Things You Are Stoked On But Not Stoked On

[beatifk]

A dude contacted me out of the blue (he found me due to my current job and it's relatively high level within my industry) and told me he wants me to help him start a brand. It's not skateboarding related, I'm not that stupid, but it is in an industry almost as volatile and failure-prone. The guys sounds rich (doctor and property owner in many major US cities) and wants to throw money at this project.

So, if it comes to it I will take his money and do the best I can to start something for this guy, but in my heart I know it will probably fail and this dude will be fucked. However, I would like the freedom of it all, if it works.

Has anyone worked on this type of project before? All my life I've done the "right" thing and I'm old and poor (doing what I love, but I'd also love to buy a car) and I may be ready to be a bit of a scumbag. Don't get me wrong, I'll do my best to make it work, but my initial feeling is that this project will fail.

Stoked that I may have a new project and hefty salary; not stoked that maybe I'm turning into a cut-throat scumbag businessman.

[cosmicgypsies]

3 days into quitting smoking, going p well havent really had too many nicotine cravings and ive probably made up for it with excessive snacking. one thing ill note is fuck me it feels like mike tysons used my lungs as a punching bag.

[shit_for_brains]

A dude contacted me out of the blue (he found me due to my current job and it's relatively high level within my industry) and told me he wants me to help him start a brand. It's not skateboarding related, I'm not that stupid, but it is in an industry almost as volatile and failure-prone. The guys sounds rich (doctor and property owner in many major US cities) and wants to throw money at this project.

So, if it comes to it I will take his money and do the best I can to start something for this guy, but in my heart I know it will probably fail and this dude will be fucked. However, I would like the freedom of it all, if it works.

Has anyone worked on this type of project before? All my life I've done the "right" thing and I'm old and poor (doing what I love, but I'd also love to buy a car) and I may be ready to be a bit of a scumbag. Don't get me wrong, I'll do my best to make it work, but my initial feeling is that this project will fail.

Stoked that I may have a new project and hefty salary; not stoked that maybe I'm turning into a cut-throat scumbag businessman.

They're going to do it anyway and someone is going to get that money. If it isn't going to last you'll be free and have a new title and pay level. If it does last you'll be the guy who built the thing so you'll get more money.

[Baron Samedi]

3 days into quitting smoking, going p well havent really had too many nicotine cravings and ive probably made up for it with excessive snacking. one thing ill note is fuck me it feels like mike tysons used my lungs as a punching bag.

the three day mark is supposed to be a turning point, as i recall. u got it baby

[Painted Baby]

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A dude contacted me out of the blue (he found me due to my current job and it's relatively high level within my industry) and told me he wants me to help him start a brand. It's not skateboarding related, I'm not that stupid, but it is in an industry almost as volatile and failure-prone. The guys sounds rich (doctor and property owner in many major US cities) and wants to throw money at this project.

So, if it comes to it I will take his money and do the best I can to start something for this guy, but in my heart I know it will probably fail and this dude will be fucked. However, I would like the freedom of it all, if it works.

Has anyone worked on this type of project before? All my life I've done the "right" thing and I'm old and poor (doing what I love, but I'd also love to buy a car) and I may be ready to be a bit of a scumbag. Don't get me wrong, I'll do my best to make it work, but my initial feeling is that this project will fail.

Stoked that I may have a new project and hefty salary; not stoked that maybe I'm turning into a cut-throat scumbag businessman.

[close]

They're going to do it anyway and someone is going to get that money. If it isn't going to last you'll be free and have a new title and pay level. If it does last you'll be the guy who built the thing so you'll get more money.

SFB mostly covers everything but I will say I have 100% been where you are and had the same misgivings going in. I tried very hard to explain why the business venture was a bad idea and that the investor should keep his money and enjoy the business he wanted to get into as just a fan. However, I couldn't talk them out of it and it meant at least a new title for me so I went with it.

I have never seen such a complete disaster and it went about as badly as could be expected. The whole thing maybe lasted 4 months and we literally had less sales then you could count on one hand. The new venture wound up putting a financial strain on the investors other business and people other than myself were laid off at the end of it. Do your best but plan for it to go badly and have an exit strategy going in.

[shit_for_brains]

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A dude contacted me out of the blue (he found me due to my current job and it's relatively high level within my industry) and told me he wants me to help him start a brand. It's not skateboarding related, I'm not that stupid, but it is in an industry almost as volatile and failure-prone. The guys sounds rich (doctor and property owner in many major US cities) and wants to throw money at this project.

So, if it comes to it I will take his money and do the best I can to start something for this guy, but in my heart I know it will probably fail and this dude will be fucked. However, I would like the freedom of it all, if it works.

