Life & Work with Karen Steele

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Steele.

Hi Karen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My 15 year federal career began in Human Resources as an HR Assistant at TN National Guard State Headquarters in Nashville. After many years in Nashville, I accepted a position as Human Resources Officer (NAF) at Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma, TN. I also have five years of direct oversight in the Morale, Welfare and Recreation functions at Arnold Air Force Base as the Deputy Chief of Services. Services facilities include the fitness center, a cafe, golf course, outdoor recreation, marketing and two Officer’s clubs. I learned a lot about marketing, outdoor recreation specifically boating and lake life. However, the daily pressure and stress of the position I held propelled me into early retirement.

At 54 years of age, after my federal career ended, I began a small business called “Home Restart” where I specialized in refinishing furniture and reorganizing/restyling spaces in customer’s homes. I enjoyed providing transformations on many treasured pieces of furniture for my customers. I still take on specialty projects in the fall and winter months.

FAB on the Duck (formerly Float-A-Boat) is located in southern middle Tennessee in Normandy. The opportunity to manage the business fell into my lap in the Spring of 2019. After discussion with my husband and the owners of the business, I agreed to manage the business for a six months season. FAB is a kayak and canoe rental business which provides float trips down the beautiful Duck River. Well, after I decided to manage the business, the owners decided to sell. That is how my husband and I became the owners of FAB on the Duck. We purchased FAB in June 2019.

We started with a small team of five people. When we took over the business, we had 50 kayaks, canoes and tandem kayaks. Now, two years later, we have 100 boats. We have built an addition onto our shop and now have a full-service merchandise shop where you can purchase anything related to floating the river. We even offer custom tie-dyed tees. We have a crew of 10 amazing employees and we continue to see growth and the love for the outdoors every year.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of my biggest struggles was building a better reputation for our business. Our Google rating was 3.4 when we bought the business. I knew I needed to work very hard to build our reputation and to provide a service that would stand out. One of the first things I did was build a team that had customer focus at the forefront. Each member of our team understands the weight of ensuring customers feel appreciated and welcomed and that they know how much their business means to us.

I took on tackling Google, Trip Advisor and Yelp with a vigor. Every guest who visited FAB was asked to rate their experience. And, little by little, our business reputation has crept up to now excellent review status. Our customers continually rate our level of service, our rental fleet and the overall quality for the price of floating the beautiful Duck River. We have to thank our customers for taking time to give us such a huge boost. We continue to strive to be the very best on the upper Duck River!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In my years as a Human Resources Officer and Deputy Director, I wanted to ensure my employees knew their worth, however, I was limited in how I could express thanks for a job well done.

In building my team at FAB, I took this on as the most serious part of my role as President. I wanted a team that had buy-in on how we did business, what we stood for, our mission statement, how we treated others and how hard we worked. I hired folks that had a passion for the outdoors and a mission in life. I developed an employee manual, lots of hands-on training for every member of my staff and a quarterly bonus system. They do like money!

I also have developed new roles at FAB to promote employees to higher-paying positions and provide them with more responsibility. I am most proud of the amazing team I have in place. This year we have a team of 10 employees who are like friends and family to us.

If you find us on Google now, the most significant part of any review is the reference to the FAB crew. We get 5 star reviews now for being top-notch, providing excellent customer service and treating our customers like we want to be treated.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am a small business owner and I support small businesses locally and regionally. I am happy to work with small business owners to provide them and their employees a day away from their daily grind. I offer small business group discounts for floating the Duck River. Interested managers simply need to contact me at (931) 619-6959 to discuss options for getting their team on the water!

Pricing:

• Single Kayak Rental starts at $35
• Tandem Kayak Rental starts at $50
• Canoe Rental starts at $50
• BYO Kayak (shuttle) $20
• BYO Canoe/Tandem (shuttle) $20

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://fabontheduck.com/
• Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/FABontheDuck
• Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/fabontheduck/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FABontheDuck
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fab-on-the-duck-normandy