This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Hey, what's up? Thank you for tuning in. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You are listening to Side Hustle School, the one and only podcast bringing you daily stories, daily tips, case studies, questions and answers, ideas, all kinds of stuff you can use to create an income generating project without quitting your job, without going into debt, all good things, right? That's what this is about, a mission to help you create more options for your life.
Okay, now earlier this year, we started a new segment called Failure Friday. It's been one of my favorite things to work on, get lots of good feedback from our listeners about it. I think it was because it's all about honesty and transparency and just really showing, you know, what goes wrong, which, you know, it's funny because since the beginning of this podcast, I've always tried to highlight, you know, here are the hurdles, the obstacles, even, you know, as mentioned, the failures, but really focusing in on it for this segment in particular has been helpful. And today's story I've got to tell you is epic. Like I don't use that word too often.
I know it's an overused word, but since I don't use it very often, I can tell you this is an epic story. It's a story about, well, an actual disaster, like full on disaster, features Chris Tabone, an Australian who works primarily in Europe. We told the successful story of his Mediterranean cruise company, Coda Sale, on episode 884. He takes groups of young professionals on tours of Croatia, Turkey, the Maldives. He was really building out this business quite well, pre-COVID, and of course now he's adjusting, hoping to come back strong.
But this epic disaster doesn't actually have much to do with COVID at all. It involves, well, let's just hear from him. I mean, listen to this because it's pretty cool. I can feel the tension as he tells this story. So over to Chris, the other Chris, and I'll come back at the end to wrap us up.
[Music]
- Hi there, it's Chris Tabone from Coda Sale. Up until COVID hit, I was running some amazing trips in Croatia, Turkey, and the Maldives. We're on pause for now and we'll be back again soon, but this time away from the tours has had me reflecting on everything over the past six years. The good, the bad, and everything in between. One story that comes to mind is in our third season.
I'd just come off two successful smaller seasons and decided to step it up for the next. The opportunity to change boat supplies and make a deal to have a brand-spranking new boat came up and I jumped at it. However, if I knew the headaches that were about to unfold over the coming months, I may not have jumped so quickly. I signed a deal for the new boat during the previous summer, giving us a good nine to 10 months for it to be built. I was assured this was enough time and to trust everything will be perfect for the next summer.
I was given a few updates in the coming months that to me looked a little behind schedule, but hey, I've never built a boat before, so who am I to comment? With a few months to go before the start of the season, the progress updates I was receiving were not anywhere near where I expected. And with a month to go, unless there was a miracle, I couldn't see it being finished on time. All my hard work over the past two years and my gamble to go big and grow the business was all going to come undone, and there was nothing I can do about it. I started inquiring for a backup boat, but it was too late.
All the other boats were booked for the summer, so I just had to pray that the team building the boat would have it completed on time. I landed in Croatia one and a half weeks before the first tour and got a taxi straight to the boat yard. It was then that I nearly cried. In front of me was the shell of a boat with most of the internals, the beds, wardrobes, bathrooms, et cetera, sitting on the dock, still needing to be installed. And to top it off, the workers were doing the most European thing ever and just lazing around on the boat's sun deck with their shirts off, enjoying what looked like their 15th cigarette break for the day.
I was fuming. I found the manager of the boat who greeted me with a smile. Ah, Mr. Chris, good to see you. Don't stress, it will finish, no problem.
Let's get coffee. He calmed my nerves and assured me he'll be ready. They were getting it together, but there were so many things that needed to be done, including one major thing, to get it in the water for a test run. I couldn't handle the pressure, so I removed myself for the final two days and trusted they'd have it done. The night before, I spoke with the boat manager.
Ah, Chris, we have some problem for tomorrow. We cannot depart from the main port because we did not register the boat in time. We must leave from another port. Don't worry, it is only 30 minutes away. Okay, but is the boat ready, I asked?
Yes, well, no, but by tomorrow morning it will. No problemo. My head is a mess, thinking how the hell did I get myself in this mess? And how am I going to deal with it? The morning of the tour, I made some calls to utilize the deck of another boat that was in port so I could check in my customers, have them sit in comfort and distract them for a bit.
I made some more calls and organized a local bus to take us to the other port where the boat will be waiting for us. Everything was running smoothly until we turned up to the new port and it was empty. Calls were made to the boat manager, no answer. Text messages sent, no reply. My head was rushing a million miles an hour.
