I wrote an article a year an a half ago, on how to start your own skateboard brand/company and to my surprise, I got lots of emails about it. So this is a part 2.
Now I got my decks, my team and a neat website . What's next?
Of course, starting a skateboard brand is one thing but a successfull one is a whole other story. Unless you are a skateboard legend or somehow very well known in the skateboard industry its a very hard road. I thought at first, I'll be modest and give it 2-3 years to really get out there .Then I talked to another small brand that been there for about 6 years, doing pretty good so far and they told me the first 5 years are very tough.They were right. It's not that the shops or people did not like my decks, it's because first of all the small local shops do not make much profit most of the time. Two of the shops that were selling the most of my decks just closed because they could not really survive as a skateboard shop. And then to get in the bigger one you need a distributor, but they won't do business with you unless you have already lots of sales. Yes, it's kind of a vicious circle.
First of all, if you're like me, just a random guy who likes to skate, you have to build your brand from the ground up, ie. only for the love of skateboarding. But you also have to think like a business man, after all a skateboard company is a business.
What you must have: A youtube or vimeo channel, a company facebook page, instagram account and a real website. Why a website if you have all the others? Because the website is like your business card these days. When you email a shops that have never heard about your brand, you can tell them, "go check my website". It sounds way more professional than just a facebook page. Make your website as simple as possible; videos, decks, pictures, team, contacts and links to your other social network.
So now at least you have a chance, if someone looks up your company name on the internet they will find something. They will say" oh my god it actually exist!". Now that you "exist on the face of the earth" here come the hardest part of all, telling the shops why your brand is the shit. Lots of times the shops will already have other small brand from their friends and it's not that they don't want yours but they don't want to step over their friends company. This is totally understandable.
So what is left for you to do? EVERYTHING! Start a "flow sponsorship for a year" contest, you can do some type of collab event with another brands, think outside the box and do what the others will never do because you need to stand out. You can also try to find your own skate market, longboards, old school board, hesh or more of an hip-hop style. Go see every shop one by one in person because, believe me, email can get discarded very easily. Then they will tell you, "sick come back in 6 month, there is nothing I can do right now".
If you don't give up and work hard on reping your brand, you will slowly make a spot for yourself in the business.
I don't know who told you its gonna be easy because its been hard for mostly every brand on the market. Back in the days the biggest brand ever Powell Perelta got pretty much crushed over night. This only means that at any moment a spot on the shelf can be available for you.
Good luck fellas.
PS get a Hellaclips account they will post any descent video you make.