Has anyone worked on this type of project before? All my life I've done the "right" thing and I'm old and poor (doing what I love, but I'd also love to buy a car) and I may be ready to be a bit of a scumbag. Don't get me wrong, I'll do my best to make it work, but my initial feeling is that this project will fail.

Stoked that I may have a new project and hefty salary; not stoked that maybe I'm turning into a cut-throat scumbag businessman.

[close]

They're going to do it anyway and someone is going to get that money. If it isn't going to last you'll be free and have a new title and pay level. If it does last you'll be the guy who built the thing so you'll get more money.

[close]

SFB mostly covers everything but I will say I have 100% been where you are and had the same misgivings going in. I tried very hard to explain why the business venture was a bad idea and that the investor should keep his money and enjoy the business he wanted to get into as just a fan. However, I couldn't talk them out of it and it meant at least a new title for me so I went with it.

I have never seen such a complete disaster and it went about as badly as could be expected. The whole thing maybe lasted 4 months and we literally had less sales then you could count on one hand. The new venture wound up putting a financial strain on the investors other business and people other than myself were laid off at the end of it. Do your best but plan for it to go badly and have an exit strategy going in.

Yeah that last paragraph is a good and important one one. If you do it don't take your parachute off. I worked on this thing a few years ago that was supposed to be a big multi million dollar advertising push but I knew from the beginning it wouldn't work. I did my job anyway, took my money, and went "aw that sucks cya" when things went how I expected. The studio lost like 70% of their billing and eventually went out of business but I made it out okay.

[beatifk]

Thanks for the advice guys. I haven't tried to talk him out of it directly, but I've mentioned many times that this will cost a lot of money and our competitors will always have more money, more resources, more clients, etc. but the guy doesn't seem to care, he wants to do it.

Did it effect your ability to find jobs afterwards? How did you explain that you started a company and ran it into the ground in such a short time to potential future employers?

[shit_for_brains]

Thanks for the advice guys. I haven't tried to talk him out of it directly, but I've mentioned many times that this will cost a lot of money and our competitors will always have more money, more resources, more clients, etc. but the guy doesn't seem to care, he wants to do it.

Did it effect your ability to find jobs afterwards? How did you explain that you started a company and ran it into the ground in such a short time to potential future employers?

Don't try and talk them out of it. Why? These are businessmen trying a new business and that has inherent risk. They know that I'm sure and if they don't that isn't your concern. Your concern should only be what is in whatever you sign with them. Your role, responsibilities, liabilities, and compensation. That's it and that's all. If operational people were ruined by failed businesses Silicon Valley wouldn't exist. If you have a senior role or whatever, that's what future employers will care about. Doesn't matter if the CEO or whoever ruined everything.

[straight]

are you trying to start a clothing company or something cuz ya that’s dumb

[Jean-Ralphio Zaperstein]

Are you starting a flavored toothpick/golf tee company ? Cause I heard the markets oversaturated

[beatifk]

it's cheeseburgers, but we could do a collaboration with a toothpick/golf tee company to hold our giant burgers together while they are tee'd off of...

[shit_for_brains]

it's cheeseburgers, but we could do a collaboration with a toothpick/golf tee company to hold our giant burgers together while they are tee'd off of...

That's for sure going out of business but you shouldn't worry about it. Food service/restaurant/whatever does not work out 99% of the time and you will be blameless for it. Don't worry about their investment going away that's life. Make some money.

[beatifk]

It's not really. I worked in a startup restaurant as a server and it was a fucking joke. Restaurants of any type are a thankless grind. Especially now with yelp and people demanding to see managers at every business they set foot in for no reason other than that they want to complain and get free shit.

[Jagr]

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idk how to post images anymore but it’s a paisley deck with a sean cliver graphic of prince on morrissey’s shoulders in like 50s bathing suits tandem surfing

[close]

Shaped slick right? That was a good one. Never saw it in the stores. Congrats for having it for a time.

always loved that deck

[silhouette]

Food service/restaurant/whatever does not work out 99% of the time and you will be blameless for it.

Reminds me of that one time where this dude set up business two blocks up the street from my mom's house when I was a kid. Small town in the middle of the sticks with nothing ever going on, mind you. He basically set up some kind of hut at a busy red light that he was trying to sell fries from and that was it. Probably worked pretty hard and forked out money to get his official status, licensing, right to set up camp publicly etc., still two or maybe three days in his hut fucking caught on fire and burned down. Nobody ever saw the dude again.

Similarly, the only other sketchy hut in town to sell street food here happens to be Luy-Pa Sin's father's all-time favorite kebab place. It's really not that good at all.

[Paco Supreme]

I finally know who to blame for those tiles with the bumps all on them


Seiichi Miyake


Stoked i have a name, still not stoked on those damn things

[Painted Baby]

I finally know who to blame for those tiles with the bumps all on them


Seiichi Miyake


Stoked i have a name, still not stoked on those damn things

Are you talking about blind bumps? If so, do you know why they are everywhere? I don't get why sidewalk transitions on crosswalks have them.

