How to Start a Skateboarding Company
Many skateboarders play around with custom designs and self-built boards as they get more experienced in the sport. These experiments can be turned into profit for skateboarders with good ideas and sound business sense. The profitability of a skateboarding company depends on unique designs, quality products and a commitment to skating culture. These three pillars of a successful skateboarding company need to be defined in a business plan before the first board is produced.
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Instructions
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Dedicate space in your home as a workshop for skateboard creation. Your skateboarding company can start in an empty garage with work tables, tools, wheels and empty skateboard decks.
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Inquire at local skate parks and shops about testing spaces for your boards. Each company needs a testing half-pipe and rail for staff members to test out the durability and assembly of new boards.
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Keep your overhead costs low by asking friends, local designers and students for help in your skateboarding company. The essential positions in a young skateboarding company are graphic designer, marketing expert and board assembler. These jobs can be split between several friends and volunteers who are willing to delay financial rewards until later.
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Design a website for your business that reflects your products and personality. This website must feature product samples, contact information and upcoming events where your skateboards are featured.
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Create a signature skateboard design that signifies your company's approach to the sport. Most companies who use cartoon figures, color schemes and phrases that are added to every board as a subtle method of branding. The signature product should play a prominent role in displays, demonstrations and sales pitches to distributors.
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Reach out to local skate shops, record stores and clothing companies for sponsorship for demonstrations and local events. These sponsorships allow companies to get exposure among target demographics and provide funds to a skateboarding company that needs to produce high volumes of skateboards.
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Investigate the potential for distribution in skate shops and retailers in your community as your skateboarding company grows. Your company can sell custom skateboards from its website while shops like SoCal Skate Shop determine if they want to carry your signature skateboards (see Resources below).
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Negotiate an agreement with a supplier of decks, wheels and accessories before expanding your business beyond local customers. There are suppliers like Blank Decks that offer volume discounts for skateboarding companies around the United States (see Resources below).
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Attend promotional events, skateboarding competitions and autograph sessions outside of your city to expand your connections in the industry. Each visit to a skateboarding event should yield email addresses and phone numbers of competitors, suppliers and sponsors who are interested in new opportunities in this competitive field.
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Look at your business plan every year to determine product lines and demographics that are under-served by your company. Skateboard customizers typically move into clothing, accessories and skateboarding video production to capitalize on their growing reputations in the sport.
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Tips & Warnings
Develop a stable of young and established skateboarders who can endorse your products in the future. Many skateboarding companies build relationships with unknown athletes to create reciprocal relationships as both parties increase their profiles. It is important for a growing company to get a veteran skateboarder on advertisements to stay competitive among regional and national builders.
Customize your marketing efforts to reflect the interests and technical knowledge of young skateboards and extreme sports fans. Your staff should create viral videos featuring impressive skate stunts involving your products. These extreme videos should be distributed through websites like Live Video and YouTube to reach tech-savvy audiences.
Prevent maxed-out credit cards and strained relationships by seeking modest investments from your friends and family. Ask for labor and small loans from loved ones in exchange for repayment when the company becomes profitable. Every owner should get these agreements in writing to avoid legal issues once customers start ordering skateboards.
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo by Steen Kelsa
