Crestwater Rowing Club

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Executive Summary

Crestwater Rowing Club will be a USRowing affiliated rowing club in Washington offering youth competitive and adult recreational programs from a boathouse on a partner waterway. Rowing builds teamwork, strength and discipline, and for young athletes it is one of the best paths to college. Coaches at selective colleges actively recruit rowers, and rowing offers more scholarship opportunities per participant than most other sports. We sell monthly memberships, summer camps and learn-to-row clinics.

Many families in our area have never seen rowing. The equipment is expensive, the nearest clubs are far away and the sport feels like it belongs to a different world. Young athletes who would thrive on the water never get the chance.

Here is what our numbers show. We expect about $121,010 in sales in Year 1, growing to about $284,700 by Year 5. We expect a small profit of about $1,800 in Year 1, then profits of about $10,000, $15,200, $23,800 and $53,100 in Years 2 to 5. We need $116,000 to open, as the Funding Need Calculator in this plan shows, and we plan to start with $116,000: $20,000 of my own savings and a $96,000 small business loan. These figures are estimates built from the assumptions at the end of this plan, not promises.

I am Patrick Hayes, the owner and head coach.

Company Description

Crestwater Rowing Club will be a limited liability company (LLC) owned by Patrick Hayes and based in Washington. We will operate from a boathouse on a partner waterway under a facility use agreement, with boat storage, a dock and access to the water during our training windows.

What we believe. Every young person who wants to compete deserves a real coach and real equipment, not just an invitation to watch from shore.

What we offer.
- Youth competitive program for athletes ages 13 to 18, with on-water practice and ergometer training.
- Adult recreational and masters program for members who want fitness and community.
- Summer rowing camps for new and returning athletes.
- Learn-to-row clinics for people who have never touched an oar.

What we do not do. We do not promise a scholarship, a specific team placement or a college admission outcome. We do not put athletes on the water without a certified coach and proper safety equipment. We do not share athlete information with college recruiters without written permission from the family.

Safety and rules. We carry liability insurance, require signed waivers and keep first aid and water rescue equipment at the dock. Every boat goes out with a plan and comes back accounted for. Rules vary by waterway, so we will confirm all permits and safety requirements before we launch.

Where things stand today. I have a signed facility use agreement with a boathouse partner, priced the boat fleet, talked with high school athletic directors at three schools and had 28 people sign up for the first learn-to-row clinic.

Problem & Opportunity

Rowing is one of the most effective paths to a college scholarship, and most families in our area have never heard of it.

Invisibility. Soccer, basketball and swimming get promotion in schools and parks. Rowing is rarely mentioned. Many young athletes who would be excellent rowers never know the sport exists.

Cost and access. A set of training shells, oars and ergometers costs tens of thousands of dollars. Rowers need a waterway, a boathouse and a certified coach. Families cannot provide that at home, and no club nearby serves youth.

Recruiting. Coaches at selective colleges actively recruit rowers from a small pool of programs. An athlete in our city who has never rowed is invisible to them.

Adults. Many adults want a demanding, low-impact sport that they can do as a team. Running clubs and cycling groups serve them; rowing rarely does in our area.

What we hear.
- A parent says her son is 6 feet 2 and everyone tells her he should row, but there is nowhere to learn.
- A high school athletic director says three of his seniors got recruited to row at colleges after attending a camp, and none of them had rowed before age 16.
- An adult who rowed in college says he has missed the sport for 15 years and there is nowhere to go.
- A mother says her daughter wants a team sport that is not dominated by politics and tryout drama.

We do not promise that rowing will get anyone into a particular college. We promise good coaching, real equipment and a program that takes every athlete seriously.

Products & Services

Crestwater gives athletes and adults a real rowing program with a certified coach, proper boats and a path to compete.

How it works.
1. Try it. A new athlete or adult joins a learn-to-row clinic for about $95 to learn basic strokes, safety and boat handling in one day. No experience needed.
2. Join. Members pay a monthly fee of about $88 in Year 1 for the youth or adult program. Youth athletes practice with the competitive team.
3. Train. On-water practice runs from April through October. From November through March we train on ergometers indoors. Youth athletes get video review and individual coaching plans.
4. Compete. Youth athletes enter USRowing sanctioned regattas. We handle travel logistics, entry fees and equipment transport.
5. Connect. We share results with college coaches on request, help athletes write their rowing profiles and invite college coaches to our regattas.

Adult program. Adults train together on the water and indoors. No pressure to compete, though those who want to can enter masters regattas.

Camps and clinics. Summer camps run for one week for youth athletes, with on-water training, ergometer sessions and video analysis. Learn-to-row clinics run on weekends throughout the year.

What we do not promise. We do not promise a scholarship or a college placement. We promise a serious program, honest feedback and a coach who knows what college coaches look for.

Market Analysis

Who we serve.
- Youth athletes ages 13 to 18 who want to compete in a sport with a clear college pathway.
- Families of tall, strong or high-endurance athletes who have heard that rowing could be a good fit.
- Adults who want a team sport with a demanding fitness component.
- Masters rowers who want organized training and competition.
- People who are simply curious and want to try something different.

