Paris, France

I was walking down the Champs Elysees shopping for stuff that there was no way I could afford, and I took this picture…

This was a great combination of technology, small car convenience, style, and a little bit of World Cup association. All things the local folks in France are all about just like your boy checking the display out right in front of me. Maybe they were a little more psyched about the World Cup stuff 4 years ago, but you get my point.

 Chicago, Illinois

I worked at the 2010 Dew Tour Nike 6.0 BMX Open. (Side bar: this was a great event put on by a great group of folks, if you can make it out to a Dew Tour event this year, by all means, you won’t be disappointed) Toyota is one of the national partners of the tour and have representation at all Dew Tour events. This is a picture of their interactive space in the festival village at the event…

They kept the attention of the people attending the event and created a whole little world that they called “Adreneland”. Great setup for a very specific group. A very important group for them as well.

 World Wide Web, Planet Earth

My buddy who I have to set up and tell you is a family man from the midwest with three beautiful kids and a house in the suburbs showed me the latest viral campaign by Toyota on YouTube…

Fantastically done. Five million views and not a single media buy. It takes a good video that everyone can relate to in order to get that type of exposure. Nailed it.

So, Toyota has impressed me lately with the flexibility of their market positioning using their wide range of products to the fullest. It is all about knowing your position, embracing it and spending money strategically to support it.

During a break from selling my soul to journalists reaching out to my friends in the media, I came across one rant (I’m not going to post it) from a retailer who was mad that certain brands his store helped build are now in XY&Z big retailer.  He’s bummed and I understand it.  If I was a retailer in the ’90s and still kicking now, I may be bummed too.  But, I wasn’t and I’m not going to weigh in on what’s right or wrong and good vs. bad business.  I don’t own a brand and it’s not my place to say what’s right for the life cycle of someone else’s business.  What I am I’m going to tell you about is my friend Tim Swart and something called hustle.

You may know Tim.  He’s speaking at the upcoming Action Sports Conference (where I’ll be too – drop me a line!).  On the marketing side, he’s been either in house or acted as an external consultant for more than a few of the major brands in action sports today.  More than what’s on his humble resume on the Action Sports Conference site.  In addition to his marketing background, Tim also owns his own retail store and clothing line, named UNIV.

There are two things I really like about UNIV, outside of their excellent grip tape that I use exclusively on my stuntwood (thanks Tim!).

1. UNIV is different. Right next to UNIV is Hansen’s, an independently owned store that is like an orgy of things you can get gnarly on or wear to look like you’re going to be getting gnarly.  They also do excellent base grinds if your snowboard needs love.  Hansen’s is great and established in the Encinitas community.  It’d be hard for UNIV to compete against them directly.  That’s why Tim doesn’t.

UNIV carries a lot of its own stuff (including excellent selvage denim), which makes sense as Tim is growing the brand beyond the one storefront.  But UNIV also carries a lot of other brands not saturated in the area.  They may carry some skate or surf stuff, such as Vans and SB, but primarily what you get at UNIV you’re not going to get anywhere nearby.  They’re not a skate or surf shop.  They’re a store that carries some cool brands and if skate fits in there, they’ll consider carrying it.  Could I get Vans somewhere else?  Yeah, sure.  But see point #2 for some reasons why I may not.

————-

Vapor Studio is right next doot to UNIV. Ricardo Camargo, the studio's director, has had his hand in building (literally) more than a few of the brands we know and love out there. If you're looking for a studio to handle not just branding, but take a project from the design phase through production, check out Vapor Studio (http://www.vapor-studio.com).

————-

2.  Tim has built a community around UNIV. Every other week I’m hit up about some cool event I don’t go to because I fear leaving my house on the weekends I’m so green that I don’t like to burn fossil fuels for the sake of fun on the weekends.  But from what I can see online, table-tennis tournaments, art shows, pop-up shops and random collaborations with BMX brands and pros (see below) happen on the regular.  Cool.  If I wasn’t so green and felt comfortable sacrificing fossil fuels for the sake of fun, I’d go up there on the weekends.  From the pics I’ve seen online though, Tim usually gets a pretty cool turnout without me coming.