Had I been scammed? What do I tell 40 passengers that have traveled across the world to be on my tour? More calls and texts, no answer. Stress levels high. My passengers are waiting in the hot sun and are asking questions.
I had to think fast. Everything is okay, the bus dropped us off at the wrong port so the boat is now making its way to us. It shouldn't be much longer. The next 30 minutes felt like hours and every boat that came around the head then continued. Past the port grew my panic.
Then finally, I see a boat turning into the port. I knew it was my boat because I recognized some of the unfinished paint work on the bow of the ship. The good news is that I wasn't scammed but what I saw next was just as scary. The workers were all still on the boat with their tools in hand and were actually working on the boat as it pulled into the dock. It was like watching one of those home renovation shows where they are tightening the last screw right up to the final second.
My nightmare was unfolding in front of my eyes. As the boat pulled into the dock, I didn't even wait for the plank to come down as I launched myself onto the boat to find the manager. As I ran around the boat, I saw doors missing, beds without mattresses, paint work not complete. This was not the boat I was promised or the boat I had promised my customers. I found the manager and we had a quick chat to come up with a plan.
I didn't have time to lose my temper. I needed to work with them to get it right. Luckily, the kitchen and the chef was ready. So I got everyone on board and straight up to the dining room to distract them with a big, long lunch. I quickly explained to the group that the maintenance crew on board would be finished soon.
I offered an open bar as an apology for this morning's delay. A big lesson learned there. Free alcohol is a good short-term fix to buy you some time. For the next hour, I ran around like a madman on the loose, doing as much as possible to help get things finished before lunch ended. I'd run up to the dining room every 10 minutes, calm myself at the door and walk in with a big smile.
Check up on everyone, then bolt down to the rooms again. By the end of lunch, we'd somehow done it. We got everything in order and my passengers could check in and relax in their rooms. They were none the wiser. That evening, when the day was complete, I finally stopped to take a breath.
I had a thumping headache, not only because of the crazy day, but I hadn't had a chance to stop for food or even a drink of water. I was running on pure adrenaline. It was nuts, but I pulled it off. So what did I learn? A lot of things.
The first lesson I learned was to have a backup plan. Trust your instinct and do something about it earlier. The second lesson I learned that day was that keeping my customers constantly updated helped calm any concerns they may have had. They didn't need to know all the ins and outs, but just enough to know what was happening and that I had it all in control. But the biggest lesson of all was to manage my emotions and do what you need to do to get the job done.
If I lost my call that day, it would have fallen apart. The workers may have walked out on me and my passengers would have lost their confidence in the product. That day was the toughest day of all. But when the sun came up the next morning, I knew that the worst was behind me and nothing could stop me moving forward. [Music]
Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.
That is, in fact, the theme of failure Friday. And this story, as you could hear, you had a lot of defeats. It wasn't just a single defeat or setback. I mean, well, it did kind of come to a climax there. But man, like I said, I could just feel the tension in that story.
Can you imagine being there and hosting all those excited and increasingly nervous guests who were waiting for a ship that hadn't arrived? And then being Chris, you know, running around, trying to fix everything, you know, giving the free drinks to the guests in the dining room. I've done a lot of work in different parts of the world, especially Africa, but elsewhere as well. And I can totally picture these conversations with the builder who keeps reassuring him, you know, and telling him, you know, everything is okay, right? But of course he knows that it's not.
So lots of good lessons there. Thanks so much, Chris, for sharing. I'd actually hoped to join him on his Croatian tour this year, but he just told me recently that they will have to postpone this season as well. So hopefully next year, he will be back with a vengeance. There's just a lot of uncertainty, you know, potential lockdowns and such.
So next year, he's coming back, not only with a vengeance, but also a fully tricked out vessel with all doors attached. Okay, I believe it. Maybe you can come as well. Check out Kota Sale to learn more. Again, that's Kota Sale with a K, K-O-D-A, sale.com.
Really cool business and we wish him the best moving forward. Now listeners, if you have a question, if you would like to update us about your hustle, let me know what's going on. Come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. Be sure you subscribe, follow, leave us a little five-star review if you don't mind. That would be super awesome.
But mostly do something for yourself today. Get closer to a goal you believe in. Until next time, my name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
