Our series "Saunders Stories" has returned with a look at Michael's youth on the north end of Longboat Key. She reflects on how her family's entrepreneurial spirit - owning and operating a marina - has left a lasting mark on her DNA.
"I have the entrepreneurial spirit in my DNA. I can go back to Uncle Johnny with his steam boat that he provided reliable transportation between Tampa and Sarasota.But then I can fast forward to my mother and father. My father was sales man so I also have that in my DNA. But his dream was to have a marina at the north end of Longboat Key. Now, we knew nothing about a marina. The bridge though was announced in 1957 that could connect Longboat Key with Anna Maria Island and he said, “We’re moving, we’re going to open a marina.”
The Mistletoe
So he went about. I don’t know that he had a very solid business plan. He just thought that would connect him and connect us to a world of opportunities to run a marina business. So, that was what we did. We rented boats. We sold bait. We cooked hamburgers. I can throw a cast net better than I can dance because my job was getting up early and throwing the net and getting the shiners for the fisherman or counting our shrimp by the dozen.
The bridge being built between Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island
So truly it was an entrepreneurial family effort to run a marina. And then we’d sit around the table at night and I learned the importance of a budget. And I learned the importance that [money] sometimes doesn’t stretch quite far enough so you have to be creative. We would count pennies and nickels and quarters and put them in roles. So that was my first business experience and so that entrepreneurial spirit, starting with Uncle Johnny and coming through my parents was really woven into my essence."
Learn more about how that spirit affected Michael in the years to come by watching our previous Saunders Stories at the links below:
Introducing Saunders Stories: The Beginnings of Michael Saunders & Company
A Very Magical Spot: Growing up on Longboat Key
Where to Build: Growing the Divisions of Michael Saunders & Company
Michael Saunders & Company: Your Local Connection to the World of Real Estate