————-

————-

Now you might be saying “Eff off Bill, you don’t know what you’re talking about!” and you may be right, maybe I don’t.  And maybe my examples were too long, so I’ll just sum it up here.

Be Different: I remember hearing once about this brand “Volcom” where a few guys were doing something “new” around the early ‘90s. They seem to have done ok for themselves.  Stores that stocked them in the beginning gave customers something different to choose from.  There are more than a few brands that have been successful by being different and new during their time.

The SH*T Won’t Sell Itself: Tim’s events and projects take extra time for him and his staff.  Maybe you’re not hooked up with BMX pros – so a collab like he just did is out of reach.  Fine.  Do something else.  Hold a clinic for “first time surfboard or skateboard buyers” and invite parents to come in pre-holiday – if you didn’t grow up surfing or skating, buying your kid a new board can be a daunting task.  Or have a Facebook contest.  Host games of skate in your parking lot.  Do something to get me in there.

Good luck to everyone heading to the Action Sports Conference, Agenda HB, ASR, Outdoor Retailer and Surf Expo.  Drop me a line if you want to hook-up on site.

Tim, thanks for the griptape and support, I really appreciate both.  Especially the grip… I get a lot of compliments on it as I cruise to brunch on Sunday afternoons in my khaki pants.

What is the concept behind Brick & Mortar?

The concept for brick and mortar is really pretty simple.  I just wanted a place in Salt Lake where skateboarders could come, chill, grab some product if they needed, and just hang out.  I really just wanted a place that was strictly skateboarding.  Where people could talk about skateboarding, and the dude behind the counter would know what they were talking about.

Being a nube right out of college, did you know in the back of your mind this was your destiny?

No I honestly didn’t.  It has been something I have always wanted to do but it for sure wasn’t destiny.  I always wanted to be a high school teacher.  I actually was applying for all these desk jobs right after school, but I went to the Blueprint Skateboards video premiere in Boston when I was home, and it was there that made me realize I wanted to open a shop.

Give us a run down as to what core brands your running?. You’re single handedly the only.. SKATE ONLY shop in SLC.

The core brands that I am going to be carrying are pretty much the same as every “core” shop I guess.  Such as Deluxe, Kayo Corp, DNA, Stereo, Blueprint, some east coast brands like Traffic, Hopps, and Raw.  Also Elwood, fourstar, Matix, Lrg, Analog, Krew for clothing.  And for shoes a little bit of everything from converse, adidas, and gravis to Lakai, dvs, and habitat shoes.

Do you feel a skate shop plays an important part of the cities skate culture?

For sure feel that a skate shop plays a big part of building a skate scene.  Having a shop that shows nothing but love for all the skaters, and acts as a meeting spot for the kids to meet up gets everyone to know each other and build up the scene.  Also holding events such as video primers, or games of skate or things of that nature are also really important.

Seeing how your located right in the middle of town do you expect a lot of crazy people coming in off the street giving you shit?

Yeah it’s going to suck, but it will make it so there are never any boring days.

This business venture has been a solo mission, you’ve been putting in some serious hours, whats it like being a real businessman?

It’s been cool, but it has been really, really stressful.  I went from going to like 3 hours of class a day and a few days a week working a mellow job to like 80 hours a week non stop work at all.  It’s defiantly tough, but it has been cool.  I am excited to open!

You got a nice “Sun Storm” 24 lamp tanning bed in the back stock room right now, are you giving  out free base tans on opening day?

Free base tans and Brazilian wax

Lets talk about opening day, whats the set date and how are you setting it off?

Opening day is July 31^st.  To set it off there will be games of skate maybe a piñata.  To be honest I haven’t really had too much time to think and plan this, but there will be something good

Whats one thing you want the youth and skate community of SLC to know about Brick & Mortar?

