Posts Tagged ‘sales’

New Adventures, New Challenges, New Memories, and New Obstacles!

Friday, May 10th, 2013

This is just the beginning of an amazing experience, and I am beyond stoked to be a part of the class 16 group of interns…however; instead of being in California with most of my class, I am stuck in Ohio working remotely.  My plans are still up in the air for now of when I will be moving out to California, but I am hoping it is as soon as possible.  In the meantime, I am currently in my last quarter of school and will graduate from The Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati in June with a BA in fashion marketing and management.  Wait, back up…fashion?  Yes, I have always had a love for fashion, music, art, and culture, but I have also found my real niche in activewear and my calling in action sports.  In high school I started wakeboarding and soon enough, snowboarding, which has lead me here as an intern with Bamboo Skateboards!

I found this internship on an up and coming action sports careers website called Super Rad.  Three weeks before I became an intern for Bamboo, I was constantly staying up until 3a.m. researching job posts because 1. I am a very determined person, and 2. I want to be in the action sports industry…like, yesterday.

So anyways, I found Bamboo’s internship post and I was automatically pumped after researching and learning more about the company.  This program is literally one-of-a-kind.  The in-depth experience, the culture, and the knowledge that we are going to gain from this is unreal!  I am looking forward to learning more about the industry so I can take as much as possible with me into the real world.

Today, we are slowly coming towards the end of the first week and it has been a crazy ride so far.  There is so much information to take in and keep up with, but one thing is for sure.  I have met (not technically ‘met’, but you know what I mean) so many awesome people and have learned some valuable life

lessons.  I am so grateful to be a part of this experience and I am excited to see what is next for Bamboo Skateboards, our class, and to be able to look back and see how much I have grown as a person after this!

“Today is the start of a new adventure. New challenges to face, new memories to make, and new obstacles to overcome.”     -Nishan Panwar

-Bri.

Check out this song that’s going to keep me motivated to move out West!

California

 

Late night wake sess.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

Summer upon us!

Sunday, April 7th, 2013

With summer approaching quickly, more and more I find myself near the water and in less clothing. But before days are spent in board shorts and flip flops there are some much needed skateboard trips! Last weekend’s event stirred a new desire to be on the road scouting skate spots and parks.  I was fortunate enough to find myself amongst some very inspiring talented skateboarders and enthusiastic spectators. Last Saturday the Carmel Valley skate park hosted the “I ride, I recycle” skateboard contest. Let me begin by stating there was much more to see than just a few power slides and wheelies. I was not only impressed by the caliber of riding, but the diversity of athletes. Not only were competitors of many ability levels, but they were of different sexes, age groups, and skateboarding styles. There was a little bit of everything at this event; it seemed as though even skateboarders that were not in the sanctioned competition were having fun skating in their own competitive contest. At any given time I would look around and see others not only having a great time, but having support from others doing it. It makes me remember weekends when mom would take me to the skate park. Ma didn’t know anything about skateboarding, so I never listened to her tips, you know stupid comments like “keep your head up, or “make sure to keep my feet above the metal thingy’s” it never failed that in less than 10 minutes an older skater would roll up and say “Keep your head up dude”, or “Yo bro, keep your feet over the trucks!”.  Somehow it sunk more when he said it; he was a peer and was understanding. this skateboard event reminded me of All the things that I long for…skate trips to rad parks, skateboarding with a diverse group of athletes, the inspiration from complete strangers that know what they are talking about and a little bit of summer to top it off.

JEB

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

Internship class 16 – starting in May

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

Who is Bamboo Skateboards?                                                                                                      

Bamboo Skateboards is an ecologically-based skateboard brand and manufacturer of high quality skateboards made from sustainable bamboo from managed forests.

  • We are social entrepreneurs who believe that giving back to our communities is as equally important as profits.
  • We service core shops, brands and individuals around the globe while providing a solidified partnership and unique experience with each.
  • We have been a part of action sports and skateboarding our whole lives and now passionately hope to inspire others to take actionable steps towards our preserving our natural environment.

What is the success rate of your internship?

In almost every class out of 14 classes so far, at least 1 top candidate has gained employment directly in the action sports industry while others gained other non-endemic positions.  A few of the companies include Fox Moto-X, Rock Star Energy, Haro Bicycles, Nixon, Dark Horse Distribution, Action Sports Group, as well as 4 prior interns having been employed by Bamboo Skateboards.

When does the internship start and end?

Internships are 16 weeks and class 16 will officially start on May, 6th 2013 and end August 26th, 2013.  Class 17 will then start in September-December.

What is the time requirement per week?

A minimum of 20 hours are required per week.  If you live local, we require one full 8-hour day in the Oceanside office but highly recommend at least two.

