I’d suggest keeping it a back yard operation. If you crunch the numbers on going legit you may just realize that the numbers don’t work out. You would need to factor in renting a work space, insurance, materials, town ordinances, fire regulations, Uncle Sam. The list could go on and on. How many boards would you have to sell to meet all of those expenses?
Keep your operation small and build a good local customer base and you may just make more money at the end of the week. If your boards are good, the local guys will consider you “their shaper”
That is very true. I have done my best selling them at the beach out of the back of my van or straight out the door of my factory. But having said that; I have always known that the way to do it is to own your own Surf Shop and sell your own boards. I have consigned in the past and just recently pulled boards on consignment out of a shop. Some of the most well know shapers consign. I was in a shop in Santa Cruz the other day. You’d know the name if I typed it. The day before a legend had been there to swap out three boards for three differant boards. You know that name as well. Sometimes it’s a good way to achieve name recognition. I know it helped me on Maui to have my boards in the Lightening Bolt shop Maui.
From my experience.
I started building boards for myself like 2 years ago or so.
Then I put some boards in consignment that sold out real fast in different shops in the bay area.
I stopped doing consignment just because it isn’t worth it, shops take between 20 and 30% of the $$ and when you are a newbie, well you can’t expect to sell your boards for more than $400 (and they have to look pretty damn good to sell them at this price), more often in the $300 (minus 25%, you only get $225, which is cool, but you are not generating any money, you might even lose some if you take the toll, gas you need to deliver the board to the shop in account etc).
What I would recommend (again, from my own experience).
- Build boards for yourself. Have fun (I built 10 boards before actually making one for someone).
- Be cool, talk to people in the lineup, on the parking lots when you change etc. if your boards look cool, people will ask you about them, every single time…
- Build some boards for your friends.
- Build more boards for yourself.
- Repeat until you get some people actually contacting you to get a custom (this will happen, your friends will play a big role in that if they are happy with their boards)
- Then one day, a shop will see one of your board and will contact you (this is what happened for me, I built a custom for a girl, she went to a shop to buy fins and went with the board, the shop owner liked it and contacted me to build 3 boards for the shop, they sold out, got great feedback from consumers, now building more for the shop).
- Repeat until, you know… you die
