How to Start a Surf Brand

With Adam from Adam Mar Surf Shop 

People always ask me what it's like to own a surf shop. They usually imagine mornings spent surfing perfect waves, afternoons drinking coffee, selling boards and wetsuits, and evenings watching the sunset with friends. The reality is... that’s all true. If you're serious about opening a surf shop, here's my completely unofficial guide.

STEP 1: Get a normal job.

Somewhere between spreadsheets and meetings, I realized I wanted to build something that was mine. The funny thing is, my best business meetings happened before work — in  the lineup. I'd squeeze in 40-minute surf sessions before catching the 7 a.m. train into Manhattan, and somewhere between mediocre beach-break waves and Penn Station, the first ideas for my brand started forming.

STEP 2: Save money. Then immediately lose it.

I spent two years saving nearly $30,000. It disappeared faster than an East Coast summer. My first factory produced inventory that barely fit anyone. Thousands of dollars became thousands of dollars' worth of expensive life lessons. Congratulations — you've now officially become an entrepreneur.

STEP 3: Never order 3,000 T-shirts.

Seriously. Don't. Order 20. Maybe 50, if you are feeling reckless. If your first production run requires a warehouse, you've probably skipped a
few chapters.

STEP 4: Remember that "going big" isn't always the goal.

Everyone wants to talk about scaling. Scale this. Growth that. In reality, staying small is a superpower. Small lets you change your mind. Small lets you survive mistakes. Small lets you actually know your customers instead of reading about them in analytics reports.

STEP 5: Trust your gut.

Mine told me to rent a tiny storefront in Montauk. Financially? Questionable. Emotionally? Absolutely right. I couldn't even afford an apartment, so for a while I slept behind the front counter on an inflatable mattress. Not exactly the glamorous surf-life my mind was promising.

STEP 6: Expect absolutely nothing on opening day.

Customers won't magically appear because you painted the walls and hung a nice sign. Community takes years. Reputation takes years. Trust takes years. For me, it was slow, steady growth built almost entirely through word of mouth. No paid ads. No gimmicks. Just trying to make good products and treat people well enough that they'd come back. Around year four, things finally started to click.

STEP 7: Go surfing.

This sounds irresponsible. It isn't. Some of my best ideas have shown up in the water. Owning a surf shop and brand means wearing every hat imaginable — designer, janitor, buyer, customer service rep, accountant, shipping department, and occasionally therapist. Surfing has always been the reset button that makes the rest of the day possible.

FINAL STEP: One last piece of advice.

Don't open a surf shop because you think it'll make you rich. Open one because you can't imagine doing anything else. The money will come and go. Inventory will arrive late. Shipments will be wrong. Customers will surprise you — in good ways and bad. But if you genuinely love the process, you'll wake up excited more often than not.

And that's a pretty good way to spend a life.