Imagine sailing on a bright sunny day, with the wind on your hair and a beer in your hands; having a good time with your friends and family, while munching some awesome food.

Sounds great doesn't it?

But anyone with some cash in their pockets can have such an experience; the 'real' thrill comes when you sail on a boat that YOU made yourself.

Benjy from Wooden Widget makes it possible for anyone to build their own small boat. He came up an idea of selling plans with detailed instructions which can give anybody a chance to relish the experience of building a boat from scratch and then enjoying it on the sea with a sense a accomplishment.

Learn how Benjy converted his passion and expertise into a successful business idea:

We sell dinghy plans. What makes us special is that all our designs have been created so that anyone can build their own small boat. We also plant a tree for every set of plans sold. See site for more details

Once upon a time, I was given an old folding dinghy. It was excellent but badly made. I decided to build a newer version using more modern materials and the Origami was born. Then I wrote about it and the story was published in a popular U.K. yachting magazine. I was inundated with requests for plans. It seemed like a good idea so I set about creating some. The end result has 100 pages, over 100 pictures and 20,000 words. The first plans took nearly 5 years to perfect!

I put a disclaimer! No, really, our plans are complete with lengthy discussions about materials and safe tool use. Where there is a danger of someone doing something stupid, there is a warning in the plans. The plans are in a step by step style. An actual dinghy is built and photographed and every action, no matter how mundane is described. I have had no reports of anyone cutting limbs off or sinking so it looks like the plans are safe and work too!

Oh Yes. If you believe you can do it, then the instructions will walk you through the entire process. You'll need some basic tools but even their use is discussed with any potential issues they might have. It's not rocket science and there is some room for error. The dinghy designs are very forgiving. If you make the odd mistake the boat can still be built.

No. In an attempt to reduce our carbon footprint, the decision was made not to sell or ship anything physical. The plans are in PDF form and can be downloaded from anywhere in the world without shipping a thing. All necessary materials will be available locally. The plans have been laid out to minimize paper when they are printed out.

A good product and word of mouth (eg: blogs like yours) is how we do it. We do not pay for advertising at all.

Here she is: http://www.woodenwidget.com/blown.htm My home for over 15 years.

Get on with it. Don't put it off. Be determined. You need a good product and lots of energy to promote it. A niche product helps. Get affiliates. We have over 50 now and they account for about one third of all our business. Be generous and have excellent business ethics. We put customers before profit. I know this might seem like a rather unusual statement but we believe it is possible to put the needs of your customers first and still make a profit. Lastly, be patient. A successful business does not happen over night. It might take years. Keep the enthusiasm and believe in your idea and eventually you will see a result.