Help The Back and Forth stay afloat in 2020
Donation protected
Help us stay afloat in 2020 by pre-buying a trip.
The time has come to make a very difficult decision on whether The Back and Forth goes in the water this year.
As many of you know, this will be our third year getting folks out on the water for unique experiences here in Belfast, Maine. The Family Treasure hunter and the Sunset & Lobster cruises have been so popular and we have loved serving every one of our customers, however, we are very aware that +90% of those customers are from away.
Our customers are the friends and family that come to visit you, and families that are on vacation from all over the world, not ordinarily Belfastians or families from other parts of Maine, and this is why we are asking for your help.
We were so excited for 2020; anyone in small business will know that year three is (if you’re lucky) the first year that a small business is in a position to financially support itself and MAYBE even make a little bit of profit. We were in that boat this year, excited to finally see our hard work pay off by running another successful season, we’ve honed our product, our Captains are well trained, we jumped in hard with our marketing, Belfast is rocking…and then COVID-19 happened.
While The Back and Forth will be able to run in the July phase of the re-opening plan, it is a HUGE financial risk for us to put in without a customer base coming to town. A financial risk SO big, that if we take it and don’t make it, we might not recover and it could mean the end of The Back and Forth.
We’re at the point of brutal honesty and openness, so here’s what it costs to get The Back and Forth going for the season.
Marketing that we already committed to (and is printed) for this year - $3760
Insurance (whether the boat is in the water or not) - $1800
Boat prep including paint and clean up, mechanical checks etc - $1500
Getting the boat physically in (and out of) the water - $800
Harbor fee’s - $300 per month - $1200
Staff to service 50 trips - $1500+
As you can see, $10,000+ to get going, before fuel and an inevitable mechanical issue (we have one a year), is a big leap of faith, so we wondered if you’d help us stay afloat by buying a trip. If we can pre-sell enough tickets to get in the water we will do and we’ll be thrilled to get you out on the water.
If we don’t sell enough tickets to get in the water, we can honor your tickets in 2021 or refund you, whichever you’d rather.
$10,000 sounds like such a lot of trips, but less than 50 private charters or Family Treasure hunters is all it takes to keep a business afloat in the face of 2020 throwing all it has at us. Goodness knows we all need a bit of outdoor recreation right now, maybe this is the year you play tourist in your own hometown and enjoy all the wonderful things that are right here on your doorstep.
We will need to get things in motion pretty quickly to be ready for July so have a 2 week timeframe for the GoFundMe campaign.
HOW IT WORKS.
Make a donation to the amount of the ticket of choice and when we hit our target I will personally contact you to THANK YOU IN ABUNDANCE and schedule your trip for your chosen dates and times, or, in worst case I will be in touch to thank you and refund you. Make sure to add your preferred contact method to your purchase.
Ticket options are –
Private Charter – 2 hours for up to 6 passengers - $199 – A suggestion is to bring along a picnic and beverages from one of the awesome local take out services.
Family Treasure Hunter – 1.5 Hours for up to 6 passengers, includes treasure hunt with maps, spy glass and compass and real treasure from the deep to take home. Truly an experience of a lifetime for kids of all ages. - $200
Sunset & Lobster – 2+ hour private cruise for up to 4 adults with VIP stop off at Youngs to collect Lobster rolls to enjoy as you cruise into the sunset. - $120 PP
Day Cruise & Lobster – 2 hour private cruise for up to 4 passengers with VIP stop off at Youngs to collect lobster rolls to enjoy as you cruise around the bay. - $99 PP
Of course, if you wanted to make a small donation we’d be thrilled too, The Back and Forth will run our Delight cruises, 30 minutes for 2 to 6 passengers - $18 PP.
Alex and I want to thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts, we LOVE living, working and playing in Belfast and feel that The Back and Forth offers a little bit of something special to an already vibrant community. We feel supported in so many ways by everyone we talk to about The Back and Forth, we hope that support can stretch as far as taking a trip with us on our sweet little lobster boat this summer.
