Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Campbell.
Hi Alex, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up surfing in Virginia Beach. As a kid my very first board was an old fish shaped board that I found under my neighbor’s deck. It was completely trashed, but I was stoked to have it. The neighbor sold it to me for $5. I took it home sanded it down, reshaped, fiber glassed, patched and repaired it. Every since then I was hooked. I watched movies like the Endless summer and fell in love with surfing. The brand name, Tamarindo Boards, comes from the movie Endless Summer. It is a location they travel to in Costa Rica. I went to college and began my career, started a family and got away from surfing as much. In 2014 I picked up a few used dinged up boards, did some fiberglass repairs in my garage and reignited my passion for surfing. I started designing boards on a CAD program and had a batch of 10 boards cut. They sold quickly and then I doubled down and made more boards. Each year the demand grew and I got more and more boards. During Covid the demand for outdoor sports equipment exploded and the small side hustle born in my garage turned into a full business with a warehouse location, multiple product lines, a distribution center, logistics partners, and revamped website. We sell boards locally, ship boards all over the country and wholesale to local surf shops and rental companies.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were lots of lessons learned. I lost a container of product at customs due to bad paperwork and batteries that were not properly marked and registered. It was over a 50k loss. A huge hit that was hard to recover from. I also had a shop that was wholesaling our products go out of business and was unable to pay a large balance owed to us. Another challenge is balancing part time help when there is a need for surge support and balancing my own time between family and a full time day job as a financial manager for a local consulting firm.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a Bachelors in Finance and Economics and an MBA. I have worked with consulting firms doing cost estimating, project management, risk management, and financial management. I have done work for The US Navy, Air Force, and NASA. I am currently the Financial Manger for a local consulting firm that has had amazing growth over the past few years.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
My business started from garbage. Literally. When I started doing ding repair and wanted to make boards, I needed capital. I would ride my bike with my wife and tow my kinds behind me around the neighborhood on every garbage night looking for items discarded that could be sold. Over a two year period, I was able to sell over 20k worth of items and used that money to help fuel growth for my business.
Pricing:
- Small Business, small prices
- low overhead saves costs
- almost no marketing costs making quality products lower cost
- warehouse direct pricing lower than retail
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tamarindoboards.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarindoboards/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TamarindoBoards/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tamarindoboardcompany4929
