One of my life-long hobbies has been skiing. I’ve been on the slopes for as long as I can remember, and over the years, I’ve gone through several sets of skis myself. Over the accumulated months that I’ve spent on the slopes in my life, I have found that skiing park was where I found the most joy. Unfortunately, not many ski companies/ manufacturers make skis specifically dedicated to park, and when they make, their selection is usually quite slim. That’s how I found out about Surface skis. They are a company dedicated to making skis with the sole purpose of hitting big air, terrain parks, rails, and everything in-between. CEO, serial entrepreneur, and founder, Michael Schneider has made a company dedicated to hard-core and experienced skiers. He has built all of his brands from the ground up. Michael has over a decade of experience in global trade, offshore and domestic product sourcing, line plan management, sales management, trade shows, photography, and social media marketing guru. He solved the problem that many skiers like me face, wondering if the product they are buying will be reliable, safe, or sturdy. Surface skis have just broken the surface, and I am beyond excited to see where this fantastic company will go.
Archive for sports
When thinking about the type of person who would be coined with he term “entrepreneur”, one might envision a well-dressed, business-professional man or woman in a skyrise. While this is true in many instances, there are numerous examples of uncommon people starting uncommonly successful businesses. One prime example of this are the young entrepreneurs who began the sports entertainment dynasty that is Dude Perfect. The co-founders of Dude Perfect, at the time it began, college roommates at Texas A&M University. They created a “trick shot” video out of a backyard and it was an instant hit on YouTube, gathering an impressive 200,000 views over just one week. After this success, the group began to produce more exciting, more impressive videos of seemingly impossible trick shots.
Through the incredible dedication of the cofounders, they edited the videos by themselves until they have the resources to outsource a full-time producer and editor. They began designing and selling online merchandise through their website and releasing iPhone applications that were downloaded by millions. I have heard two of the cofounders, (Cory and Koby Cotton) speak on how difficult it was to get Dude Perfect off the ground, and they shared how many trials they had to overcome such as low resources, sleep deprivation, and even facial paralysis. Present day, this sports phenomenon is worth more than $10 Million and that number keeps growing significantly. They are currently the seventh most subscribed YouTube channel (36 million) and have accumulated more than 7 billion views. They have worked with celebrities such as Serena Williams, Russel Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Chris Paul, and Drew Brees. The cofounders of Dude Perfect have created a sports dynasty that is enjoyed by millions and are changing the way we think of sports entertainment all while having the time of their lives.