This Entrepreneur Grew His Tow Boat Business by Sponsoring Little League Games Sometimes, to impress your target audience, you've got to spend a little where they spend their time.

Justin Nesloney grew up on the southern coast of Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico, doing just about every job available — from cleaning up oil spills to being a fishing guide. That's why, when he started towing boats back in 2020, it seemed like just another gig. But in a surprisingly short time, it's transformed into something much bigger: This year, he's on track to make $1 million in annual revenue.

How'd he do it? By identifying future customers and meeting them where they were — which was not always on a boat, or even anywhere near the water. Because sometimes, the best way to grow a business is to focus on who will need your service later, rather than right now.

For Nesloney, it all started when he got a call from the local operator for TowBoatUS, which is like AAA for boats. "He had some guys stuck in a boat way back in a flat, so he asked if I could assist them," Nesloney says. That's a common problem in his area of the Gulf of Mexico, where motorboats get stuck in the shallow bays. Nesloney had an airboat that could navigate the shallows, so he hopped in to help.

Related: How to Earn and Keep a Customer's Trust

The next week, that TowBoatUS operator called again. The week after that, he called twice. "One night, he said, 'Why don't you buy this from me?'" Nesloney says.

TowBoatUS is owned by BoatUS Towing Services and sells license service agreements to use its name, which is what Nesloney bought from the guy he'd been helping out. Now, two years later, he's the No. 6 TowBoatUS operator nationwide in signing up new business. (Like AAA, TowBoatUS's customers buy memberships.) "If any company were to come in and repeat what Justin did," says John Condon, VP of BoatUS Towing Services, "they would see the same results."

To develop his strategy, here are three important questions he asked after buying that license.

1. Who needs me now?

When Nesloney began, he had no idea how underdeveloped his territories were. But after about six months, he saw it: Sales of new and used boats had exploded during the pandemic, with people seeking out socially distanced, outdoor activities — and because lots of new boat owners were inexperienced, the demand for towing was high.

Related: 7 Ways to Build Consumer Trust Naturally

2. What inspires their confidence?

When he decided to become a TowBoatUS captain, Nesloney was 30 years old and newly married with a two-month-old — which is to say, he was short on cash. At first, he tried using his older boats but discovered that, for a towing company, solid-looking boats help inspire customer confidence. He financed a $40,000, one-year-old boat by Haynie, a local company he trusted, and demand spiked. "About three or four months after that, I walked in and paid cash for a brand new one," Nesloney says. He's bought a few more since.

3. Where else can I build people's trust?

People call tow boats when they're in trouble, but Nesloney wanted people to know about him before they got stuck in the water. So where were they? He figured boating was often a family activity, which meant boaters were at family-friendly events, too. He started sponsoring Little League teams, which went for $500 to $2,000, and people took notice. Then he repeated the trick at other family-friendly venues, like the local go-kart track.

"We're hillbillies, and we like racing," he says. "If we gave $100 to a kid's race team, TowBoatUS was a sponsor. Every hillbilly at a racetrack has a boat, and now we're sponsoring their kid. To me, $100 ain't much if I can sell three or four memberships the next week."

Related: How to Find New Customers for an Old Product

Now, Nesloney has his sights trained on his next big spends. He just bought a SAFE Boat, made by the same company that has supplied U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and next year he's breaking ground on a 1,500- to 1,800-square-foot office. "It will have a bar and party room," he says. "I'll go by all the marinas and tell everyone, 'When you get done fishing on Saturday, come on by and grab a beer and a burger.'"

At that point, future customers may be coming to him.