladyfish, scorpion fish, jack crevalle, stone crab, blue crab, sharks, sunfish, red drum, and grunts, Plenty sight-seeing experiences are available. These include birdwatching, wildlife sighting, dolphin watching, seashell collecting, tours of the surrounding barrier islands, as well as personally narrated history of the area.
I offer 4 hours trips daily for $600, all gear, such as fishing rods, bait, tackle and water is provided. Tailoring each trip to the what the clients want is what makes us different. As mentioned above, we see dolphin almost every day, manatees, sea turtles, sharks, and thousands of birds. Sea shelling is outstanding on the outer barrier islands as well as stopping for a picnic, where sometimes we never see another boat or person. Scattering loved one’s ashes is also a popular exclusive one of kind emotional experience you will never forget. At the conclusion of our trip, I will clean all the fish and send you all the photos of the magical memories of the day.
For Freshwater fishing we will go out on Lake Tarpon (the Florida state bass record was once held from a fish caught on this lake). Opportunities to catch crappies, brim or shellcrackers also are available and great to eat. This package is $500. For those who would like to fish from shore, I will take you on an exclusive private tour of secret lakes that have big bass and very low fishing pressure. This package is $250, and we go after 5:00 pm and fish till dark, all gear and bait will be provided. With both freshwater packages you will see alligators, pink spoon bills, hundreds of birds, snakes and turtles.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Word of mouth in the community. Also, listening to the client/clients about what their expectations for the charter, allows me to customize their experience for the day. When the clients are happy, they tell their friends and post the photos from the day on their social media platforms. At the end of the charter, I ask all my clients to please give Clearwater Flats Fishing a positive 5 star google review. With their permission, I also post photos of the charter or fishing adventure on the companies Instagram page.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
During February of 2023, it was cold and the fishing was slow. I tried everything, all good fishing spots, all different types of bait, different lures, different chum and as we came up on the end of the charter, we had no fish in the cooler and landed only a few small grunts. I asked the father and son, if they wanted to stay out a little longer at no extra charge. In 1 more hour the tide would be high enough to get deep into the backcountry where the water was warmer. Typically, the snook would be out sunning on the mudflats. The father and son were all in to stay out longer and try this one last spot. We grabbed some food from a restaurant that had a dock and waited till the tide to come in. Once we had enough water, we headed towards my last spot in the backcountry. First cast by the son and he was hooked up, he reeled in a snook and was so excited. The father casted a few times and on the 3rd, cast landed a red drum. We fished for 2 hours more and caught around 10 fish. Oh, how the day turned out in the end by having patience and perseverance. The father and son made lifelong memories that day and I am so glad I got to help them achieve their dream together.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.clearwaterflatsfishing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearwaterflatsfishing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Clearwater-Flats-Fishing/100087768977210/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/clearwater-flats-fishing-tampa-bay?osq=clearwater+flats+fishing