Start Your Own SailTime Australia Marine Business – Franchises Available






SailTime Franchise Opportunity

Message from Graham Raspass, Managing Director, SailTime Australia & New Zealand:

 Hello, I'm Graham Raspass , Managing Director of SailTime Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) I'd like to thank you for your interest in the SailTime Franchise opportunity.

After spending my former career working in senior executive roles and running my own Consulting and Training Business for 16+ years, I decided to broaden my business interests in line with my passion for being on the water and discovered SailTime in 2007. SailTime started in the USA in 2001, and SailTime Europe was launched in 2004

Following an extensive period of research and driven by an intense desire to start an innovative sailing business, I founded SailTime Australia and New Zealand in  2009 with the first base located in Newport on Pittwater 18 nautical miles north of Sydney harbour .The goal of SailTime ANZ is to establish 10+ bases in the first 3 -5 years  and we are well on the way to that target with the addition of Middle Harbour and  Hobart  bases in 2010 and Lake Macquarie and Moreton Bay bases in 2011. We are part of a network of over 50 bases in the global SailTime group, located in North America, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Italy, Turkey, and soon  South Africa.

SailTime presents an exciting new way for people to enjoy sailing and power boats at an affordable cost. Being part of the SailTime team, you will not only be involved in a great business that you are passionate about, you also get to experience the satisfaction of your members having a great time too!

SailTime has answered a long standing need in the sail and power boat industry; to provide affordable, accessible sailing to a wider and constantly growing customer base. Our ever growing number of members, our expanding fleet and ever increasing number of bases worldwide underlines the value SailTime presents and provides testament to a sound business idea.

We are looking to expand our network and are seeking suitably qualified individuals who are not only passionate about sailing, but also have the drive and commitment to manage your own business to the highest possible standards.

If you are looking for a new challenge, want to operate your own sailing business, are not afraid of putting in the hard work to reap the rewards – and have fun! – SailTime could be the answer.

If you think the SailTime franchise opportunity may be the right challenge for you, and you have the right skills, outlook and personality for SailTime, please read on and complete the application form . Once we have received your formal application we will then request that you complete and sign our confidentiality agreement and submit it to the fax number indicated to enable us to provide you with more detailed information. 

Click here to research locations.

Boating Industry Association of NSWProud Member of Franchise Council of AustraliaWe look forward to hearing from you soon!

Kind regards
Graham Raspass
Managing Director
SailTime Australia & New Zealand

One cold January night in Colorado I made the decision that I had enough of Winter and began searching for a sailboat to buy online. I came across a start-up company called SailTime which challenged my entrepreneurial spirit and promised to sweep me away from my snowbound situation. That April I met with the founder of the company in Austin, Texas. I proceeded to make a drive down the West Coast of the USA looking at the potential for starting a sailing base and came across the Channel Islands Harbor about 60 miles North of Los Angeles that had all the ingredients I was looking for.

That was nearly 6 years ago now and I've never looked back. I have steadily grown my operation to include 5 membership sailboats, a sailing school and a luxury crewed charter operation. During this time, SailTime has supported me in countless ways, not the least of which is their scheduling and electronic check on systems. Today, we are the premier operation in our harbor and I look forward to many years of enjoyment working in the marine industry here in California.

Chris Tucker SailTime Channel Islands
I started SailTime Orange County roughly 5 years ago. This was my first entrepreneurial venture. I had always wanted to start my own business and had even gone to business school with the intent of opening a business one day. I knew a very high percentage of businesses fail within their first 5 years. I also knew that a way to mitigate risk was to buy into a proven concept where some of the unknowns were already figured out. I wasn’t looking for a complete business in a box like a Subway franchise, I wanted to be able to take the basic concepts and expand on them with my personality and skills. For me, the sailing aspect combined with the relatively low start up cost of a SailTime base was just what I was looking for.

I have found SailTime to be what the founders promised and a wonderful fit for my personality and needs. The online scheduling tool was well thought out and has saved me the expense of hiring someone to make bookings. Financially speaking, the business has taken care of my family. My wife is a stay-at-home mom to our two children and I do not work outside the marine industry. I have supplemented my SailTime business with a sailing school and sailboats sales which has had a synergistic effect. Overall, I have really enjoyed my lifestyle business and I would highly recommend it to others with similar desires.
 

Chris Jester SailTime Orange County

A business for you

With SailTime your can combine your passions for sailing, being on the water and utilising your strong business background . SailTime presents the most exciting business opportunity in the sailing industry in recent times. As a SailTime base owner you will enjoy a challenging and rewarding lifestyle.

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If you can answer yes to the following questions then consider yourself a candidate to become a SailTime base owner.

  • Do you have a vision for building a successful sailing business in your local area and waterway?
  • Do you have a passion for sailing and the lifestyle that goes with it?
  • Do you have the entrepreneurial talents and sales and marketing skills that is required to build a successful business from the ground up?
  • Do you have the time and/or flexibility in your schedule to be able to focus your energies where they are necessary to start a successful business?
  • Do you have access to start-up capital for operational and marketing budgets to start a new business?
  • Do you have sufficient credit to finance your business’ first boat?

We have made the process of starting a SailTime business as straight forward and easy as possible. You will be provided with everything you need to get started. We work with each of our new base candidates in person, on the phone and via collaborative on-line tools.

SailTime takes care of most of the logistics so you spend your time marketing your business and building your member base. You don’t need an office or large staff, a SailTime business can be run from your home office and can grow and flourish from there.

SailTime does not provide a short-term, fast cash business. SailTime is a business opportunity that requires hard work and investment, but allows you to be your own boss building your own business and provides the opportunity to experience a rewarding career in a sport that you are clearly passionate about. Our programme is for serious business professionals who want to build a business and have fun doing it.

