Entrepreneurs of all sorts will really appreciate the material on this one. In L.A., we interview Geoff Koboldt, COO of Bamboo Skateboards and Bamboo Buddy. He’s a big advocate of the 4-Hour Work Week, and has incorporated many effective methods of time management into his work and personal life. He talks with us about this, marketing, financing, hiring, and much more. He’s also just a really down-to-Earth guy who’s all about getting things done and making the most of his time here. – iWebXpert’s
Geoff had a great time being interviewed by Daniel and Jacob Ballard of iWebXpert’s from N. Carolina, who have been traveling across the United Stated interviewing a variety of business owners to learn more about the entrepreneurial spirit. Many questions were asked about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and run a business, what lessons can be gained, how to manage ones time and balance out life/work, how to be sustainable, etc. Geoff also talked about his daily meditations and spirituality, his pursuit of reading a lot of books including the Charge by Brendan Burchard and the 4 hour work-week by Timothy Ferriss. We hope you enjoy and will help share this video so others can learn. Thanks!
As part of our philanthropic efforts, we headed up to the tough gang-ridden neighborhood of Watts, California to pass out some free bamboo decks and complete skateboards. This was part of our “100 decks for 1” program, which gives 1 skateboard per every 100 we sell to charities that help at-risk youth. It is our honor and privilege to do what we can to help inspire others and hope that others can do the same in their community.
This time we supported an organization called Bridge to Skate - www.bridgetoskate.org who was kind enough to introduce us to some deserving kids. We agreed that we could create a positive experience for the kids and in way make them feel devalued or feel like they are at-risk; for their lives are all they know. They also have a skate contest 1x/month, which was cool to watch all the kids shredding in the new park that was developed thanks to the funding of Tony Hawk’s Standup For Skateparks. I remember being at that fundraiser, so it’s good to see the tangible rewards.
Whenever you tell someone you are going to Compton or Watts, both in S. Central Los Angeles, people often say, “Are you crazy?” The area is notorious for violence and gangs. Nonetheless, what does it say about us as human beings if we only focus our energies on those who can afford our products in safe areas with modern conveniences? Not everyone has the same life’s situation so it is our duty to help others who don’t have it as easy. It’s important that every customer of our products knows that their purchase is helping someone else.
Despite all the fears (created by others) of driving through Watts, the skate park is situated in a very nice section on Central avenue at the WLCAC with other buildings and activities that brings about a strong sense of community. There is no doubt these kids have it tough; some of which have to risk being shot at or being harassed by gangs by simply skating down the road. Nonetheless, they show up and forget about all that when they are skating and that’s the magic of skateboarding! We met a lot of really nice, respectful kids and wonderful supervisors and parents who care a lot about these kids.
As I drove home, I looked at the beautiful expansive view from the 105 freeway which included snow-capped mountains 50+ miles to the East, skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles to the north about 10 miles, Hollywood sign to the Northwest about 15 miles, ocean to the right. I thought to myself, “Do many of these kids ever get to experience this or are they stuck in their bubble of space and time fighting for survival?” At that moment, I felt grateful for the gift of giving. Whether or not any of these kids will become future pro skaters or not, it doesn’t really matter. For this moment, they had fun and some of them got a free new skateboard and the chance to do something positive, something healthy, something fun. I trust the universe will take care of them and fill them with joy during their time on a bamboo skateboard. To me, that’s the real raw beauty of skateboarding.
To help build our completes, we asked the skateboard industry for assistance this time. Unfortunately, not one of the pro distribution companies (Dwindle, BlackBox, Blitz, Syndrome, etc.) were able to step up to provide trucks (hopefully next time!!!), but we did receive some wheels and grip tape from Starnet Production; so thank you Vincent!!
We are stoked to be on NBC LA news with our partners at ROOZT.com among other great brands that give back to at-risk youth, foster a buy 1 get 1, give to charity, etc. Many of these companies have values of humanitarian, philanthropic or eco-friendly.
