It's 'aBoat' Time

Aiden Natalie a 20-year-old undergraduate grew up cleaning boats in his neighborhood. Yet, as a young entrepreneur, he became tired of the word-of-mouth marketing strategy used to gain more clients. He wanted an app and a business plan that would allow boat users to find qualified marine professionals anytime they needed it — so he made one.

Natalie's app, Marine Connex, still lives in the prototype phase but when it's live, it will feature profiles of vendors who could either be independent contractors or business owners looking to gain more customers. Listings will include boat detailing, oil changing, electrical repairs, painters and towing services. Even tourists can download the Marine Connex app to find local shops to rent kayaks, boats and other aquatic-related gear.

His idea alone won Natalie the $10,000 first-place award in the College of Business 13th annual business plan competition and second place in the FAU Wave competition. "I hope to be the middle-man in the marine industry," Natalie said. "It's important to have someone to trust working on your boat and this app will allow users to know who they are hiring before the job starts."

When Natalie began developing his business plan idea, he realized Marine Connex would be the first of its kind to offer boat owners and marine professionals an app of their own. That, he said, is what set his plan apart to win.

"There really wasn't a market for the marine industry or for vendors looking to advertise their services. So, when a new boat owner or an experienced one runs into a problem, they can easily log onto Marine Connex, and know that this is a marketplace dedicated to their needs," Natalie said.

Prior to winning this award Natalie, a business management major at FAU, had other entrepreneurial jobs in the marine world, like film and video production for boating companies.

"I've always had an entrepreneur mindset and I realized early on that it's never too soon to start pursuing your goals, and Marine Connex is just the start, "he said. "It's a learning experience but as a student, and now future business owner, I know it can only improve from here."

Natalie intends to use the funds from the competitions to fully launch his product, he said. His expected goal is to roll out Marine Connex for the summer where boat owners will be out on the water more and consumers renting equipment more.

"We have a number of vendors who are excited and ready to work with Marine Connex," Natalie said. "I am truly excited to show off the hard work I've put into this app."