Successful SailTime base owners are committed to providing the most professional service possible to our members. They are friendly, neighbourhood based, business-oriented knowledgeable people with a desire to serve the local boating public.

Our SailTime base owners have a commitment to customer service and excellence that is second to none in the boating industry. Our commitment to the boating industry is to be the innovator that others look up to and we are well on our way to achieving this lofty goal.

Most businesses require a huge capital investment. With SailTime, you can develop your fleet using the owner -member Programme. Under our owner-member programme, owner-member's buy the boats. You as the base manager will then "lease it" from them and simply sell memberships onto each boat. You’ll still need to provide initial capital to buy your first boat in the fleet, but you can easily build a large fleet without ongoing major capital investment.

The SailTime business model is rare since it does not require long term leases of office space, labour investments, large inventory or equipment expenses.

Please take the time to thoroughly review this website, it provides a wealth of information about our programmes and how the business works.

Once you are familiar with our business, take some time to decide if this is something you want to pursue. If it is please complete our application form and we can then arrange a time for you to talk to one of our SailTime experts and find out how SailTime is a winning proposition for all involved.

Franchise training and support

SailTime provides a proven and structured approach to ongoing development of the business based upon several years of experience. We bring many benefits to an entrepreneur ready to pursue this opportunity.

Business opportunities for keen sailors in Australia and New Zealand

Business opportunities for keen sailors in Australia and New Zealand

Start your own sailing franchise in Australia and New Zealand

Below is a list of just some of the benefits we provide to you.

  • Brand awareness and recognition that leads the industry and is now world renowned.
  • International presence and a broad network of bases that your members can leverage to enjoy sailing all over the world – creating a high barrier to entry for competitors.
  • Pioneering and proven business model
  • Access to a network of like minded business people running their own SailTime business
  • National, regional and local support
  • Proprietary  technology and Intellectual Property: Scheduling software and E-ttendant
  • Comprehensive base owner training programme
  • A significant path of growth that includes new and exciting product offerings
  • Professional website
  • A secure portal that you use to operate your fleet, maintenance, members, owners, etc. All the tools you will need to manage your business are built in to our support and backend software
  • Professional print and web marketing materials
  • A proven, exhaustive and simple to follow marketing plan that works
  • Partnerships with major manufacturers and other industry leaders
  • Start-up and operational support
  • All legal agreements
  • Member manuals
  • Promotional materials
  • Insurance programmes with leading Insurers
  • Financing programme with leading banks
  • Experienced Management Team

SailTime Franchise Opportunities

From its inception, the SailTime concept was designed to be a great business to own.

When you become a SailTime franchise owner, you are joining the team that pioneered membership-based fractional boating products. SailTime is committed to maintaining its position as the innovative leader in this industry in the marine marketplace.

Attractive membership pricing structure

Providing attractive membership pricing in exchange for an ongoing monthly membership fee is one of the key innovations of the SailTime concept.

The membership fee and automatic payment structure is designed to encourage ongoing member participation and provides a steadier, more predictable sales cycle to reduce administration and billing time.

Comprehensive marketing programmes

SailTime employs targetted marketing programmes designed to attract first-time and experienced sailors, to establish a strong referral network and to encourage high member usage and retention.

Tactics include, website, search engine optimisation, pay per click advertising, e-mail marketing, direct mail, print, public relations, phone directories, referral programmes, boat shows and open house campaigns.

Fully computerised operations

While sailing and boating may be an ancient skill, our back end and support system is state-of-the-art. SailTime customised management software helps coordinate all aspects of the business, from fleet operations, member scheduling to membership and sales tracking to financial management and reporting.

Multiple revenue opportunities

In addition to potential membership and other  fees, SailTime has created and continues to develop new and improved products that maximise sales through additional potential revenue streams. Please check our web site for new products and updates as they are constantly under development and added to our business model to improve revenue opportunities.

Our technology leads the way

Over the past number of years, SailTime has made continuous and substantial investment in scheduling and monitoring software. This software is the key to your success and makes it simple for you to run the business and effortless for members to gain access to their boat. Three major tools combine to create the unique SailTime experience:

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The SailTime Scheduler

  • Enables members to schedule their sail times on-line and in real-time without your intervention or need for review. They can swap schedules amongst themselves, create wait lists and confirm or cancel their reservations simply by logging-on to our internet portal.
  • Is programmed to ensure that all members receive a fair share of the available weekdays, week evenings, and weekends including public holidays.

The system sends reminders and notifications automatically via email. Beyond an initial member training, you don’t need to be involved in this day to day administration task. It's all managed for you.

The SailTime E-ttendant

  • Onboard each boat there is an on-line real-time check-on, check-off system based upon a hand held PDA device.
  • When the member boards and leaves the boat they check predetermined important items on the boat with the PDA.
  • If an item is not in place, not clean or needs attention they simply tick the appropriate box. The previous Member to use the boat is instantly sent an automatic email describing the discrepancy and, if attention is required, an email is generated to you. Using this system, members are electronically helping to keep the boat in perfect condition and therefore you only visit the boat when you must.

Based upon the information from the E-ttendant, you are kept informed of your boat's condition at any given time and can act upon anything that is brought to your attention. For example, if the fuel level is below half, the member checking in or out will check the appropriate box. You are automatically sent an email prompting appropriate action.

The SailTime base owner's portal

In addition to the great tools provided to your members, the SailTime Base Owner's portal provides a vast amount of information, interactive discussion forums with other base owners, comprehensive marketing tools and an ongoing list of new developments to help support your SailTime business.

If you would like to explore this opportunity further please take a moment to complete our application form