I just want everyone to know that if they love skateboarding, or want to love skateboarding then the doors of Brick and Mortar will always be open.  No one’s a mark until they prove themselves to  be a mark! Ha

Who do you want to tip your 40 to..any shout outs?

Big thanks to everyone who has helped me so far.  Kevin and Steve at Raw in Somerville, Ma  for the help.  Greg and Paul at Prestige.  Pat and Brooke at Yobeat for the videos, those are cool.  Lurch for being good at Ikea, Tim for making awesome ads and this interview, and really everyone else who supports the shop, it really is awesome.

Thanks Hondo for doing this interview, see you at the opening party July 31 @ 200s 561w SLC.

THE DECK WALL

This is the first Chilean snowboard film “Cordillera” produced by La Tabla Magazine in 2000. Watching it reminded me of videos from the 90’s. It shows how far behind the trends the scene was a decade ago.

CORDILLERA – La Tabla Snow Video from BETASNOW on Vimeo.

Fast forward to Corte Film’s 2008 “NO ES FÁCIL” teaser…In 8 short years technology (HD cameras, snowboard equipment, athlete development) has helped mold the Latin American snow scene into its present day form. While still behind the trends, the distance between North & South America is compressing.

Throw social media into the mix and it becomes evident, at least to me, that the opportunity to frame the Latin American snowboard experience in a culturally relevant manner towards the growing U.S. Latino youth population. Thus speeding up the amount time it takes to educate new consumers and grow the sports participation in North America…

More than 50% of people don’t negotiate when it comes to job offers.  Whether it’s fear of the employer’s reaction, fear of losing the offer, fear of conflict or just fear of negotiating poorly, we are paralyzed at the thought of going through the process. REMEMBER, they want YOU and they offered the job to YOU! I always hear from people that they are petrified of having the company retract their offer. Rest assured in all my years of coaching, I have never seen a company retract on an offer due to the fact that the person wanted to negotiate.

Why do we negotiate anyway? Well for one, your future raises are based upon your starting salary. Studies show that lifetime earnings are significantly higher for those who negotiate their starting pay. Many who do it the first time will likely try again for a promotion, in turn earning them more than the person who never tries. Another way to think of it is that it is like making thousands of dollars in mere minutes. Think about it this way, if we are capable of standing up for ourselves, then will be the first to stand up for their company when the time comes, especially in sales/marketing positions. Employers tend to have a more favorable impression of employees who negotiate (assuming their approach was professional). In the end though, you will be happier and they will get a great employee, creating a win/win.

Most companies are expecting you to negotiate.  Having worked in HR, I know that it is common for a company to come in at their lowest possible offer, knowing that you will likely just take it. They also will come in low to ensure room for movement in case you do decide to go the negotiation route.

Notoriously companies industry-wide know that most of their candidates would cut off their right arm and their left foot to get their foot or now lack there of in the door, so they really don’t negotiate much with the newbies. Those that have worked in the industry and have a few more gray hairs to show for it know that they are worth more and will be more inclined to fight harder for better pay.

Many companies will also try to get you to give them a number early in the process to see what you are willing to take. There are a myriad of ways to answer the salary question. Your goal is to try and get them to throw their cards down first. I say NEVER give them a number right away, instead do everything you can to tip toe around the question with responses like:

• “I’d be happy to discuss the issue of salary as we get further along in our conversations about this opportunity.”

• “Of course salary is important to me, but at this point I am much more concerned with whether or not I am the right person for the job and if this company and position is a good fit for me.  Once we determine if I’m the right person, I’m sure we can come up with a salary amount that is satisfactory for both of us.”

• “I assume a range has been set for this position and wonder what the organization has in mind?”

Once the offer has been made a possible counter offer could be:

• “Through my research the salary range for this position is $xx,xxx – $xx,xxx.  Taking this into account, along with both the needs of this organization and the experience and skills I would bring to this company, would you consider a salary of $xx,xxx.”

