Snowboard Sale

Posts Tagged ‘Pelican’

My Favourite Hobby: Snow Boarding

Since moving into the suburbs, I have developed a new hobby: snow boarding. Snow boarding is great fun, and the reason I got started is because I used to go surfing when I lived by the beach, and when I moved away from the coast I had to find something new to satisfy my fix for extreme, white-knuckle sport. When I moved to my new college, everyone was talking about snow boarding, and a lot of my peers considered snow boarding an excellent hobby. When they asked if I wanted to attend, I was more than happy to come along and take part.

The next thing I knew I was at the slopes, and I had to let everyone know that I had absolutely no experience of the sport whatsoever. They appeared to understand, and everyone was really helpful when it came to explaining how to get started. In fact, there were so many people trying to teach me what to do, I actually found that I would rather just one person would teach me at a time. The next thing I knew, I was going down the slope, and had no idea how to break appropriately, or how to turn. OK, so I'll admit that getting tuition from a bunch of teenagers was hardly the best idea, but it ensured that I didn’t hold back on anything, and I certainly got off to a flying start. The fact is that you realise it is mostly just common sense, and the thrills that you get are amazing. When you are going down a slope at 30 miles an hour and you do not have to put in any effort to accelerate: that is like flying.

The fact is that I also enjoy snow boarding because it is a great social activity for everyone to enjoy. I had just moved to a new area, and snow boarding really gave me an opportunity to get to know people, and is actually the reason why I am friends with the people that I hang around with at the moment. After visiting the slopes a few times, my new friends and I have discovered more common ground, so now we enjoy other activities together, along with the occasional visit to the slopes of course! I’d recommend snowboarding as a great hobby for anyone, particularly those with a passion for extreme sports, or anyone with a sense of adventure. And it’s really great when you actually get involved - there’s a whole culture attached to it.

Some of my friends suggested taking up skiing, but this is something I think I'll avoid. It is almost like trying to compare a car and a motor bike. A car maybe burns less gas, it may be safer and may even turn corners with more precision, but what would you rather travel in for sheer thrills? Skiing just looks boring compared to snow boarding and the more I get into snow boarding the more my opinion is re-affirmed.

I am glad that I moved away, and I am glad that I managed to find a sport that I enjoy more than surfing. I am hoping to start entering into competitions soon, however I have a lot of catching up to do with my new friends first!

My Snow Boarding Business

I have my own snow boarding business and I have had this for around 1 year now. I used to be a management consultant before I decided to take the plunge and went for a business of my own. Before I done this I was very nervous and really had no idea about the level of results that I was going to attain. The fact of the matter is that around 20% of businesses fail in their first year, and I did not want to be one of those business owners that were left having no results, and a heap of debt to handle.

Luckily enough my business has been successful so far, and this has largely been down to operating in an area of high demand, where I am the only supplier in my area. You see, there are two local ski slopes and both of them have a lot of visitors each week, so I was aware that their was a demand in my local area for snow boarding equipment and skiing equipment. At first, I started off selling snow boarding equipment but I realised that I should start selling skiing equipment as well and this is a decision that I am glad to have made. Since I have started selling skiing equipment my sales have increased by 60%.

I now have four members of staff that I pay a good wage, and that are very loyal to my company. You see, the great thing is that all of them have an interest in snow boarding and skiing and this really comes through in the way they are able to help my customers make informed purchases.

I have a deal with the local ski slopes that when someone is a member of their slope they get a 10% discount on all purchases. This is something that I considered for a number of reasons. The first thing is that I didn’t want either of them starting their own shop on their premise, and I felt that through offering them something free they would be less likely to try and eat into my profits. I also felt that through doing this they would feel that the potential to enter into my market was less lucrative. I also have deals with them where I give them very cheap rates on their stocks, and in actual fact I make zero profit from the sales that I make to them. This gives them the impression that I have substantially better profit margins than they could attain, and puts them off competing.

Another way that I have had a certain level of success is through my online store. I had a website designed through which I sell all my lines to a global marketplace. Online I am competing with a lot of other websites that sell similar stuff to myself, but I am aiming to increase my websites position in the search engines, and by doing so I am hoping that I will be able to decrease my operating costs and increase my market reach. Already I am showing up at number 14 in google for snowboarding equipment and I am hoping to be on the first page for certain terms at some point this year. The thing is that when you have a high position in the search engines you can be sure to close a certain number of sales with no marketing outlay. There is also the issue that once you close a single sale with a customer they are more likely to return in future when they require further products that you sell within your range. I have also started to sell wholesale through a separate website and this has helped me in two ways. I am starting to increase my sales volume however at the same time I am decreasing my cost per unit to purchase through buying on a bigger scale. This is something that is offering my business growth potential, however my primary aim is to increase sales through my website at the moment.

My Snowboarding Hotel

I always loved snowboarding for as long as I can remember. I love the way that snow boarding is a sport that is filled with excitement and personality. I also loved the way that snow boarding was seen as a kind of extreme sport. It made me feel almost proud of myself that I was associated with this status. When I firstly hit the slopes and tried snowboarding it was actually a very new sport at the time, and had not even nearly been in the Olympics.

However, as the trend increased the slopes started to change its ratio of skiing to snowboarding. That is why I wanted to start a business that could benefit from this; I decided on starting a hotel in France that was actually targeting the snowboarders rather than the skiers. You see, the snow boarder and the skier are two very different kind of holiday maker. A snow boarder is more likely to be interested in having a great time, and socialising with younger people, whilst a skier may be away as part of a family vacation.

However, I realised that my business was going to be a risky venture because at the same time as I started it, I was scared that snowboarding might not take off in the way that it has. I mean – did you know that know 22% of winter sports competitors are snowboarders? That is an amazing statistic and one that really indicates the kind of thing that I am talking about. Snow boarding is a massive sport, and I actually do not think there has been any other sport in the history of the world that has seen such success in such a short period of time.

I should say the success of my hotel has been enormous, because I have been warm and comforting to the snowboarders, showing knowledge on the slopes and snowboarding in general. I am able to tell them what I would do, and give them some hot tips that have been passed on to me from hundreds and hundreds of snow boarders through my hotel.

One of the things that I love the most is the way that everyone is always having a good time, and that can reflect on my mood. When everyone in the hotel is enjoying themselves and having a good time, it is easier for me to sit back and have a good time as well. It really is that simple.

I am always asked by the snowboarders if I go on the slopes myself, and I always have to say no, almost appearing like I am a kind of half-interested snowboarder. I almost feel my head dropping as I say it. However, the reason for this is that nowadays, I honestly very rarely have any spare time, and it is the sad part of having my own business. My wife always offers to cover, but when she does I always see it as a great opportunity to go down the bank, or do something like catch up with the paper work.

When I think about how busy I am I always just stop and think about how lucky I am to have a successful business, and a comfortable living – however my passion for snowboarding that gave me the kick start to get the business underway has now gone.