Approximately two-thirds of the Earth is composed of water, yet a staggering 95% has yet to be explored. With so much left to be discovered, consumers are captivated and anxious to explore the deep blue ocean. To meet these needs, tourism entrepreneurs and travel operators are investing in submarines and, offering guided tours for both small and large parties.
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Start a submarine tour business by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Submarine Tour Business
- Form your Submarine Tour Business into a Legal Entity
- Register your Submarine Tour Business for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Submarine Tour Business
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Submarine Tour Business
- Get Submarine Tour Business Insurance
- Define your Submarine Tour Business Brand
- Create your Submarine Tour Business Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your submarine tour business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Business Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a submarine tour business?
A new submarine tour business incurs a number of standard start-up expenses, including licenses and certifications, payroll, rent/mortgage for office space, website, attorney’s fees, and business and liability insurance. Your greatest expense, however, will lie in the submarines themselves. The price tag of a private sub ranges anywhere from $1 million to over $20 million, depending upon payload capacity, size, customized features, and maximum depth.
What are the ongoing expenses for a submarine tour business?
Like most small businesses, your budget should include standard expenses such as mortgage/rent for office space, website fees, utilities costs, insurance, and payroll. Your submersible watercraft should also be on a routine maintenance plan, ensuring every guest has a safe underwater experience. One submarine tour business estimates between $3,000 and $4,000 per day in operating costs.
Who is the target market?
While the target market was previously limited to travelers able to afford the somewhat hefty price tag, the industry is starting to see some changes. Start-up and ongoing expenses are taking a downward turn, making it an affordable experience for travelers of all tax brackets.
How does a submarine tour business make money?
Tour guests pay submarine tour businesses to take them on guided underwater tours.
How much can you charge customers?
The price for an underwater tour varies, depending upon location, tour specifics, and group size. An organization based out of Curacao charges $800 for a 90-minute shipwreck and reef tour, while an underwater tour of the Titanic comes with a price tag of over $105,000 per person.
How much profit can a submarine tour business make?
If your business operates six tours per day, with six people per tour, at a cost of $210 per ticket, this would generate a revenue of $7,560. With operating costs at $3,500 per day, this would yield a profit of $4,060 per day.
How can you make your business more profitable?
Entrepreneurs are encouraged to invest profits back into the business and get creative with the experiences they offer. One submarine tour business based out of St. Lucia now offers guests the opportunity to spend the night underwater. The submarine comes with a full staff and private room, costing almost $275,000 per night. Business owners should also capitalize on the fact that consumers love to purchase merchandise related to their experience. Merchandise sales can generate additional revenue between 10% and 15%.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your submarine tour business is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your submarine tour business were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
Ready to Turn Your Business Idea Into a Reality?
Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our How to Start a Business guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best Business Formation Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a Submarine Tour Business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a submarine tour business
Submarine tours are firmly rooted in the tourism industry, offering travelers across the globe a unique opportunity to explore the unexplored. Business owners should work closely with local, regional, and international travel organizations. This offers networking opportunities and will help ensure your business has a positive reputation throughout the community.
Your marketing strategy should also include advertising in travel magazines, websites, online publications, and social media. Travel agents are also an excellent resource for gaining new customers.
How to keep customers coming back
Given the unique nature of the submarine tour experience and your reliance on nature to deliver a spectacular adventure, it is critical that you and your team pay careful attention to every detail. Your guests may not encounter all the underwater wildlife they expected, but if the watercraft is clean and the staff is attentive, word will spread throughout the community.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
Ideally, a submarine tour business owner should have a strong business background, significant investment capital, and experience in the tourism industry. Knowledge of the area they plan to host tours and a passion for the ocean and its inhabitants would prove beneficial.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a submarine tour business?
A business of this magnitude means managing a number of moving parts. Operators will take guests on guided tours, while the maintenance team is there to ensure each submersible is well-maintained. This is all for naught, however, unless a strong marketing strategy is in place, with team members working tirelessly to ensure a steady stream of tour guests. Additional activities should include facility maintenance, employee certification and training, and administrative tasks.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful submarine tour business?
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful submarine tour business?
A comprehensive understanding of the tourism industry, including the most scenic and desirable underwater regions, is critical. New business owners who do not possess a strong business background should consider taking a business course at their local college or hiring an expert to assist them with the myriad of decisions to be made. Strong interpersonal skills and general advertising knowledge is also beneficial for a relatively niche business, such as this.
What is the growth potential for a submarine tour business?
Due to burgeoning consumer interest and the development of newer, safer underwater technology, the underwater tourism industry has recently realized significant growth. Entrepreneurs striving for long-term growth and success are encouraged to thoroughly research high-demand areas and identify needs that are not currently being met.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
What are some insider tips for jump starting a submarine tour business?
Due to high start-up and ongoing expenses, entrepreneurs considering this business venture are encouraged to conduct thorough research prior to developing their business plan. A detailed plan ensures potential unexpected costs and roadblocks are considered, thus maximizing profits.
How and when to build a team
Before your submarine takes its first flight, you will need to surround yourself with a knowledgeable and dedicated team. Enlist the help of an attorney to ensure all legal and liability concerns are addressed. An accountant should oversee the financials. Additionally, piloting a submersible watercraft requires a specific set of skills – the safety of your customers is dependent on you hiring the very best guide for the job.