SOLD – Lifestyle business opportunity! Own a profitable, outdoor lifestyle business with a 39-year history of success and growth. This business can support an individual or couple, or it can be operated as a semi-passive investment with a manager. If you love the outdoors this business can provide a great income with significant areas to grow profitability for that aspiring entrepreneur.
Fluid Fun Paddlesports is a specialty retail shop selling kayaks, canoes, paddles, life jackets, canoe/kayak trailers and vehicle rack systems, and related accessories. This is a fun, active and dynamic industry with a diverse customer base, suppliers with whom personal relationships exist, and products that help people live active and healthy outdoor lifestyles.
ABB-22045301-95
Bristol, Indiana
Specialty Retail – Outdoor Sporting Goods
$545,000
Plus Inventory
(Real estate included – Business can be sold separately)
$905,247
$214,689
Plus Inventory:
varies $100,000 – $200,000
$50,000
Included
1983
1 FT / 5 PT (Owner works PT)
The business is situated on 1.224 acre parcel of land that has ~125’’ of river frontage on the St. Joe River. The property includes a 1,974sf home and 500sf retail shop on site. This cozy home includes two bedrooms, a full bath, kitchen with eating area, living room, and a river-view sunroom leading to a riverside deck. The property amenities also include a storage barn, two utility sheds, a paved driveway, and privacy fencing.
Included in the asking price, more details are available in the offering package.
There are a number of opportunities that exist for business growth. Marketing has been minimal and certainly represents an area of significant growth potential. Current marketing efforts include a website with decent functionality, occasional Facebook posts, one or two printed postcards per season to drive special events like the spring grand opening and perhaps a seasonal sale, and several informational emails per year.
The addition of rentals could significantly increase gross sales, margin and overall profitability. A steady demand exists in the area for day and weekend rentals. Kayaks allocated for rentals can eventually be sold as ‘used’ or ‘demo’ units, and often are sold at or above wholesale cost, so the same kayak that provides rental income will also provide positive margin at the time of the sale.
Kayak and canoe specialty shops are limited and regional, and most brands have protected territories of at least 40-mile radii, so direct competition is minimal. There were two regional shops that closed (due to retirement) in 2020 including one in Kalamazoo, MI and one north of Toledo, OH. Fluid Fun has experienced increased sales from customers of further distances from Bristol, IN. On-line sales of kayaks do exist, but there will always be shipping logistics challenges for products of the size of kayaks and canoes, single-boat shipping damages are commonplace, and most consumers hesitate to purchase a boat without putting their own eyes and hands on it.
The seller will provide a minimum of one month’s training and support included as part of the business sale and additional advice over time to the buyer to facilitate a successful transition and to help the buyer navigate the seasonality of the business.
Seller is transitioning to retirement.
E. Brad Scoffin – Advanced Business Brokers
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A lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Dr. Mark Hagar brings decades of hands-on experience in small business ownership, acquisitions, and turnarounds to his role as a business broker. Over his distinguished career, he has acquired and operated more than 20 companies and engineered over 50 successful turnarounds, giving him a uniquely practical understanding of what makes businesses succeed, and sell. His portfolio spans manufacturing, distribution, and service firms in industries including printing, education, military contracting, aerospace, and orthopedics. This diverse background enables him to identify value, anticipate buyer needs, and structure complex deals with confidence and precision.
Mark holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Cranfield University’s School of Management in Bedford, England—one of Europe’s leading business schools. His research on small business resilience and operational excellence has been recognized by the Small Business Institute (SBI), the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), and the International Council for Small Business (ICSB).
In addition to his business career, Dr. Hagar has served as a member of faculty at several institutions of higher education, including Holy Cross College (Notre Dame), Trine University, and the University of Saint Francis. He also hosted Your Business Matters, a small business–focused radio show and podcast for more than a decade and is the author of Small Fortunes – the Acquisition Entrepreneur’s Guide to Buying a Profitable Small Business.
A passionate advocate for entrepreneurs, Mark previously chaired the Indiana Leadership Council for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), representing small business owners before state and federal legislators. He currently serves as President of the Allen County, Indiana Economic Development
Commission.
As a broker, Mark specializes in industrial, manufacturing, and distribution firms, with particular expertise in special situations, distressed assets, and complex transitions where experience, creativity and discretion are central to success.