Is the internship available to those outside of California?

Yes.  We have had international interns from Finland, France, Germany, Scotland and Australia, as well as interns from Florida, Wisconsin, New York, Michigan, Illinois, etc.

Can college credit be earned?

Yes, class credit can be earned for college.

Is this a paid internship?

No.

What are the details of the internship?

Internship is graded on 400 total points involving weekly duties such as managing your commitments/goals file, writing weekly blogs, updating your philosophy and charters, providing mentor feedback, intern matrix grading other interns, mid-term exam, final exam, communication with team, etc. The last month of internship is devoted to improving your resume, interviewing practice and other key actions to maximize your opportunities for job growth. The style of the internship is disciplined with a syllabus, “intern-bible”, and weekly files that are all accessed on Dropbox and Google Docs. This style of internship is based on an MBA, business school program and is unlike your traditional internship. People can actually fail out of the program for not meeting the minimum requirements.

What are the core responsibilities and requirements?

Internship-in-training Responsibilities:

• Marketing – daily management of the FB, Twitter, HOOKIT, Instagram, YouTube accounts; analyze Google analytics; create contests

• Sales – visit skateshops; visit skateparks; manage alternative websites; find new sales leads and manage through salesforce.com; push online sales

• Public relations – updating database of contacts, writing press releases, finding positive publicity, pushing YouTube/Vimeo videos, handling event coordination

Internship-in-training Requirements:

• Applicants should be active participants with a thorough understanding of the skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding youth culture; prefer skateboarding-focused

• Applicants should be outgoing and personable with good social and conversational skills; communication that connects!

• Must be analytical, process driven, detail oriented and be trusted to get the job done

• Must be able to manage your time with outside life, work, etc.

• Must be a leader and a self-starter…but also maintain the ability to work independently

• Creative people with photography, video-editing skills are a bonus!!!

• Prefer college graduates, but others can receive college credit

Questions you will be asked:

1. What are you looking to get out of an internship in relation to your future goals?

2. What do you feel makes you a UNIQUE qualified candidate?

3. Why have you chosen Bamboo Skateboards specifically?

4. What days of the week are you available to come in and work a full day?

5. Are you financially stable to ensure that you can do an internship up to 4 months?

To apply, please submit your resume and answers to the five questions above to:

info@bamboosk8.com

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

SDSU ENVIROFAIR!!!!

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

So this last weekend I got to represent Bamboo Skateboards at “Greenfest” which was presented by SDSU’s Associated Students and SDSU’s Enviro-Business Society. It was a weeklong schedule of events which encourage, celebrate, and advocate sustainability and diversity. The purpose of GreenFest was to engage the campus community through social and interactive programs in an effort to educate them on the important of living a sustainable lifestyle and to promote sustainable practices.

Engaging with the students and staff alike, it was evident that SDSU is a campus that is at the forefront of living sustainably. Every vendor that was present was making steps towards revealing ways to improve lifestyle while doing a part of preserving the future. It was not only a great event, but a great venue. For anyone that has not been to the SDSU campus I would recommend visiting for the simple fact of viewing great architecture in a stunning setting.  Awesome art, design, and scenery coupled along with great weather and many like-minded students, sets the tone for becoming educated in both general studies and sustainability at a SDSU a synch. It is no wonder this is a preferred University amongst many students living in Southern California.

While working this event, I informed others about business practices that will not only generate business for Bamboo skateboards, but healthier consumer decisions  on what products leave less of an impact on future generations. Overall, I would say that this was a great success for Bamboo Skateboards and other products/services that promote sustainability!

JEB

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

Tools For The Job

Friday, March 15th, 2013

While it seems it’s been a lifetime, this internship has only been around 9 weeks since the commencement. What is most important for me is to understand I am past the halfway threshold. As we are coming towards the end of the internship, time will begin to slip through my hands and it will all be over before I know it. After taking the midterm, it seems as though all other work seems much simpler. It was not material that I have reviewed often, but it was very important information for anyone looking to understand and advance as a business owner.

Equidistant through the internship marks a good point to begin a new approach. From this point onward, I am dedicated to learn as much as possible from this internship using every aspect of running a action sports business. By asking many questions from all angles, this company will become more and more transparent in how it functions and operates. It is important to keep a focus on exactly what is expected from my position as an intern, but inquiring about other facets of the company can do nothing more than benefit myself, and ultimately the company in a healthier way.