How we estimate demand. We cannot count every potential rower in our area, so we plan from what we can count. Twenty-eight people signed up for our first clinic before we opened. Three high school athletic directors said they would refer athletes to us. Our Year 1 plan is for about 960 member-months (an average of about 80 members over the year), 42 camper-weeks and 232 clinic participants. By Year 5 we plan for about 1,920 member-months (about 160 members on average), 114 camper-weeks and 510 clinic participants.

Where members come from.
- High school athletic directors and coaches.
- Learn-to-row clinics that convert participants into members.
- Word of mouth from athletes who earn college attention.
- Adult fitness communities and corporate wellness programs.
- USRowing and local sports directories.

Seasons. On-water season runs spring through fall. Winter indoor training keeps members active and fees coming in year-round.

Capacity. We train groups that our boats and our coach can handle safely. We add coaches before we add members beyond what one person can supervise.

Competitive Landscape

What athletes and adults do today, and how we are different.

1. No youth rowing program nearby. There is no competitive youth rowing program within a practical distance for most families in our area. We fill a gap, not compete with an existing program.

2. Rowing clubs in other cities. Families with the time and money to drive one to two hours each way can access other programs. Most cannot.

3. Other team sports. Soccer, lacrosse and swimming serve many of the same athletes. Rowing has a different body type profile (height, wingspan, endurance), different scholarship opportunities and a different culture. We see those sports as complements, not competitors.

4. Fitness clubs and gyms. They may have one or two ergometers. They do not offer coaching, boats or team competition.

5. Another rowing club forming. If that happens, we will compete on coaching quality, safety record and how seriously we take athlete development. We think there is room for more than one program.

What makes us different.
- A USRowing Level 3 certified head coach with a scholarship track record.
- Real boats on real water, not just ergometers.
- A clear path to college recruiting.
- A learn-to-row entry point so no experience is required.
- Fair, published prices.

What we will not do. We will not overstate scholarship odds or guarantee any outcome, and we will not cut safety corners to train more athletes.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How athletes and adults will find us.

Before we open:
- Run the first learn-to-row clinic and sign founding members at a discount.
- Build the website with the program schedule, prices, safety rules and online sign-up.
- Meet with high school athletic directors and physical education teachers at five schools.
- Contact USRowing about regional club registration and their diversity and recruiting programs.
- Post short videos of our boats, the water and what a training session looks like.

After we open:
- Offer a free guest day on the ergometers each month for curious newcomers.
- Hold an open regatta where families can watch a race day close up.
- Post athlete updates after every regatta, with permission.
- Partner with a local high school to offer an after-school rowing elective, if the school is interested.
- Send a short monthly email with the training calendar, athlete results and tips.

Pricing. We publish all prices. We offer a small discount for siblings and for families who pay a season in advance.

What we watch. Clinic-to-member conversion, monthly members, regatta entries, scholarship contacts and how many members stay year over year. We use that to decide where to spend our $4,200 marketing budget in Year 1.

Operations Plan

How the club will run day to day.

On-water season (April through October). Morning and afternoon practices on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Each session has a coach and a safety launch on the water. Boats are inspected before every session and stored at the boathouse.

Indoor season (November through March). Ergometer sessions three days a week at a rented indoor space. Video analysis and individual program reviews.

Safety. Every athlete wears a personal flotation device during drills and swims 100 meters before rowing alone. We keep first aid and rescue equipment at the dock. A coach or staff member is always present when the boathouse is open. Waivers are signed by every member and guardian.

Equipment. We buy about $70,000 of equipment at the start: shells ($42,000), oars ($10,000) and ergometers ($18,000). We spend about $12,000 a year on maintenance and repairs.

Staffing. In Year 1 it is me as head coach, working full time. I add a part-time adult program coach in Year 2 and a part-time club manager and events coordinator in Year 3, paid $28,000.

Money. Memberships are billed monthly. Camps and clinics are paid in advance. We keep simple books and review them monthly.

Risks and how we plan for them:
- An on-water accident. Safety equipment, certified coaching, flotation devices and insurance.
- A slow start. Year 1 costs are lean, and our cushion covers about three months of expenses.
- Equipment damage. Rowing shells are expensive to repair; we carry equipment coverage and train athletes in proper handling.
- Our boathouse partner changes terms. We negotiate a multi-year agreement and identify a backup location.
- A head coach injury. We keep a USRowing certified backup coach on call.

Management & Organization

Patrick Hayes, owner and head coach. I spent years rowing competitively and coaching, and I have seen what happens when a young athlete who had never heard of the sport finds out she is genuinely good at it and that a college is calling. I hold a USRowing Level 3 coaching certification and a water safety certification, and I will complete any additional certifications our insurer requires.

What I bring. I know how to build a training plan, how to talk to college coaches and how to run a boat session safely. I also understand small business basics: clear prices, good contracts and careful spending.

