Making skateboard decks is a challenge. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fabulous work.
But it’s a challenge.
You design what will be printed on the skateboard decks, get the sizing right, send it off to be crafted by another company, and wait.
And wait.
And wait.
Currently, I am waiting on six skateboard decks I ordered in November. I just got word the artwork is printing. That’s awesome. But it’s been almost three months. I have shops that want the boards but can’t get them to them fast enough. What to do?
Now, these are excellent companies, by the way. They have invented new ways of producing quality decks for great prices. They have streamlined the process by a lot. They have allowed indie companies like myself to make their own boards.
And they are doing yeoman’s work, making skateboards for hundreds of individuals and companies nationwide.
But the process is slow. You have to get in line, which is understandable. You must wait your turn—something we all learned in kindergarten but don’t want to do in our instant A.I.-iPhone society.
I’m learning a lot, but it means sales slow or stop, meaning I have to find different ways to do things or never be able to move forward.
This is why I love this business. It takes work. It pushes back on me every time I try something new. It drives me to be more creative and resilient than ever. It has demanded that I develop patience deep in my soul, deep in my being, deep in my core. It has forced me to keep moving forward—I can’t be static, or I won’t succeed.
So, I keep moving, refining, and taking one step at a time. And you’ve helped me do that just by being on my email list. It makes it worthwhile.
Think back to when you started skating. It wasn’t instant. You biffed a lot. You hit the ground hard. You might even have broken a thing or two. But you didn’t stop. Why?
The reward of learning to skate was more significant than the pain and the time it took to learn.
I would help everyone I know to learn to skate if I could. I would give them a skateboard, gear them up with pads, and get them on the road. I would hold their phones and watch them fall, get up, stand, and push. Over and over again until they’d learned how to ride smoothly for five feet, then ten feet, then down to the end of the block.
If they keep going, they will learn how to go around the block and then ollie, and then they are off to the races.
Since I’ve been waiting for these decks to come, I’ve been pursuing a new way to get boards made. It’s not new to the industry, but it’s new to me and to those around me. I’ve wanted to give up a few times, but God’s angels have stepped in with encouragement and advice each time. We have overcome each obstacle, and we keep going.
We are close, now, to being able to speed up production. One more piece has to drop into the puzzle, and I hope to have that in place in a week or so.
The patience, the waiting, the working, the creating, the pushing, the falling, the getting up, it has all been worth it. I will never forget this time. It has made me a better person.
I hope to have the end of the story for you soon. But in the meantime, what are you going after, one step at a time?
Is it better health?
Is it better relationships?
Is it a new job, a new hobby, or a new venture?
Like we said a few weeks ago, keep going. Don’t stop. One step at a time. Eat the elephant, one bite at a time.
Learn balance.
Embrace the joy.
Be creative.
See you next week,
Chris