Oceanside, California (PR Buzz) October 7th, 2011: BambooSK8, a leading developer of eco-friendly bamboo skateboard decks, will be an impressionable exhibitor at the Sacred Craft surfboard expo at the Del Mar fairgrounds October 8-9th. The revolutionary companies bamboo longboards and skateboards are proof that progress is being made in the skate industry towards more eco-conscious business practices. “The time is now to start making incremental changes in our industry and lead a new generation of responsible consumers,” say’s Geoff Koboldt, President of BambooSK8.
BambooSK8 will maintain an exciting booth in the “skate zone”, a section that will feature ramps, a longboarding slalom course, and tarp surfing. Along with surfboard shapers, designers, and manufacturers they will be spreading the word about how the surf and skate communities are becoming more eco-conscious and changing the paradigm. They will also be showcasing a range of longboards from the 31.5” locker cruizers to the 42” double-kick, as well as the new “Ride for Earth” skateboard deck, which plants a tree in Europe for every deck sold. Forward-thinking products such as their wheels, made from 20% corn; which helps to displace the petroleum in traditional urethane wheel production, will also be seen on their completes.
Why skateboards at a surf expo? Mark Olson, Operations Manager, at BambooSK8 explains, “Surf brands, such as Lost, are expanding into the skateboard market which is why one of the most impactful surf events, Sacred Craft Expo, has expanded this year into having a skate zone. With us being a local and growing manufacturer of skateboards with a longboard division it is important to support our industry as it grows and progresses.” BambooSK8, like the surfboard manufacturers that will be present, is focused on being at the forefront of innovation and eco-friendly practices.
The Sacred Craft surfboard expo will feature over 150 booths, making it the largest consumer surfboard expo ever produced. Another highlight will be during the Sustainable Craft Showcase, an area that is dedicated to the manufacture of surfboards using more environmentally friendly materials. Surfboard designer and futurist Carl Ekstrom will be honored at the event during the “Tribute to the Masters Shape-off” where six shapers chosen by Ekstrom compete to shape the best surfboard based on an original Ekstrom design. The event, which includes a lot of music, food, surfboard shaping and giveaways starts on Saturday at 10am and ends at 6pm while on Sunday it starts at 10am but only goes until 4pm. Follow BambooSK8 on twitter @bamboosk8 or Facebook @bamboosk8 for exciting opportunities to win special prizes at this monumental event – www.sacredcraftexpo.com
I will tell you my son has been skating for 5 years and we have been using element and girl boards cause they seemed to last the longest. Then we tried your boards. The bamboo boards out last these major brands and are half the price. All his friends have your boards now also. No problems with the regular boards very strong, they skate at kona skate park and are very aggresive, awsome boards. I don’t know what its gonna take to get your boards known like element or girl or dgk, but I belive you hjave a superior product for half the price, your company should take off. We will keep buying them! Thanks, Jason.
We have new bamboo decks in stock – check them out in the shop! We bring you the highest quality, best price decks in the market. Check out our fans page testimonials – www.bamboosk8.com/fans
I got my son’s deck in the mail today. I want to tell you that your vision is suburb. Shit, I’m 35 and I’m even thinking about buying a deck from you and starting to skate again after 21 years, because I appreciate your mission so much (plus it’s hard to watch all these little 8-14 year olds in front of my house all the time having so much fun on their boards…oh the good ol’ days). Anyway, I hope you singlehandedly change the entire industry and everyone moves to bamboo. I also hope in your venture, your company ends up squarely on top, because you pioneered the path. Put it this way, you have a client for life and I hope your business prospers so much that you no longer have time to sign your own letters and you’ll be so busy these emails will have to go to customerservice@bamboosk8.com (not that I don’t appreciate the personal touch!). Thank you for what you do, keep manifesting your beliefs and prosperity will be yours. Kudos!
Click to read an interview with Ron Stebenne of Oceanside, California BambooSK8 talking about the ecological benefits of bamboo as a superior choice for building skateboards. Thank you transworld.
