Captain's Choice Suncare
SBDC Counselor, Ned Harper CBA
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'Why do the sunscreen bottles keep disappearing?' asked Scott McCracken, superintendent of the Montgomery Country Club in Montgomery, Alabama. Two bottles had disappeared in eight days, and but he still needed to supply his golf course workers with sunscreen. There had to be some way to keep the bottles from getting lost and yet still be accessible. Scott looked over at a soap dispenser on the wall, and a light bulb went off for the first time.
In the summer of 1994, Scott and his brother explored creating a product that would dispense sunscreen but would not likely be lost or stolen. They began negotiations with a contract dealer, but unfortunately it required them to produce at least 10,000 units. Scott was not prepared to sell 10,000 units of an innovative but unproven product. He was afraid, and he liked working outside on golf courses, so he and his brother gave up on the idea.
Thirteen years later, Scott had moved to Florida and was managing another golf course in Palm Coast. Sunscreen was again a problem. Like many other courses, this course was purchasing small disposable packets of sunscreen, but the wrappers were littering the landscape. Scott's idea which had lain dormant came back to life.
In mid May 2007, Scott again began researching how to manufacture and sell his product. He heard that the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Daytona State College had workshops and counseling to help businesses get started. Scott and his wife Wendy took the STARTUP Series of classes as well as workshops on E-Business, Quickbooks, and Exporting. Between the classes, Scott shared his ideas with Ned Harper, Certified Business Analyst (CBA). Ned was very excited about Scott's product idea, knowing it could be a great success.
By January 2008, Scott had his business license, but still no product. He spoke with a Chinese manufacturer, but turned them down due to their long turnaround times. Scott instead went with a company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Although the company was more expensive, they were much more reliable and willing to work with him on warehousing.
On May 1, 2008, Scott opened Captain's Choice Suncare. Since then he has sold sunscreen dispensers to over 80 golf courses in the Southeastern U.S. But he hasn't stopped there; Captain's Choice has also sold to companies in Canada and the United Arab Emirates. 'We're focusing on the 'weekday warriors,' those employees who work out in the sun,' says Scott.
Scott's journey was not without challenges. Obtaining financing had been difficult as well; most banks want businesses to have 2-3 years of success before they were willing to lend money, so Scott used a home equity line of credit instead.
'The SBDC classes and counselors were very helpful. It's great to have someone to bounce ideas off of,' says Scott. 'I was also very impressed by their Export 101 Seminar.' The Export 101 Seminar is a training program developed by the Florida District Export Council in cooperation with the Florida Trade Alliance to help Florida companies begin export initiatives. The SBDC hosted its first Export 101 Seminar Nov. 18, 2008 and was well received by the attendees. Although Scott has already exported to a few countries, he is interested in learning more about exporting and expanding his market to South America and Australia.
Scott wants to take his business to the next level in the future. Although he is focusing on the workforce, he hopes Captain's Choice Suncare products will enter into other industries such as hotels and resorts. He is being proactive, constantly searching for ways to improve his product and marketing plan. Who knows, maybe the next time you reach for sunscreen at work or the hotel, you will be using a Captain's Choice Suncare product.
Check out their website Captain's Choice Suncare
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