The Buoy
Name: Essex Prescott
Recent Press
Buoy in the news
UBC major: Commerce, Finance specialization
Year in E101 Class: 2014
Name of Current Business: The Buoy LLC
What we do in our business
The Buoy is a floating food truck that allows boaters and lake goers alike to enjoy delicious, convenient food on the water without disrupting their planned day on the lake. It’s a marine social hub giving customers a unique activity and well as meet up location on the water.
Links:
Website:
http://www.thebuoycda.com/
Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thebuoy/the-buoy-floating-food-truck-beer-delivery-boat
Instagram:
https://instagram.com/thebuoycda/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thebuoycda
Why this particular business?
For years I saw the lengths people went to in order to have good food on the water, whether it was expensive dockside restaurants or ending the boating early to head into town. I realized there was a huge market for a floating food truck and ran with it!
Biggest day-to-day challenges as an entrepreneur:
There’s a whole lot of moving pieces that go along with the Buoy, from working with food suppliers, to making sure the boat is running smoothly, to handling employees, to figuring out where the crowd is on the lake. It’s a lot to think about and splitting my time up efficiently between all aspects has been quite a challenge.
Greatest delights in being an entrepreneur:
Seeing the customer truly enjoy the product. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than watching someone really enjoy the food, I’ve put so much time and effort into so many aspects of the business all to make the end product (our food) perfect. When I see someone enjoy the food, I feel like I’ve done my job.
Four Key pieces of advice you would give to future entrepreneurs
a. Planning is key, it helps massively when dealing with unexpected situations and will keep your business moving forward quickly.
b. Don’t overlook the small things, don’t let them weigh you down but definitely don’t overlook them. Between all the random small things that go along with running a business it takes a large portion of your time, be prepared for this as it is essential to your business.
c. Give yourself enough time, know that most things will take longer than expected and assume that you’ve overlooked something so you have the time to make sure everything is right by the time you launch.
d. Take a break and clear your head, when we launched the business I was working 7 days a week 8-14 hours a day because I felt that I had to. I got really burned out and wasn’t productive anymore. I quickly realized that I’m more productive if I take a one day break every now and then.
Where do you see yourself going as an entrepreneur in the future?
Plans are to continue expanding The Buoy and eventually franchise. As for me personally I love building businesses and am currently thinking about my next venture.
