They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life – so it helps to find something that you are truly passionate about and find a way to make it profitable.
This is exactly what David Dennis did, who after learning to surf late in life, co-founded his own business with a partner to create a sustainable and environmentally responsible surf company.
Allow me to introduce the Co-founder of Ventana Surfboards & Supplies, David Dennis…
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I lead sales, marketing, and business development for Ventana Surfboards & Supplies. I’m also a product manager at Microsoft on the Outlook.com team.
I learned to surf late in life together with my daughter and son, and surfing quickly became a passion for us. I started Ventana with a partner to create the most environmentally responsible surf company on the planet.
I was shooting photos of surfboard shapers for an exhibit to raise money for the Surfrider Foundation Santa Cruz Chapter, and I realized how toxic surfboard production was.
As surfers, we espouse a love for the ocean, but our purchase decisions – wetsuits, apparel, surfboards, and the like – don’t reflect that. The production of those items is terrible for the environment – toxic resins, high carbon footprint, petroleum usage, significant amounts of water consumed, etc.
One of the people I photographed for the exhibit was Martijn Stiphout. He was building reclaimed wood surfboards that are among the highest quality and most beautiful in the world. Together, we decided to take his business to the next level and founded Ventana Surfboards & Supplies in 2014.
We’ve focused on three brand values: artisanship, responsibility, and adventure. Those guide everything we do.
We’ve designed several products, but one of our most successful is the Ventana Save-A-Surf Box. That one came from an unmet need – never having the smaller things you need for your surf session and having surf wax melt in your car. We created that product from the trash of four companies and have iterated on it based on customer feedback. The impetus for the idea was our own need.
We launched the company during the 2014 holiday season at a craft fair in Santa Cruz at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. There were no spaces available, but they let us set up in front of the building in the freezing cold.
It turned out to be perfect as everyone had to funnel past us on the way in and out. We had a limited selection of surfboards, apparel, and other products and hoped for the best. Revenue that day was almost $10,000 in a few hours, so we knew we were on to something. We’ve never looked back.
Having the highest bar for artisanship and environmental responsibility is what resonates most with our customers. And we’re constantly iterating, trying new products, creating unique art pieces, and partnering with terrific artists and organizations.
Customers love that we’re unique and that we’re also supporting the environment – most recently with the Ventana Ocean Conservation Scholarship. Our use of reclaimed and salvaged wood and materials that have interesting historic value also attracts a lot of attention. It’s important for consumers to know that the brands they support are doing good in the world.
“Let My People Go Surfing” by Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia is a great read relative to running a responsible company that cares about the environment and its employees.
The “How I Built This” podcast by Guy Raz is outstanding for entrepreneurs.
And we’ve been impressed with some of the podcasters who have taken an interest in what we’re doing at Ventana.
We’re still a small, two-person company. We’ve aspired to become a larger brand, but we’re finding that staying small and keeping the stress levels low has been rewarding.
We’re moving to focus more on meeting the needs of interior designers who work with clients in coastal and lake communities. Our boards are built to be surfed, but they are unique art pieces as well. All of them hang on walls whether they get wet or not.
The lean startup methodology is appropriate for any business, so start small and iterate! Don’t assume that you have all the answers. Research your customers, understand their unmet needs, and iterate your way to success.
https://ventanasurfboards.com
https://instagram.com/ventanasurfboards
https://facebook.com/ventanasurfboards
https://tiktok.com/@ventanasurfboards
https://twitter.com/ventanasurf
https://linkedin.com/company/ventanasurfboards/
https://houzz.com/pro/ventanasurf
https://youtube.com/ventanasurfboards
https://yelp.com/biz/ventana-surfboards-and-supplies-aptos
https://ventanasurfboards.com/pages/spotify-playlist-by-ventana
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