Roy Nouhra of Ocean Craft Marine: Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Startup
Having a sense of purpose allows us to accomplish big things. My purpose in work is directly aligned with my purpose in life. My mission in life is to do good and to keep people safe and saving lives. This purpose allows me to live my life authentically.
Startups have such a glamorous reputation. Companies like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Uber, and Airbnb once started as scrappy startups with huge dreams and huge obstacles.
Yet we of course know that most startups don’t end up as success stories. What does a founder or a founding team need to know to create a highly successful startup?
In this series, called “Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Startup” we are talking to experienced and successful founders and business leaders who can share stories from their experience about what it takes to create a highly successful startup.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Roy Nouhra.
Roy Nouhra is an entrepreneur, investor, and engineer. He is the founder and CEO of Ocean Craft Marine, the manufacturer of a world-class line of purpose-built professional and recreational Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), based in Annapolis, Maryland and Asis Boats, a global market leader in the design and manufacture of advanced Rigid Hull Inflatable boats and Inflatables for the professional mariner, based in the United Arab Emirates. Roy has expertise in manufacturing, global distribution, and supply-chain management.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I graduated from George Washington University with an engineering degree and a Master’s in engineering management and dove into entrepreneurism in the electromechanical contracting industry. Electromechanics combines processes and procedures from electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Although my business was exceptionally successful, I wasn’t passionate about my work. I was unhappy and the stress was literally killing me. After eight years, I decided to stop pursuing monetary gains and followed my passion for the boating industry. That’s when I started what is now Ocean Craft Marine/ASIS Boats.
What was the “Aha Moment” that led to the idea for your current company? Can you share that story with us?
My “aha moment” was after I got sick with Crohn’s Disease and I realized that I needed to step back and find something I could be passionate about, that would reduce my stress and improve my health. I realized that what I was missing was purpose. My business should have a purpose that is aligned with my life purpose. I wanted to do something that made a real difference in the world, to help. I was able to combine my passion for boating and create a business that could help people throughout the world save lives or simply help enable them to enjoy their life with our products.
Was there somebody in your life who inspired or helped you to start your journey with your business? Can you share a story with us?
Yes! A close friend of mine lost his brother in his youth in a boating accident. After this devastating loss, he decided his life purpose was to save people’s lives. His story inspired me, and I have aligned my company in this direction. My company’s mission is to provide the safest, highest quality, purpose-built rigid-hull inflatable boats in the world. The boats are mainly used in the professional and military markets, and they are designed to keep the operators safe and help them save lives. And everyone at my company from the boat builders to sales reps are aligned with this mission.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
We stand out from the competition because we are disruptors in the boating industry. We approach the market differently from other boat manufacturers. We offer a unique combination of deep, global boat building experience, a dynamic design and production process and a dedication to comprehensive customer service. In addition, we provide thorough training to ensure that our boats will save lives and keep people safe. We also have an innovative strategy. Not only do we manufacture boats, but we offer a consultative approach to our customers. Our experience with different mission profiles around the world, and what the hand-on operators go through has become invaluable to our offerings.
We often work with customers that go on to change their mission profile of how they work on a day-to-day basis based on what our boats can do and how they perform compared to others. For example, a law enforcement team can change how they deal with certain situations, to make themselves safer, or respond faster based on having our boats in their fleet. Part of our process is to guide them through the possibilities and recommend those kinds of changes to their operating procedures.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
My whole company is about doing good in the world. We are focused on keeping military, boating professionals and recreational boaters safe and alive. I am a strong believer that doing good in the world has nothing to do with being successful. There are many successful people that forget to do good. Success is a by-product of doing good for me. Success allows me to reach more people with a positive message.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Passion, Serenity and Generosity are the three traits that are instrumental in my success.
Passion drives curiosity and is vital to success. If you lack passion, there is no way to lead a company that thrives. It’s what pushes you to learn and stay on top of your game. Also, you need to surround yourself with people who are just as passionate as you are. Each one of our employees is as passionate as I am about what we’re doing. From the marketing and sales folks down to the guy who is laying the fiberglass, everyone believes in our mission. It’s what we say, “your mission is our passion.” It’s just the truth.
Serenity allows one to stay calm during the ups and downs of business. Anything can happen in business, both good and bad. I try to stay in the middle, with no emotion, so I never experience anything too “high” or too “low.”
Do you know the fable of the Chinese Farmer? Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.” The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening, everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”
The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.” The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again, all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”
The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.
I believe life is all about being generous and giving back to the community that supports you. That could be the local community, your family, your industry, or your clients. This kind of gratitude comes back to you in ways you can’t even imagine.
Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. Can you share a story about advice you’ve received that you now wish you never followed?
When I first started in the business world, I was given the advice to go after every opportunity and to never leave a stone unturned. This was the worst advice I could have every received. Going after all of the opportunities made me lose my focus. Today, I am laser focused on the opportunities that are right for my business and this mindset has made me a successful entrepreneur.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
Twenty years ago, when my construction business was at its peak but still young, I was working many hours and I took on the stress of my business and I experienced a health crisis. I learned a hard lesson that it is vital to have balance in life, otherwise nothing will matter to you but you! My health crisis taught me to follow my passions and align my professional life purpose with my life purpose. My health crisis was the hardest time in my life, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard? What strategies or techniques did you use to help overcome those challenges?
