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He Bought a Boat Dealership Doing $375K… Now It Does $23M | J Hurless, Reeder Trausch Marine
On today's show I sat down with J Hurless, co-owner of Indiana boating dealership and service company Reeder Trausch Marine. Hurless shares how he dropped out of high school, built a sales and leadership career at Ray Skillman until age 28, then bought Reeder Trausch in 2018 with little marine experience. The dealership had been a steady family business selling eight boats a year ($375K in 2017), and Hurless faced immediate challenges including a drained lake, limited working capital, and no floor-plan credit. By cleaning up the business, launching a website, hustling on Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace, engaging the Rockville community, and securing manufacturer-backed lending, the company grew rapidly to $1.2M in 2018 and $23M by 2023, later acquiring Denny's Marina in 2024. Hurless also emphasizes building teams, training talent, embracing change, and resilience through setbacks. If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast. You are going to learn about: - How a High School Dropout Acquired a Boat Business - Leading More Experienced/Older Coworkers - Tips to Scaling a Business Quickly Thank you to our partners: Keller & Keller J.C. Hart Check out these great clips from the show: 00:00 Lake Drained Shock 00:24 Guest Introduction: J Hurless, Reeder Trausch Marine 03:46 Dropping Out Hustle 05:24 Car Sales Rise 07:17 Leadership Lessons 10:15 Boat Buying Pain 14:28 Buying The Marina 21:25 Closing Day Surprise 24:40 Cleaning And Community 27:56 First Sales And Credit 37:19 Pre-Selling Boats 38:00 Building The Team 39:19 Nationwide Boat Demand 41:23 Growth Pains And Hiring 42:45 Revenue Explosion Numbers 43:38 Why Acquire Denny's Marina 44:31 Acquisition Secrets And Risks 45:58 Integrating The New Staff 48:53 Indy vs Rockville Performance 51:29 Future Expansion Ideas 53:59 Talent Development Playbook 56:50 Leading Without Micromanaging 59:59 Advice For Scaling Fast 01:01:53 Worst Day As Owner 01:05:09 Redefining Success Through People 01:07:22 Why Indiana Home 01:08:43 Indiana Favorites And Hidden Gems 01:10:43 Hoosier To Watch And Farewell Get IN. is brought to you by our friends at Sweetwater. Whether you are looking to start a podcast or level up your current show you need to hit them up.
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