I welcome the second half of this internship with open arms, and cannot wait for the opportunity to show what I have learned thus far about how to make a business thrive in such a saturated and difficult market. By using a very fine tuned set of tools, there is a way to compete with the ever evolving market of progressive brands out there. It is merely figuring out what tool is appropriate for the job at hand. This is my opportunity to show that my sets of tools are ready to be used! ]

Jeb

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

Midterm, Showbiz, and Cardiff Surf Classic

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

Hello world! It seems like every week is so packed with stuff to do it is insane. We just finished up our Midterm and I think we are all super stoked on how we did. It was a lot of prep work, but it all paid off. Last week we put in a bunch of hours trying to work as a team and come to consensus on our answers. Of course, we strayed a bit off track the first try, but we were able to stay focused and eventually came to consensus with our methods and our answers. I feel like this Midterm was set up really cool. It really helps you understand the financial and numbers side of the business. I’ve taken a couple accounting classes before, but they had little translation to this project. I like how there were two different factories with two different sets of variables that we had to calculate and compare. I felt like I was making real life business decisions and forecasts.

 

Just yesterday Mark, Thane and I went down to San Diego’s CW 6 for their San Diego Living segment. We joined a couple of other companies who will be attending the Cardiff Surf Classic this Saturday. Before we went on I asked the group if I could put on the Panda suit and get in their shot, and they were all about it! I was super stoked because I got to give the reporter a big panda hug. Then we did our segment, and Mark killed it. He pitched all of the cool stuff we have going on with iRide, Eqo Optics, the trophies and everything. Then, I asked the producer if we could get the Panda in the studio, and they were all about it! The woman reporter couldn’t stop laughing when as she posed like she was having a serious interview. It was great. Overall, the event was a tremendous success.

Now, we are getting all set up for our event at the Cardiff Surf Classic this Saturday. We have our kicker ramp all spray painted up, we have our obstacle course planned out, and Sean is finishing up spray painting the tarp wave that we are bringing down.  It has been quite an eventful week and I look forward to the event this weekend!

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

The end or the start?

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

Hi all,

this is my last blog entry for the Bamboosk8 internship. To you all that are starting this internship soon, good luck. It will change the way you see things, you’ll make lots of friends, you’ll learn a lot about action sports, skateboarding, people and business.

To those that worked with me for the last 4 months, thanks for all your effort and for helping me when I needed it. I hope to see you guys soon and work with you again.

To Mark, Geoff K, Geoff C and Jacquelyn, thanks for all your knowledge and friendliness. I can’t wait to meet you guys and work with you again in the near future.

4 months ago I was wondering what to do after I finished my studies and I didn’t have much experience or quantifiable results to show to prospective employers. Now, after 16 weeks I have a baggage of knowledge, confidence, experience and quantifiable results to go ahead with my career and I know I will stand above the crowd of job seekers.

I can’t thank enough everyone for their time and support, I wish actually I met you guys earlier, but this is where my destiny is taking me right now.

If you’re looking for a positive change in your life and all the other internships never filled that void, well, buckle up for the roller-coaster of your life. You’ll sweat a lot and you’ll be tested to your limits, but every week you’ll see how much you’re learning in sales, PR, marketing, finance and what others take years of work to learn or are never given the chance.

I consider myself lucky, being part of this class and having these people take time from their daily jobs to create something meaningful for future graduates or current university/college students is something that you won’t find anywhere and I know. I searched all of Europe, Australia and USA for this and only Bamboosk8 accepted me and had what I was looking for…real, quantifiable experience that I could then use to get a job in the action sport industry or whatever it is that you’re looking for.

Thanks again for making my life so hard at times, now I have the bigger picture and I know it was all worth it.

Bamboosk8 rocks!!!

Gabriel Ghigi

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

Check BambooSK8 out on KRUSH beginning 4/02!

Friday, March 30th, 2012

Coming into the final month, I am amazed with how much I have learned in 3 months. The internship experience has had its ups and downs, long hours have been put in, but I can really see this effort paying off. It pays off not only for what I learn as an individual, but also for the company. Facebook and Twitter followers are growing, sales are increasing, and BambooSK8 is being represented in more publications and websites. One of my commitments I can say that I am truly proud of, is expanding the exposure of the BambooSK8 brand through different online, sales outlets. A couple weeks ago, I coordinated a sale of long board completes to run with a member only action sports site for super discounted deals (www.thryll.com). Next week, beginning on 4/2, I will be running another event with KRUSH. KRUSH is a really cool website that exposes actions sports brands to a market that is in touch with that type of lifestyle. In addition to using this new audience for posting our products for sale, KRUSH also uses a customer feedback system. With this system, products are rated and reviewed to help identify trends and to help us make changes and improvements to the BambooSK8 brand. Be sure to check our Sneak Peek running through www.krush.com next week!