Edit: Never mind I did a something search and saw the doodle video. The reason is in the name.

[childhood]

So blind people know where the street is/ they don't get hit by cars?

[Snowboardingsbetter]

I’m stoked on end of season laps on the hill in a long sleeve t shirt, but not stoked on having to put my board away for the season only to pick up a boring ass skateboard.

Let’s go shred with the white mountains as our backdrop or let’s go skate a curb behind some shitty run down high school. You be the judge

[Paco Supreme]

Yeah, the sidewalk braille like bumps that are around, i should emphasize, im not unstoked they exist, im just saying im stoked i finally know who invented those things.

That said, ive seen some shoddy placements of them in nonsensical areas far from an kind of obstruction or traffic intersection, theyre like built in ground skate stoppers over here in places

[Dwyck]

I’m stoked on end of season laps on the hill in a long sleeve t shirt, but not stoked on having to put my board away for the season only to pick up a boring ass skateboard.

Let’s go shred with the white mountains as our backdrop or let’s go skate a curb behind some shitty run down high school. You be the judge

I dunno, dipshit. let's take some gear to the architecture of any city on the planet and pull spatial play out of it or rent a dinky burton in five layers of north face and catch edge on a green and break both wrists

[Snowboardingsbetter]

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I’m stoked on end of season laps on the hill in a long sleeve t shirt, but not stoked on having to put my board away for the season only to pick up a boring ass skateboard.

Let’s go shred with the white mountains as our backdrop or let’s go skate a curb behind some shitty run down high school. You be the judge

[close]

I dunno, dipshit. let's take some gear to the architecture of any city on the planet and pull spatial play out of it or rent a dinky burton in five layers of north face and catch edge on a green and break both wrists

Woah man no need to be so aggressive. I guess I’d be angry too if I had to abide by gross over weight security guards kicking me out of the Walmart parking lot as a 30 year old for getting x-treme on their curb cuts.

How are those 6 inch ollies my man? You must feel like you’re flying 😂

[Allen.]

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it's cheeseburgers, but we could do a collaboration with a toothpick/golf tee company to hold our giant burgers together while they are tee'd off of...

[close]

That's for sure going out of business but you shouldn't worry about it. Food service/restaurant/whatever does not work out 99% of the time and you will be blameless for it. Don't worry about their investment going away that's life. Make some money.

If you don't someone else will.

[Dwyck]

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I’m stoked on end of season laps on the hill in a long sleeve t shirt, but not stoked on having to put my board away for the season only to pick up a boring ass skateboard.

Let’s go shred with the white mountains as our backdrop or let’s go skate a curb behind some shitty run down high school. You be the judge

[close]

I dunno, dipshit. let's take some gear to the architecture of any city on the planet and pull spatial play out of it or rent a dinky burton in five layers of north face and catch edge on a green and break both wrists

[close]

Woah man no need to be so aggressive. I guess I’d be angry too if I had to abide by gross over weight security guards kicking me out of the Walmart parking lot as a 30 year old for getting x-treme on their curb cuts.

How are those 6 inch ollies my man? You must feel like you’re flying 😂

Who skates parking lots? why is your frame of reference for the act of skateboarding John lucero in 1980. Do you spend the 7 months off season inside waxing your gear and renting Red Bull full-lengths where Canadian guys die doing dumb back country shit

[CoMpLeMenTs4Uonlysometime]

Stoked snowboarding season is ending soon snowboarding fucking sucks. Not stoked snowboarding season is starting up again in 8 months.

[Snowboardingsbetter]

Stoked snowboarding season is ending soon snowboarding fucking sucks. Not stoked snowboarding season is starting up again in 8 months.

Sensing a lot of inferior hobby complexes going on in this thread.

[SHIREFLIP]

[givecigstosurfgroms]

Skating everyday again.  Gonna keep up the bmxing tho.  I can walk into the next room and theres wooden bowl/ledges (EVERYTHING is covered in fucking wax) I can go do an air on my buddies bmx  right now. 
    There i got a good one, quarter pipe airs on a bmx are stressful.  It gives me a heart palpitation.

[cosmicgypsies]

Weather reports for the last couple days and week ahead have been great yet every time I’ve went out it’s fucking rained. Got some good nosegrinds and a fakie ollie down a set albeit a 3 but still hyped.

[slippy]

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Stoked snowboarding season is ending soon snowboarding fucking sucks. Not stoked snowboarding season is starting up again in 8 months.

[close]

Sensing a lot of inferior hobby complexes going on in this thread.

What a weird thing to get all into...  snowboarding is awesome but travel and cost prohibit it from being my daily activity.  Why would anyone have to pick one or the other?