Meet Yachting.mt Director and Founder Markus Behmann

Meet Markus Behmann, Director and Founder of Yachting.mt, Malta’s freshest yacht broker and charter service. This interview gives us an insight into who Markus is and why Yachting.mt came to be, among other interesting facts.

Originally from Germany, Markus moved to Malta in 2009 to study at the University of Malta. After graduating with two degrees and gaining some work experience, he started his own business in the affiliate marketing sphere. From there, he set up the digital transformation agency VEONIO, the small coworking space Glashaus and launched also a family business called aLIVE-Service, which offers outsourcing services to highly-regulated companies, e.g. health insurances. In 2020, he saw the need for digitalisation in the Maltese yachting industry and decided to set sail with a new venture – yachting.mt. 

Interviewing our Director & Founder

1. You are the brains behind Yachting.mt, why did you decide to start it?
   
   I looked for new investment opportunities in underserved markets and while the Maltese yachting industry is highly competitive, it is also very offline and intransparent in terms of pricing, quality, etc. When my friends and I wanted to charter a boat for a day, local websites did not work or were clearly abandoned, pricing and contact information was not available or the operators were clearly not qualified. In the end, we chartered boats through word-of-mouth recommendations from friends or Facebook marketplace listings. I had a similar experience when I decided to buy my own boat, where I encountered many obstacles due to a lack of information online (which is the first place where you look as a Millennial), incredibly unprofessional service providers, and a true bureaucratic marathon. Since I know how to build businesses and how to provide digital and customer experiences, I decided to enter the yachting market and disrupt it through high-quality service, transparent information, and a simple, digital and user-friendly booking experience. The idea for yachting.mt was born – I only completely lacked industry experience. In order to solve this, I partnered up with Stephen Duffy, a true maritime legend, who has several decades of experience in the industry and commanded all kinds of vessels all around the world. 
   
   
2. What does Yachting.mt do?
   
   Yachting.mt is still in the startup phase, but we offer yacht charters for a selection of vessels ranging from motorboats to classic sailing yachts. Those boats can be viewed and booked online. We currently prepare high-quality video and photography material to give our clients the best possible idea of what they book and the value they will receive. In addition, we also run a yacht brokerage service, focusing on selected high-quality vessels where we support sellers in the creation of marketing materials and guide buyers through the whole purchasing process and assist them in everything – from obtaining financing, all the way to finding the best insurance option or best marina spot.   
   
   
3. What direction do you see the company going in the near future?
   
   In the next months, we will focus on building a local client base, optimisation of our processes and the maximisation of our positive client experiences. Once we have the right recipe, we will expand our service offering and enter international markets through partners in Ibiza, Monaco and Dubai.
   
   
4. What makes Yachting.mt different from other similar businesses?
   
   The combination of decades of experience with Millennial requirements of digital proficiency and user-friendliness. Our main focus is to give our clients the best possible experience, starting with easily accessible information and high-quality video material, a digital and fully transparent booking process, personalised service, highly professional staff with decades of experience, and the desire to learn from our client requirements in order to grow into the best yacht charter and brokerage on the island.
   
   
5. What services are currently already available for people to access?
   
   We will start into the 2021 season with a selection of around 15-20 vessels for charter, ranging from motorboats to classic sailing boats. It is important for us to only offer boats that satisfy our quality and security requirements. In addition, we only employ friendly and highly professional skippers and ground staff who ensure that our clients will have the best and safest experience possible on the water, as well as before, during and after the booking.
   
   We will also offer yacht brokerage for high quality vessels with a price of €150,000 upwards. We support sellers in the creation of photography, video and drone footage, the collection of relevant information and promotion of the vessel. We support the buyers in finding the right boat for the right price, and any ancillary needs, e.g. securing financing, insurance or maintenance services.
   
   
6. If I want to sell my yacht, how can yachting.mt help me do that?
   
   Simply get in touch with us through one of our many contact options, e.g. the contact form on our website, Facebook messenger, email or via phone. If you and your yacht are a fitting match with our offering, we will then proceed to create high-quality photos, videos and drone footage of your boat, and collect all necessary information. Afterwards, we will edit the material and start promoting your yacht to suitable buyers. By being transparent at all times and providing a lot of information upfront to potential buyers, we will minimise the waste of time for buyers and sellers alike. Our professional staff will also guide sellers and buyers through the purchase process and provide helpful information such as contractual agreement templates, as well as marina spaces, insurance or financing contacts.

Interested in buying, selling or chartering a yacht? Get in touch with us today.