Marlène & Arnaud - Fort Lauderdale Boat Rental
🎤 Discover our Interview of the Week featuring
Marlene & Arnaud , Fort Lauderdale Boat Rental :
💬 1. What message would you share with emerging leaders in the French-American community?
I would say: think bigger than your comfort zone.
Moving to the U.S. forces you to reinvent yourself. The American market rewards action, speed, and confidence. If you combine French expertise and attention to detail with the American mindset of opportunity and scale, you create something very powerful.
Don’t wait until everything is perfect. Start, adjust, grow.
💬2. Can you tell us about your journey and what brought you to the U.S.?
I came to the U.S. with an entrepreneurial mindset and the desire to build something meaningful for my family.
Coming from France, where I had previous business experience, I saw Florida as a land of opportunity. The boating lifestyle here is unique especially in Fort Lauderdale, known as the “Yachting Capital of the World.”
That’s how Fort Lauderdale Boat Rental was born: a company focused on delivering premium yet accessible boating experiences for families and visitors who want to discover South Florida from the water.
💬3. What inspired you to grow your business here, and what surprised you most along the way?
What inspired me was the scale of opportunity.
In Florida, especially in the marine industry, demand is strong year-round. The weather, tourism, and lifestyle create constant momentum.
What surprised me most was how fast things move. In the U.S., decisions are made quickly. Customers expect efficiency, clarity, and instant communication. You must adapt fast or you fall behind.
💬4. What’s one cultural difference or mindset shift that helped you adapt to the U.S. market?
The biggest shift was understanding that confidence is currency in the U.S.
In France, we tend to analyze deeply before acting. In America, you act, then optimize.
Learning to present our company boldly, to sell our services without hesitation, and to focus on customer experience above all helped us grow faster.
💬5. How has being part of the FACC community supported you or your business?
Being part of the FACC creates trust and connection.
When you’re building a business abroad, having access to a network that understands both cultures is invaluable. It’s not just networking it’s shared experience, advice, and credibility within the French-American ecosystem.
💬6. What’s your favorite place in Miami or Florida, and what makes it special to you?
From a boating perspective, cruising through the canals of Fort Lauderdale at sunset is unbeatable.
Seeing waterfront homes, yachts, and the ocean meeting the Intracoastal reminds me why we chose this lifestyle. Florida represents freedom, ambition, and sunshine both literally and professionally.
💬7. What’s next for you or your company?
We’re focused on scaling strategically.
That includes expanding our fleet, strengthening our brand presence online, and creating premium tour experiences including trips to the Bahamas and customized luxury charters.
Long term, the vision is to build a strong marine lifestyle brand in South Florida.
💬8. If you could describe your journey in one word, what would it be and why?
Resilience.
Building a business abroad comes with challenges legal, cultural, financial but each obstacle forces you to grow stronger and smarter.
Resilience is what turns opportunity into long-term success.