I started a company to welcome more people of color into the predominantly-white yacht industry — here's how I built my business

• Sheila Ruffin is the founder of "all-inclusive" travel agency Soca Caribbean Yacht Charters.
• When she went to her first super-yacht trade show, she said she felt looked down upon as a Black woman.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sheila Ruffin, the founder of Soca Caribbean Yacht Charters, a DC-based travel agency, about her career path. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Having been born and raised on Virginia's Eastern Shore peninsula, I was exposed at an early age to two things that would unknowingly shape my career: life on the water and travel planning.

My childhood was filled with water-related activities like fishing on the piers, crabbing with my uncles, and boating with my grandfather, affectionately known as "Big Rich."

Although Big Rich was an avid boater, he couldn't afford to buy a boat, so instead he made one using metal scraps, leftover pieces of wood, and even the top of an old car repurposed as the boat's base. We aptly christened his creation "The Car Boat" and happily cruised in it along the Chesapeake Bay.

When I was six, my mother recruited me to help her coordinate family vacations. I loved to sit in front of our Macintosh desktop and plan where the family would go, where we'd stay, and what we'd do on future trips.

After college, I studied environmental law at Howard University School of Law. After completing my law degree, I moved to St. Thomas in 2012 to work as a coastal and maritime tourism attorney dealing with issues related to yacht marina construction, cruise port congestion, boating pollution, and public beach access.

Right away, I was struck by the obvious lack of representation of people of color within the yachting industry

From the captains and the crew to the tourists themselves, everyone was white. While people of color have enormous spending power, the yachting industry wasn't doing anything to attract them as prospective travelers.

This didn't sit well with me and stuck with me for years, even after returning to the Washington, DC, area to continue my work as an attorney. In 2017, I enrolled in The Travel Institute's year-long certificate program to become certified in tourism and travel-services management.

This was my first step toward creating my own boutique travel agency specializing in all-inclusive yacht vacations. My mission was to be "all-inclusive" in terms of the clientele we cater to and the crew we employ. I wanted people to visit my website and see people that looked like them.

Armed with my certification, I applied for grants and business loans but came up empty-handed, so to launch my business I dipped into my savings, took out a $17,500 personal loan, and maxed out my credit cards to the tune of $8,500.

I first invested in a website developer and social-media strategist and focused on building the Soca brand.

In spring 2019, I booked a solo trip to Europe to attend my first super-yacht trade show

Excited to network, I boarded the bridge of the most beautiful superyacht I'd ever laid my eyes on. I rang the doorbell of the vessel and was greeted by a dubious attendant. When I told her I'd love to tour the yacht, she turned to me stone-faced and replied unapologetically, "This yacht is only for people who can afford it."

I stood there in complete shock, the wind knocked out of my sails. My excitement was replaced by sheer embarrassment, which caused me to scurry off as fast as my legs would take me.

Looking around as I made my way to the exit, it hit me — not only was I the only Black attendee, I was also the only woman there and the only American as far as I could tell.

Distraught, I headed back to my hotel room, where I called a sorority sister to rehash the incident. She gave me a much-needed pep talk, and after a good night's sleep I returned to the trade show the next morning with my head held high. I walked in with an attitude like I could afford any of the $150 million yachts in the place, and I toured them all with the exception of the one from the day before, as they'd already shown their true colors.

When I returned home, I registered as an exhibitor at the US Sailboat Show that fall. There, I spread the word about Soca, made connections, and as the only Black-owned business of its kind, got a lot of media attention, which brought in interest from people looking to book yacht vacations.

Our yacht vacations set sail from the Caribbean and are an intimate experience that only hosts your group

We offer door-to-dock service, meaning that we pick you and your guests up at home, whisk you off to the airport, and once you arrive in the Caribbean you'll board a private yacht complete with a captain and a chef.

We currently offer yacht vacations in The Bahamas, US and British Virgin Islands, Grenada, and St. Lucia with pricing around $6,000 per person for five nights and six days.

Soca was only open 14 months before COVID-19 hit, but we've managed to stay afloat by offering day charters in the DC area and collaborating with Miami yacht companies.

Most recently, we launched "Strangers on the Seas (SOS)-Couples Edition," which allows couples the opportunity to mix and mingle for an adventurous and social yacht charter on the Caribbean Sea. I'm confident that between the vaccines and our new offerings, we'll see an increase in business this year.

It's been a long time since my days alongside Big Rich in his car boat and sadly, he passed away in the '90s. Although he never had the chance to see what I've created with Soca Caribbean, I know he'd be awfully proud to see his little granddaughter all grown up and making waves in the yachting industry.