Skateboarding and the Entrepreneur Vol.1 Tony Alva
“An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young” Oscar Wilde
Tony Alva started skating at 11, four short years later he joined the infamous Z-boys. He is a genuine innovator first 'frontside air' first in Guinness World Records, first Skateboarder poll No.1, World champion. A superstar while still in his teens. Alva had the style and charisma to crossover into new worlds.
At 19 during the height of his fame, he shunned the offers and promises by the large skate companies to break more new ground, the first skateboarder to own his own company to be in charge of his own destiny.
Alva launched Alva Skates in 77' innovating by being the first to company to use layered maple plywood for the decks, now a staple. He also launched two retail locations in SoCal with one in S.D and one in L.A. All this at 19 and with the guts to 'live his brand'. He knew who he was and wasn't afraid to live life his way.
“The possession of a perfect knowledge of your business is an absolute necessity in order to insure success.”
P.T Barnum
Alva lived skating and thus knew what skaters wanted, from strong and flexible decks to underside grip tape. Many entrepreneurs not only don't know their industry but worse they don't even like their product. Many franchise owners fall in here but sadly so do some start-ups. If you just creating a paycheck for yourself then your buying yourself a job you don't like.
Alva and the other skateboarders being featured here, have something in common they have practiced the same tricks over and over thousands of times until they hit them. They are used to failing, falling, bailing and getting smashed, getting up, dusting off and going after it again. Realizing that a slight change in direction, motion or pressure will eventually mean success. There is a lesson for every entrepreneur out there, just a slight change, a brush off of past failures and the will, never to give up, can yield landing that thing you only imagined possible.
Alva still rocking it at 55, still in business, skating and a committed philanthropist. photo Sean Kelly