Who helps me.
- A volunteer advisory group of three people: a college admissions counselor, a high school athletic director and a small business owner.
- A part-time adult coach who joins in Year 2.
- A bookkeeper, paid by the hour, who handles monthly books and taxes.
- An attorney who reviewed our membership agreement, waivers and facility use agreement.
- An insurance agent who helped us choose the right coverage for the water.

My pay. I pay myself $44,000 a year from the first year. That is built into the numbers in this plan so the club does not depend on unpaid work.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them.

Before opening (Months 1 to 4):
- Month 1: Register the LLC, open a business bank account and finalize the boathouse agreement.
- Month 1 and 2: Buy the boats, oars and ergometers and set up the boathouse.
- Month 2 and 3: Run the first learn-to-row clinic and sign founding members.
- Month 4: Begin the on-water season with the full youth and adult program.

Year 1:
- Reach an average of about 80 members, 42 camper-weeks and 232 clinic participants.
- Enter at least three USRowing sanctioned regattas with youth athletes.
- Keep a clean safety record with no on-water incidents.
- Ask members for feedback twice during the year.

Year 2:
- Reach about 100 members on average and add a part-time adult coach.
- Contact college coaches at five schools on behalf of qualifying youth athletes.

Year 3 and beyond:
- Reach about 120 members in Year 3 and about 160 by Year 5.
- Add a club manager in Year 3 to handle scheduling and events.
- Explore a partnership with a local high school for an after-school rowing program.
- Host a regional invitational regatta once we have the membership and volunteers to run it.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it.

Total needed: $116,000, as the Funding Need Calculator in this plan shows. We plan to start with $116,000, which covers that amount.

Startup costs: $94,000.
- Training shells: 4 doubles (2x) and 2 coxed fours (4+): $42,000.
- Oars (full set for all boats): $10,000.
- Ergometers (12 Concept2): $18,000.
- Boathouse setup and docking hardware: $9,000.
- Legal and business registration: $3,000.
- Insurance first payment and USRowing affiliation: $5,000.
- Signage and website: $3,000.
- Launch marketing and clinics: $4,000.

Cushion. The calculator adds a cushion of about $21,700: roughly three months of Year 1 expenses. That way a slow first season does not force us to close.

Where the $116,000 comes from. $20,000 of my own savings and a $96,000 small business loan (SBA 7(a)). An SBA 7(a) loan is a bank loan that the U.S. Small Business Administration partly guarantees, which makes banks more willing to lend to a new business. Loan: $96,000 at 10.5% over 10 years, which comes to $1,295 a month.

Phase 1: Open with the youth competitive program and learn-to-row clinics, using the boat fleet and the boathouse we have from day one.
Phase 2: Add the adult recreational program and summer camps once youth membership reaches about 50, using profit from Year 1 and Year 2.

Sales and profit. Year 1 sales are about $121,010. We expect a profit of about $1,800 in Year 1, and our startup money gives us a cushion, then profits of about $10,000, about $15,200, about $23,800 and about $53,100 in Years 2 to 5. Year 5 sales are about $284,700.

Cash. The lowest year-end cash balance in the plan is about $50,200 at the end of Year 1. At the end of Year 1 customers owe us about $6,051, so we follow up on unpaid bills each week.

Where each Year 1 dollar goes. Pay: Owner / Head Coach (USRowing Level 3) $44,000. Direct costs of goods and services: about $8,000. Other yearly costs: Waterway and Boathouse Rental about $18,000; Boat Maintenance and Storage about $12,000; Insurance and USRowing Affiliation about $8,500; Marketing about $4,200.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you share this plan:

- Your business registration and waterway permits.
- Your insurance certificate, including equipment and waterway coverage.
- Your boathouse facility use agreement.
- Your membership agreement, guardian consent and safety waivers.
- Equipment quotes for boats, oars and ergometers.
- Your emergency and water rescue plan.
- Letters of interest from high school athletic directors.
- Your USRowing coaching certification.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Youth and Adult Memberships (per member per month): 960 in Year 1 at $88, growing to 1,920 at $97 in Year 5. About $4 each goes to direct costs.
- Summer Rowing Camps (per camper per week): 42 in Year 1 at $345, growing to 114 at $385 in Year 5. About $55 each goes to direct costs.
- Learn-to-Row Clinics (per participant): 232 in Year 1 at $95, growing to 510 at $107 in Year 5. About $8 each goes to direct costs.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): Owner / Head Coach (USRowing Level 3) $44,000; Adult Program Coach (part-time) $24,000; Club Manager and Events Coordinator (part-time) $28,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: Waterway and Boathouse Rental $18,000; Boat Maintenance and Storage $12,000; Insurance and USRowing Affiliation $8,500; Marketing $4,200. These grow between 3% and 5% a year.
- Equipment: $70,000 at the start, then $4,000 to $10,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $94,000, paid once from $116,000 in startup money.
- Members: an average of about 80 in Year 1 (960 member-months), growing to about 160 in Year 5.
- About 5% of each year's sales is still owed to us at year end.
- Taxes: 21%, as a simple estimate. Check with a tax professional about how your business is taxed.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own prices, quotes and real costs.

Startup Costs