• “Based on my experience in this line of work and my current salary, I was expecting an offer closer to $xx,xxx. Would there be possibility of bringing me up to industry standards upon a 6 month review?”

Keep in mind that money is not the only means of negotiation. People tend to forget all of the other awesome things we can play around with when going through the negotiation process.

• Paid time off (vacation/personal/sick days)
• Professional development conferences
• Flexible schedules or work from home
• Review and raise in 3-6 months
• Relocation costs
• Parking costs
• Signing bonus
• Laptop, cell phone, internet access, car
• Fitness/Wellness plans
• Childcare

The key to a successful negotiation is to make it mutually beneficial for both parties. The last thing you will want is to walk away having accepted a job or a promotion that did not satisfy your expectations or to have an employer annoyed at your negative attitude throughout the process. Make sure you do your homework.

• Know the market/ Do your research www.salary.com or www.payscale.com (NOTE: Expect positions in the action sports industry to be between 10-15K less than most other industries)

• Create a list of fresh achievements
• Know your boss
• Rehearse
• State of the company
• Schedule an appointment

Knowing the basic rules are also key. Know what you are willing to take and be willing to walk away if a mutual agreement can’t be reached. As I mentioned before do your best to get them to give a number first. Make sure you get EVERY, yes EVERY offer in writing! Don’t lie about other offers or misrepresent yourself as this could backfire so fast you won’t know what happened to you. Know your worth/salary range for job in that industry/area. Be firm but flexible and last but certainly not least, be confident that you are the best thing to ever happen to them and they need to give you a new Porsche, mansion in the Hamptons and a salary bigger than LeBron James.

REGISTER NOW !!!

group Y is pleased to introduce the second annual Action Sports Conference. Powered by the leading action sports networking and education organization, this unique conference will bring together over 300 attendees to explore multiple aspects of action sports branding and marketing via engaging keynote addresses, interactive roundtables and educational panels. Attendees will not only interact intimately with likeminded action sports and key brand executives, but will do so surrounded by the unparalleled atmosphere provided by the US Open of Surfing.

Last year’s conference was a sold-out success, hosting speakers, attendees and sponsors from companies including ESPN, FUEL TV, Target, Burton, Nike, Oakley, Disney, Monster Energy, Aspen Ski Company, Wasserman Media Group, US Olympic Committee, NBA, Fast Company Magazine, Transworld Media, Getty Images and more.

The conference will be held across the street from US Open of Surfing, surrounded by the activity and excitement of America’s largest and most-renowned Surfing and action-sports event. In addition, ESPN X Games, Agenda Show and Maloof Money Cup Skateboard contest will be held during the week in nearby venues.

2010 CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

more to be announced — *subject to change

A recent Shotwell series follows professional skateboarder and filmmaker Alex Klein. With a crew of three friends, Klein spent 2 months shooting in war-torn Israel and Gaza to explore surfing as a means of peacemaking in the region. Klein’s finished project has been made into the film God Went Surfing With The Devil and has been featured in film festivals around the globe including the 2010 Israeli-Palestine Film Festival. Klein’s film is unlike most surf films which are often a travel-log of the world’s most sought after waves and epic rides. Take a look at Say Mayday’s behind the scenes coverage below.

Shotwell: Alex Klein – Part 1

Shotwell: Alex Klein – Part 2

Best of luck to Say Mayday. Looking forward to more great pieces. Interested contributors can hit the submit button here.

Follow Say Mayday via RSS feed

Follow Say Mayday on Facebook

Follow Say Mayday on Twitter

OK, got here after the entrance gates have closed for the night, but the Expo was open for another two hours.  First task, getting by 3 Chinese police officers that don’t speak English.  Hmm…. pleading? bribing? offering one of the designers that was with us?  I’ll just try and reason with them in English, that should work. Read more…

First morning in Shaghai, jetleg in full effect, thought I’d go for a nice quiet 5am run in the park alone. Hard to find “alone” in Shaghai. Read more…