My uncle Carlo only had a 5th-grade education, a limp, and exceptional intelligence.
He worked as a doorman at the hospital in Grosseto and, as a hobby, designed sailboats—he actually created full-on projects. He even built a few, and one of his designs, a 20-foot cruiser, was bought by a shipyard in the mid-80s and produced in a few dozen units.
Do you know why I can’t recall many other cases of amateurs and self-taught individuals achieving similar feats (and if you have examples, I’d be grateful to hear them)?
Because it’s far more likely that an amateur or self-taught enthusiast, wanting a boat to spend time on the water, would go to a shipyard. Discussing specific ideas, solutions, and requests, they’d likely have one built for them.
I’m certain that any self-taught designer-builder who primarily just wants a boat would be advised by professionals to turn to a shipyard.
And I believe this would be said in good faith, not out of self-interest—perhaps even recommending a competitor.
Unless, of course, the building process is a way to pass the time, pursue a hobby, or find an excuse to get out of the house.
But if the goal is to sail, the journey is long and grueling: time investment, required expertise, inevitable mistakes, material sourcing, storage, assembly, outfitting… and that’s just to have the boat.
Imagine if they also had to design it—or even sell it! Hoping for success in such an initiative borders on delusion. Surely, we all agree on that, right?
So why do we accept the opposite?
Why do boatbuilders handle their own marketing and communication—the two primary tools for sales?
Why are such complex and critical tasks relegated to spare time and carried out by individuals who lack (and have no reason to possess) specific expertise?
Depending on the situation, I find such behavior to be presumptuous, foolish, ignorant, or even harmful.
Certainly ineffective for sales.
The fact that everyone has a social media profile and knows how to type on a keyboard qualifies them for communication as much as buying a mask and a scalpel at a pharmacy qualifies them for surgery.
Sure, everyone has the right to make their voice heard (a belief I hold dear), but no one is obligated to listen to something that doesn’t interest them.
So think carefully about how you handle these aspects and the tools you entrust your products to.
Unless, of course, you can rely on an uncle with a 5th-grade education, a limp, and exceptional intelligence who dabbles in nautical marketing. Otherwise, send an email to info@lliquida.com to enjoy a free one-hour consultation and start building communication that makes the difference between just making noise and actually selling.