The world of business is challenging. My passion for the boating industry has allowed me to focus on a product that I care deeply about to keep moving the business forward each day. Success is achieved by setting goals and achieving them through hard work.
To be successful in life is knowing about how to build a balance between your work, yourself, your family, and your community. If you are not able to create this balance, even if you are the most successful business, you are not going to be a happy person.
The journey of an entrepreneur is never easy, and is filled with challenges, failures, setbacks, as well as joys, thrills and celebrations. Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder”?
I live in a meditative state. Meditation has taught me that I can work hard, but I cannot control the outcome of business. I use meditation to free my mind and to overcome challenges. It allows me to see that I must accept a moment, whether good or bad and it will pass. As the fable of the Chinese Farmer taught me, it’s impossible to tell whether anything that happens is good or bad. You need to stay centered because you never know the consequences — misfortune or good fortune.
Let’s imagine that a young founder comes to you and asks for your advice about whether venture capital or bootstrapping is best for them? What would you advise them? Can you kindly share a few things a founder should look at to determine if fundraising or bootstrapping is the right choice?
I don’t believe anyone should ever give someone advice without knowing the intricacies of their business. However, in my experience, if you have the margin to fuel your own growth, bootstrapping is the best way to start a business. Depending on the nature of the business venture capital funding can be beneficial since it is hard to organically grow quickly. If you chose to go the way of a venture capitalist, it is vital to hold on to your value system as you steer your company towards growth.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Many startups are not successful, and some are very successful. From your experience or perspective, what are the main factors that distinguish successful startups from unsuccessful ones? What are your “Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Startup”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
Passion drives you to succeed because you are completely dedicated to making your company work. If you have the passion, the money will follow. You also need to surround yourself with smart, passionate people that will bring value to the business. For example, I was invited to give a presentation in Southeast Asia to introduce our Amphibious line of boats to the Ministry of Interior of that country and approximately 20 people. They listened to the passion I had for my boats and the expertise I brought to the boating industry and today they currently have 150 AMP boats in service.
Having a sense of purpose allows us to accomplish big things. My purpose in work is directly aligned with my purpose in life. My mission in life is to do good and to keep people safe and saving lives. This purpose allows me to live my life authentically.
Having a strong value system helps you determine what is important to you. Every entrepreneur should have a personal value system that drives his or her behavior. Without a proper value system success will be challenging. When you have a strong value system you deliver an outstanding product, you offer comprehensive customer service, and you are honest with your customers. Customers only want to work with good companies that offer high-quality products. For example, my company has a three-pronged mission statement for our customers, and we deliver this with every boat we sell: We offer a unique combination of deep, global boat building experience, a dynamic design and production process and a dedication to comprehensive customer service.
Creating a roadmap helps an organization understand where it is going and how to get there. It illustrates a company’s objectives and strategies and helps the entire company measure and track everything. It also allows the team to stay agile to achieve company goals. We use the Agile Method to help us achieve very small steps every day toward long-term goals and to keep people accountable.
Disruptive thinking is about being different and challenges the traditional way of doing business. It has allowed my business to grow organically and prosper. For example, we introduced Amphibious boats. Now you can drive your boat in and out of the water! How different is that product in the boating segment!
In addition, on the recreational side of the business, we are selling our boats differently. We don’t believe in the dealer model that all other boat manufacturers are using. We have disrupted the industry creating a direct sales/brand ambassador approach to sell directly to customers. And, on the professional side of the business, we are not only selling boats to customers, but we are also serving as consultants to ensure that we are delivering the best boat for each individual customer’s challenge.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen CEOs & founders make when they start a business? What can be done to avoid those errors?
The most common mistakes I see are leaders believing in their own success and becoming complacent. Leaders need to continually keep themselves open to new ideas, new things, and new people. I find meditation helpful to keep me grounded, open to new ideas and creates a higher level of awareness.
Startup founders often work extremely long hours and it’s easy to burn the candle at both ends. What would you recommend to founders about how to best take care of their physical and mental wellness when starting a company?
Due to a health crisis, I take extremely good care of my mind, body, and soul. Balance is incredibly important for me. And I care that my employees have balance in their life, too. Meditation helps me reduce stress and anxiety and spending time outside of work with my family keeps me centered. I recommend that leaders find what works to help them stay centered, but it’s critical to enact some sort of process to ensure that they do not burnout from only work.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I hope that everyone can see their own beauty and shine to their best potential.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
His holiness the Dalai Lama believes in the promotion of human values and religious harmony — two beliefs I feel very strongly about. I would enjoy meeting with him in private to discuss these and many other worldly and spiritual topics.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Website: www.oceancraftmarine.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OceanCraftMarine/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oceancraftmarine/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ocean-craft-marine/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OceanCraftMarineUSA
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
