There's an article about us in the Mezza (the AD supplement). About Familieboten, about how we run a business together, about our income, our bad buys and our "fun-things account" that we pay 40 euros into every month.

It feels rather awkward. We grew up with the idea that you don't talk about money. And now our combined net income is there in black and white. Family, old acquaintances, guests from the past few years, anyone can read it.

At the same time, we also know this is exactly what it's all about. SEO and SEA, AI search, PPCs, Domain Authority and algorithms that nobody fully understands. That's quite complicated when your marketing lessons go back to the '90s. With some really good people around us, we learn every day and Familieboten is becoming more and more visible. And even more importantly, our boat owners' boats are being found and hired more and more. That does call for learning, discovering, daring and moving with the times. And sometimes also facing the discomfort.

So when journalist Edith Andriesse asked us to take part in a piece about couples who run a business together, we said yes. Awkward or not.

And it's working! Since the piece went online, we've been getting messages from people we haven't spoken to in years. We've seen a big rise in website visitors, new boat owners signing up and guests already booking for 2027.

Visibility sometimes means showing something of yourself that you'd rather keep hidden. Even if it's about a simple bad buy.

PS. Thanks for the beautiful photo, Jilmer Postma