Thank you,
Lisa and Alex
The time has come to make a very difficult decision on whether The Back and Forth goes in the water this year.
As many of you know, this will be our third year getting folks out on the water for unique experiences here in Belfast, Maine. The Family Treasure hunter and the Sunset & Lobster cruises have been so popular and we have loved serving every one of our customers, however, we are very aware that +90% of those customers are from away.
Our customers are the friends and family that come to visit you, and families that are on vacation from all over the world, not ordinarily Belfastians or families from other parts of Maine, and this is why we are asking for your help.
We were so excited for 2020; anyone in small business will know that year three is (if you’re lucky) the first year that a small business is in a position to financially support itself and MAYBE even make a little bit of profit. We were in that boat this year, excited to finally see our hard work pay off by running another successful season, we’ve honed our product, our Captains are well trained, we jumped in hard with our marketing, Belfast is rocking…and then COVID-19 happened.
While The Back and Forth will be able to run in the July phase of the re-opening plan, it is a HUGE financial risk for us to put in without a customer base coming to town. A financial risk SO big, that if we take it and don’t make it, we might not recover and it could mean the end of The Back and Forth.
We’re at the point of brutal honesty and openness, so here’s what it costs to get The Back and Forth going for the season.
Marketing that we already committed to (and is printed) for this year - $3760
Insurance (whether the boat is in the water or not) - $1800
Boat prep including paint and clean up, mechanical checks etc - $1500
Getting the boat physically in (and out of) the water - $800
Harbor fee’s - $300 per month - $1200
Staff to service 50 trips - $1500+
As you can see, $10,000+ to get going, before fuel and an inevitable mechanical issue (we have one a year), is a big leap of faith, so we wondered if you’d help us stay afloat by buying a trip. If we can pre-sell enough tickets to get in the water we will do and we’ll be thrilled to get you out on the water.
If we don’t sell enough tickets to get in the water, we can honor your tickets in 2021 or refund you, whichever you’d rather.
$10,000 sounds like such a lot of trips, but less than 50 private charters or Family Treasure hunters is all it takes to keep a business afloat in the face of 2020 throwing all it has at us. Goodness knows we all need a bit of outdoor recreation right now, maybe this is the year you play tourist in your own hometown and enjoy all the wonderful things that are right here on your doorstep.
We will need to get things in motion pretty quickly to be ready for July so have a 2 week timeframe for the GoFundMe campaign.
HOW IT WORKS.
Make a donation to the amount of the ticket of choice and when we hit our target I will personally contact you to THANK YOU IN ABUNDANCE and schedule your trip for your chosen dates and times, or, in worst case I will be in touch to thank you and refund you. Make sure to add your preferred contact method to your purchase.
Ticket options are –
Private Charter – 2 hours for up to 6 passengers - $199 – A suggestion is to bring along a picnic and beverages from one of the awesome local take out services.
Family Treasure Hunter – 1.5 Hours for up to 6 passengers, includes treasure hunt with maps, spy glass and compass and real treasure from the deep to take home. Truly an experience of a lifetime for kids of all ages. - $200
Sunset & Lobster – 2+ hour private cruise for up to 4 adults with VIP stop off at Youngs to collect Lobster rolls to enjoy as you cruise into the sunset. - $120 PP
Day Cruise & Lobster – 2 hour private cruise for up to 4 passengers with VIP stop off at Youngs to collect lobster rolls to enjoy as you cruise around the bay. - $99 PP
Of course, if you wanted to make a small donation we’d be thrilled too, The Back and Forth will run our Delight cruises, 30 minutes for 2 to 6 passengers - $18 PP.
Alex and I want to thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts, we LOVE living, working and playing in Belfast and feel that The Back and Forth offers a little bit of something special to an already vibrant community. We feel supported in so many ways by everyone we talk to about The Back and Forth, we hope that support can stretch as far as taking a trip with us on our sweet little lobster boat this summer.
Thank you,
Lisa and Alex
Organizer
Lisa Gant
Organizer
Belfast, ME