Meet Tom Sullivan | Owner of Tom’s Toons

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tom Sullivan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The first small business that my wife and I were involved with owning was an existing business that we bought into as co-owners with a partner. That opportunity sparked the entrepreneurial spirit in us and helped us learn the ins and outs of owning our own business. Unfortunately, that business closed at the end of 2020. As avid boaters we recognized that pontoon boats have grown in popularity more than any other type of boat recently, and there are thousands of them on lakes and rivers around the state. There are new $100K decked out pontoons and tritoons on the same lakes as 40 year old pontoons with lawn chairs as furniture. The best part is that they serve the same purpose of getting people out on the water together on a high, dry, stable and safe platform. While buying a new boat might be the preference of some, others recognize that the structure of their boat is just fine, but the flooring, seats, and accessories just need an update. After all, aluminum is a material that practically lasts forever here in a freshwater state like Michigan. That’s where we come in. We saw the need for a professional service that could offer the “new boat” look for an older hull at half the cost of buying a new boat. And so, in January of 2021 we started Tom’s Toons Pontoon Refurbishing where we take old worn out pontoon boats and make them look brand new again.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

We started Tom’s Toons with some ads on Facebook and Craigslist with no history, no website, and no testimonials. We worked at booking one boat at a time. It was months before we even had a website to display the work we do and the services we offer. We were blessed to get the opportunity to have customers put their faith in us and boat by boat we gained experience in the industry and a reputation for quality work. Our first year in business was a huge challenge. There were times that we thought there was no way we’d make enough money to keep the door open, and then a few weeks later we’d have more boats in the shop than we knew what to do with. There was no work-life balance that first year. It was all work, usually seven days a week hustling to get boats finished and out the door. Once we began to be established and were scheduling work in advance on a regular basis we were able to balance things out better and were able to have a healthier schedule. Looking back, that first year was a ton of work, but it was critical to getting Tom’s Toons off the ground and set up to be a successful business.

Owning and operating Tom’s Toons has taught me that if someone is willing to work hard there is no reason that they can’t do their own thing or own their own business. What then leads to success is understanding the type of business that we are in. In almost all cases businesses revolve around people as their customers, and when we realize that we’re a people business then we can begin to find success. Take me for instance. I work on boats, I weld metal, and I make old things look new, but above all I work with people. The people I work with are my customers who have a vision to see their boat become something beautiful again that they can spend time on with friends and family enjoying time on the water and our great outdoors. Doing amazing things to a boat is one piece of the puzzle, but communicating with my customers and working with them to give them the product they’re after is what has led my business to success. I truly believe that too many businesses lose sight of that concept, and though they might do amazing work in their field, their customers will not be 100% satisfied because the business was focused on something other than the people they’re doing the work for.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being big time boaters I would take a pontoon ride out in Grand Haven and Spring Lake. The scenery is beautiful whether you’re able to head out on Lake Michigan on a calm day or cruise up the Grand River if the big lake is too rough. There are docks downtown Grand Haven to pull up to and walk to bars and restaurants or you can pack your own cooler and grill to spend the whole time on the water. I think everyone knows that Grand Haven is a boating hotspot, but if you’re willing to venture up the river there’s a whole new experience waiting to happen.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife, Cori, has supported my seemingly crazy business dreams from the start of Tom’s Toons. She’s dug into boats and gotten her hands dirty right along side me. Taking the leap from our previous business into Tom’s Toons where we had no customers, no income, and a different market was terrifying, but she held steady, believed in me, and helped push us to where we are today. I couldn’t have done it without her!

Website: www.tomstoons.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@tomspontoons