By Mark E. Battersby Every marine canvas and upholstery business, large or small, is responsible for protecting the safety and health of its employees. In addition to being the right thing to do, safety is also good business. Doing it right pays off in increased productivity, lower costs and higher employee morale. An effective safety [...]

Signature CanvasMakers won a 2012 MFA Excellence Award for this durable and functional full enclosure. “In the Navy they call it deckplate leadership,” says Chandler Clark, owner of Signature CanvasMakers in Hampton, Va. “It’s a leadership style that involves teamwork, common sense and taking care of your people—and I try to apply it [...]

The marketing power of a strong brand identity will boost sales and profits. By William J. Lynott Think of one of your favorite name brands. Whether it’s a professional product for use in your business or a favorite product for your personal use, chances are you chose it because you’re comfortable with it; you have [...]

The facts on the New Longshore Recreational Vessel Regulation. By Maura Keller Gather together manufacturers and fabricators within the marine industry and it won’t take long for them to determine they share a common malady: the changing structure of insurance. In 2009, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) was amended by the American [...]

By Arnold Sanow There are many ingredients necessary for success in sales, regardless of the market your business serves. Here are eight keys to help you achieve your sales goals. 1. Determine the wants and needs of your customers first, then work backwards to develop the product or service.Many times we make the mistake of [...]

Any business owner who believes in holding on to every customer may never see the business reach its maximum earning potential. By Mark E. Battersby Most business owners know whether their business is profitable. Not all of them, however, are aware that some customers simply don’t make money for them, or not enough money to [...]

Product focus Because Charleston is home to so many large pleasure yachts, we tend to focus on those types of jobs. We do some smaller trailer boats, but most of our work centers around the many large yachts that call Charleston home, and the constant stream of transient yachts that like to stay in Charleston [...]

By Pat Hayes, CPP During a recent management meeting, our vice president of marketing presented an updated global business plan. In the process, he did an analysis of our competition over the past 10 years. Interesting to note was the number of businesses that went by the wayside. I would say the majority failed due [...]

By Mark E. Battersby Thanks, in large part, to the economy’s impact on cash-strapped state and local governments, many marine canvas and upholstery businesses are swamped with red tape, rules, regulations, fees and taxes, all sharply cutting into their bottom line. Fortunately, battling city hall, the county or statehouse over zoning issues, unfairly levied fines, [...]

Turn up the volume and spread the news about your business–even with limited funds. By Charlene Clark In a perfect world, every business would have unlimited resources with which to market their products and services. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world. In tough economic times, small businesses find themselves with very limited resources to dedicate [...]