BambooSK8 contributed some charitable goods that went directly to the LAYN organization kids at the shelters and some stuff for the celebrity gift bags (if all went as planned) - check out www.layn.org for more on helping out kids who have been abandoned by their families and need hope. We also gave 2 bamboo skate decks to Slash for his kids!!
What a spectacular night of rock star celebrities coming all together to help out this wonderful cause. Imagine if you can, Slash on guitar with Dave Navarro from Janes Addiction, Travis Barker of Blink 182 on drums, Duff from GnR/Velvet Revolver on bass, Ozzy Osbourne singing, Billy Idol singing, Chester from Linkin Park singing, Andrew from Wolfmother singing, Tom Morello on guitar, Perry Farrel of Janes Addiction singing, Steven Adler from Guns and Roses fame on drums, and many more… a mixture of covers from Led Zepplin to Black Sabbath to Janes Addiction. Wow! The event was hosted by George Lopez, who was incredibly funny. I wish I could tell you all the hilarious dirty jokes he said, but this wouldn’t be the forum for that. Another funny moment was when Slash’s wife and one of the kids was on stage asking people to text to LAYN to donate $10 and not too many people were dialing, so the kid grabs the mic and say’s, “start texting mother fr’s.” The crowd just erupted in laughter and finally pulled out their phones. The event was hosted at Avalon in Hollywood on Vine Street – across from Capitol Records building. It started out with each of the celebrities doing the red carpet horse and poney show for all the TV cameras and other press before going in and rocking out. I was fortunate to meet up again with some of my guitar heroes – Dave Navarro of Janes Addiction (who is never that friendly to strangers with his “I’m too cool for the world attitude”) and Tom Morello of Rage against the Machine (who is always super cool). The silent auction involved a variety of items up for auction including a really great one in my opinion – Anthony Keidis donated his 4x gold Canadian (4 million copies) certification and autographed it. It was a huge framed item that I believe only went for $600. Other items included autographed guitars, bamboo stuff, vacations, etc. Tickets for this event ranged from $85-500 for the VIP experience, with around 800+ tickets sold. Thank you Fez for making it happen!!
So where do I begin when it comes to the music? I’m a huge music fan…
I will start off by saying this – OZZY Osbourne takes it to mach 10 within 3 seconds of getting on the stage and the crowd just couldn’t keep up. His pitch was still relatively well but its his passion that just wreaks havoc on the crowd considering his age and mental state (?) – he comes alive like a little kid with eyes that just possess you. It was awesome!! Billy Idol was rocking hard as the crowd chanted “Rebel Yell” – always great to see him; I hope he never lets that punk attitude die. Watching the chemistry of Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro as they did “mountain song” and “jane says” was memorable, as it always is to see them connect again. Andrew from Wolfmother – what a voice; enough said! They covered Wolfmothers hit “woman”…which is so Led Zepplin but still so cool. Chester from Lincoln Park – hits some high notes but not that impressed overall – granted, he just flew in from France, so I got to give him cred. Tom Morello on guitar – who else can scratch a guitar with metal and make you hum along to it? Always great to see Tom, who is incredibly upbeat and even watching him from the side of the stage – he was so into watching Billy Idol and Ozzy…feeling every bit of the emotions put out. I can remember seeing Rage Against the Machine in 1992 with House of Pain in Detroit – I knew it wouldn’t be long before they took over the world. I then attended about 7 more shows over the years until they split, then came back, then split, then came back. Travis Barker – this dude is sick… he played 90% of the night with 110% – seriously, he’s one of the best drummers out there and always a super cool guy with no ego. I had just saw Travis a few weeks back at the Tony Hawk charity event in Beverly Hills. Duff from GnR fame… always keeping the groove locked down. Even GnR’s Steven Adler came out to hit the skins as they covered “Paradise city”.
The night ended around 11:30 to all of the celeb’s being bombarded by paparazii outside of the venue… thankfully no one got hurt.