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

So Many Events…So Little Time

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

I can’t believe it is already week 9! Time fly’s when your being eco-friendly I guess. So far I have learned great things from my internship here at BambooSk8. The Management Systems that the company has in place really helps with organization. We also are required to fill out weekly time sheets that show everything we do, and how long it takes us to do it. I think it would be quite a feet for there to be a disorganized intern in this program!!! However, all of these tools are essential for entering the work force.

This week we are gearing up for the Clash at Clairemont. This event takes place on St. Patricks day, and I am SO EXCITED for it! Geoff K bought a panda suit for the event, and I can’t wait to see who we get to wear it. Things are pretty busy in the office, there is a lot of planning that goes into these types of events. After all, we want to make it great for everyone!!!

Other than the Clash event, things are running business as usual. I have been working hard with my team to get our Facebook and Analytic numbers where they need to be. I have also been spending a lot of time on Hookit to try and help our numbers there. We have some really great contests running at the moment, and we have another St. Patty’s day one about to be announced as well. Tameka, Mark and myself have also been working very hard at planning the fundraiser for Grind for Life. So far it is lining up to be pretty awesome!! The venue, Hensley’s Flying Elephant, is awesome!!!! We also have some pretty incredible bands lined up to play. The main goal right now is to get donations from other companies. So Jackie created a flyer for us to send out, and let me tell you, that girl is a genius!!!

On top of all of this, Jamie and I are helping some students up at the Oasis Skate Factory in Toronto with their deck designs. I can’t believe how amazingly talented these kids are. Their project is to create a deck design for a Bamboo deck that sends the message of sustainability. These designs are so good, I wouldn’t have thought they came from kids at all! Jamie and I are beyond excited to see what their final designs look like! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK GUYS!!!!

Below is some of the amazing work that the kids at OSF are doing!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

6 down, 10 to go!

Friday, February 17th, 2012

I am learning a lot with BambooSK8. When it comes to business, it really is amazing to see how a company works. With BambooSK8, you have the ability to see it very clearly because it is such a small company. I am able to quickly recognize the tremendous value each employee adds to the company, even the interns! Once again, since it is small, all the employees wear multiple hats. One day you can be working on sales, another marketing, and the next managing how the company operates. Being able to see and experience all these different roles first hand has also allowed me to learn what I do like and what I do not like. One example of something I learned about myself is that I can be salesperson. I never really considered myself a person with a sales mentality, but I have gotten a chance to learn this skill with BambooSK8. I have found that not only I can do it, but also I enjoy it. I enjoy the aspect to it of building relationships with people. It is also interesting to me to see how sales affects and adds value to a business firsthand.

Trying to manage all the different tasks with the various roles I mentioned above is not easy. That is why the leadership at this company is crucial. The president of the company, Geoff, does a good job at this. When he shows us the importance of what we are doing and stresses that what we achieve here will ultimately determine our next jobs; this helps to keep me on track and motivated. It also spurs on myself and other interns step up and assume leadership roles. This internship is 16 weeks long. Six weeks are in the books with ten now to go. Leadership will be critical to ensure we meet our goals in these remaining weeks.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »

Interested in interning with BambooSK8 or BambooBuddy?

Saturday, March 26th, 2011

First step will be to set up an appointment with Mark Olson for an interview.  molson@bamboosk8.com

Next, you will need to sign a NDA (non-disclosure).  We simply don’t share anything on the internship until after a NDA is signed as we need to protect our valuable internship documents.  At the interview is where we are able to show you the inner workings of the internship in full detail.  For now, you can read more about the internship through the intern blogs to gauge what they are experiencing. 

Some of the basics… The internship is based on 400 points.  These 400 points are made up of a midterm, final, 3 part higher level MPS system, communication with the team, weekly skype calls, 1 on 1 with mentor, blogs, communication with me, as well as fulfilling the weekly duties we require such as contacting the skateboard kids through one of our social networks at www.hookit.com  We provide a lot of structure in the beginning – there is a syllabus with details of what is due each week.  Each of the interns has a folder on our server where you keep all your documents and each class has its own folder broken down weekly with 16 weeks of material.  We also have an intern bible, which gives a lot of information on past things we’ve done, resources for finding things, etc.   On the flipside of all of this structure, is a significant amount of autonomy – it’s up to you to drive the results and find solutions to the problems we face.  50 points of the 400 is based on your ability to get the results, which leads to sales.

We provide a few key content areas that we like to focus on: sales, marketing and PR but leadership is a major focus throughout each.  It’s best to align your strengths first, but we always strive to cross-train with other content areas to broaden you.  Also, each month we rotate who your mentor will be, so you get use to different leadership styles.

The last month is devoted to interviewing skills and resume building.  The entire internship is focused on networking!

We start the 1st week of May, for internship class 10.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bamboo Generic | No Comments »