In any business, there are many obstacles that can get in the way of growth. Some may include tedious daily tasks, a lack of organized data, or inaccurate inventory. Paul Fleming and his team at AI Boats in St. Petersburg, Florida have had to face all of those, plus two hurricanes.
AI Boats is part of a unique operation—they’re a boat dealership and service shop, but the business also manufactures and manages distribution of their own boats to other dealerships. In 2022, Paul Fleming was brought in to oversee and grow both facets of the business.
Thanks to Lightspeed DMS, a strong vision for the future, and a little kindness, AI Boats has not only been able to weather the impacts of two hurricanes but they’re poised for a thriving next chapter of their business journey.
Bringing Everything Together
With the unique situation of being both a dealer/distributor and a manufacturer, Fleming knew the first order of business with a management system was to get things all on the same page.
“We have a sister company, so we wanted to find a solution that worked for both companies,” he said. “For example, they do shipping, and we needed a DMS that could add in shipping without having to switch between 3 or 4 different screens.”
Fleming has experience with several other DMS platforms that he could remember and “others that I’m probably choosing to forget,” but he used Lightspeed at a previous company and knew it could help them.
“After the demo, we realized Lightspeed would be the best option to accommodate both businesses,” Fleming recalled. “The Lightspeed onboarding was way smoother than others. As far as the system goes, it’s doing everything it should be doing, and we’ve been full-tilt running with it. Two years into my role here, I think we’ve put all the things in place and we’re ready to stretch our legs and grow the business.”
Cleaning Up the Daily Tasks
To clear the way for growth, you need to have a margin in daily operations to look ahead. Fleming has found that, with Lightspeed, they’ve been able to streamline several tasks that used to take a lot more time.
“Overall, inputting data into the system is much easier,” Fleming said. “From entering the lead salesperson to commissions and inventory, data organization is way easier on Lightspeed than other platforms.”
He also appreciates being able to customize a template for window stickers for shows or other sales opportunities: “The window stickers are much easier and more straightforward. You can put it right into the form builder, make it your own, then set that template so it comes out the same way every time.”
Lastly, when it comes to larger orders of boats that aren’t in inventory, the base model feature comes in handy. He added, “I can create inventory that isn’t in my inventory. As a distributor, I’ve got 100 different models of boats, so to try to quote a dealer 35 boats for an order, I don’t want to pull from my inventory. So I can send them everything, get an order, and then create a PO. It’s just a lot easier on the distributor side.”
With all those new efficiencies, Lightspeed has even made looking ahead simpler for Fleming and his team: “Looking at the desktop feature, I can look at both companies at a snapshot and see the margins and profits without having to pull 900 reports each day.”
A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way
In 2024, the Tampa Bay area was hit by two catastrophic hurricanes that decimated many businesses and damaged thousands of boats. This brought mixed feelings throughout AI Boats for many reasons.
On one hand, one of their facilities had severe long-term damage, with four feet of storm surge and a great deal of equipment and products ruined. However, with so many boats in need of repair around the area, it also presented a long-term opportunity for work and, more importantly, community support.
But amid the wreckage, Fleming got an unexpected call from his Lightspeed rep: “He was checking in on me, and he gave us a credit on our Lightspeed account until we got back up and running, just to help us out. It was a way to say, ‘Hey, we understand, and let’s get through it.’ It’s the small gestures in the world that make the biggest difference.”
Aiming for Growth
As Fleming sees it, the future is bright for AI Boats: “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll hit every one of our goals—the horizon has no limit. When you have the right tools, your goals become more attainable.”
Their goals are to move their distribution business into a new facility—their current one was too damaged by the hurricanes—while also opening a second location for their dealer sales and service, a five-bay, state-of-the-art facility. To top it off, they’re looking to expand their distributorship to other parts of Florida or even other states.
As Fleming and his team have found, when you have a solid, organized business foundation and a vision to grow, sometimes not even hurricanes can keep you from achieving your goals.
Lightspeed
Lightspeed is a leading provider of cloud-based software for dealerships and Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”), serving the Powersport, Marine, RV, Trailer, Outdoor Power Equipment, and Golf Car industries. Lightspeed’s Dealer Management Solution (DMS) enables dealerships to optimize their end-to-end business operations, including sales, parts, service, rental, accounting, and CRM. When implemented into their daily operations, Lightspeed helps dealers increase their profitability by selling more units, service, and parts, all while creating a more streamlined experience for customers. For nearly 40 years, Lightspeed has been empowering 3,800+ dealers across North America with the tools and technology they need to manage their dealerships. For more information, visit www.lightspeeddms.com.
