By First Impressions Magazine
Click Here To Read the whole article here
Richard Edwards knows what it takes to run a small business. Whether he’s working to find the best solutions for his dental customers or managing his charter fishing business on his 32-foot center console, the Henry Schein Dental field sales consultant understands the challenges involved in marketing one’s service. “I need to advertise and market myself,” he says of the small, chartered fishing company he started nearly eight years ago. “So must my dental customers. I can relate to the challenges they face. I know how to use [social media], such as websites, blogging and Twitter, to market my [fishing company].” This insight, he adds, has helped him become a true business partner to the dentists he services.
From dental to deep sea
Joining the dental industry was an easy decision for Edwards. In fact, he did so almost immediately following his college graduation. An internship with a dental clinic in Greensboro, N.C. during college convinced him to pursue a career in dental products sales. From 2001 until 2004, he worked as a Henry Schein Dental field sales consultant, growing a small territory in South Carolina into a prosperous hub of dental customers.
After about three years, however, Edwards took a leap of faith and temporarily left the dental industry to try his hand at real estate development. He relocated from Southport, N.C., to Wilmington, N.C. – a move that well suited the longtime saltwater fisherman who enjoyed spending his free time on his boat, the Abigail. Almost immediately, he recognized the need for a local chartered fishing company. Starting a small business and taking advantage of tax exemptions “was a great way to justify owning a boat,” he explains.
For starters, Edwards needed a captain’s license, which requires some coursework, a certain number of hours of boating experience and passing an exam. He had a six-pack license, meaning he could take out as many as six people per fishing excursion. In addition, the Coast Guard requires licensed boats to be equipped with:
- Enough life preservers for everyone on board.
- An emergency medical kit.
- An emergency location device (in addition to a standard GPS device).
- Edwards keeps a couple of GPS devices and CB radios on board as well.
Click Here To Read the whole article here
By First Impressions Magazine