Great job Slash, LAYN, Fez, and others involved!!!! May this money donated multiply in blessings for children in need.
Flea receives the SIMA Humanitarian of the Year Award from Tony Hawk and Izzy Paskowitz during Liquid Nation Ball 6, La Jolla California, September 11, 2009
I have been a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers for over 20 years… I’ve seen the Chili’s at least 10 times in my life and have met Anthony and Flea on different occasions in LA. I can’t even describe what it’s like to be in their energy field other than an amazing sense of gratitude for the music they make and the love they spread through the world. If you would have told me 20 years ago this band would sell millions of records – I would have said ”no way” despite being a huge fan. If you grew up in the 80′s, then you would know how important this band was to skateboarding and how much they loved skateboarding.
Anyhow, Flea says, “What i do is what you are suppose to do…be kind, love people, treat them fair, etc.” We can all learn something from this humble individual we call Flea. Nobody weird like me…
While we are at ASR, we ran into my old pal Preston who use to skate for me over at Grind King a while back… anyhow, my boy has a new show out that we want to help promote because we will be featured on it in the fall.
PUSH, hosted by Preston Pollard and co-host Stephany Rose, is an inspirational and entertaining new show with a truly cutting edge of culture, music, ministry, and extreme sports, including skateboarding, BMX, and motocross.
This Christian based show will showcase some of the biggest names in the professional skateboarding industry, such as Jeremy Rogers and Greg Lutzka, as well as feature the hottest artists that make up the popular Contemporary and Rock Community.
PUSH will revolutionize the extreme sports scene. Through “a day in the life” with the most popular pro figures, PUSH will give youth the opportunity to spend time with their role models, providing them the direction and inspiration needed to pursue dreams and use extreme sports as a healthy outlet. Giving back to the community, the PUSH crew will be giving presentations at middle schools and high schools, and be providing selected students with the tools needed to break into the skate or BMX scene, such as boards, bikes, helmets and overall inspiration.
The show will demonstrate how dedicated and passionate the featured skaters and bikers are about their sport and their art, and they will extend their stories, inspirations and steps for success to youth through a school involvement program. PUSH will provide viewers with the positive messaging that we all have a God given potential for greatness, and no matter the limit always PUSH for success.
Premiering Winter 2009, PUSH will air weekly to an audience of 10 million people worldwide on TBN/JCTV. Additionally, the show will air on DirecTV and Dish Network throughout Southern California.
I recently visited a local Venice school to speak to the students about life, business and bamboo… The presentation was well received by the skaters and I will likely be returning to do some hands-on learning lessons about business.
The goal will be to teach the students the entire process of starting a skateboard company from ordering product, handling logistics, quality control, how to market it, how to understand sales, understanding profit margins and income statements, balance sheets, etc.
Who knows – one of these sharp studens might be leading the next hot skate brand…you just never know.
If you are interested in having BambooSK8 come speak at your school – by all means – let us know, we would be happy to contribute.
We want to thank Dr. Twede and the Michigan State University packaging department (PKG 485 class) for their assistance with designing a skateboard package with an environmental and cost-effective focus. 11 students spent this past semester working on the project; Geoff Koboldt (MSU graduate) first spoke to the class about sustainability and skateboarding in January and then Ron Stebenne came in for the final presentation at the end of April. The 11 students got their special own bamboo skate deck with a “S” for Spartans and Michigan State University logo screened on.
Last month, BambooSK8 visited Shanghai, China to visit the worlds largest skatepark; over 150,000 sq. feet. This park was insane to say the least… although we only saw maybe 6 skaters total; all of which were from other countries. For the $3 to enter, it was well worth it… especially on a bamboo skate deck.
Thanks to George and his staff at Modern Skate and Surf in Michigan for putting out a great ad. Growing up in Michigan, I was always a fan of Modern Skate and Surf who had a few shops around the state with great service and great prices.
Venice Ramp on Lincoln Blvd.
Are you sure you have to go poo poo?
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