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new skate company?


Mr. Mang

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i am thinking about maybe starting a (very) small skate company. just decks and shirts. i dont even know if there'd be a team at least for a while.

 

if they were made decently and cheap, would you ever try one? or would you stick to companies that have been around a while?

 

if i made em i'd consider having the first few given out to see how they do.

 

ideas are just in the works though. (and no i didnt get this idea from ther inland thread).

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Guest euthana5ia

its about time skate companies put some actual good graphics...i owuld try new decks exclusively if they had good graphics otheriwse i am sick of seing new companies and not knowing what theyre like...i stick with elements and black label.

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Guest euthana5ia

also im sure you might know this but their are a lto of companies that make blank decks and can print graphics for you for cheap.

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Guest willy.wonka

i have a little brother whos the best skater on the block...

 

he can do what they call an "ollie".

nah....one day he twisted his ankle,so he started skating switch..hardflips,kickflip nose grind..does a kick flip reverse..kicks the board back with his ollie foot...pretty amazing...

i like his fat nollie backside-shuvits to Kgrinds to 180 off...

hes pretty tight....im proud of him now..hahaha:eek:

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Good idea, but here's my opinion

 

Mr. Mang,

It's great to make boards - but...

so many individuals I know who started board company's have failed because of the way the skate industry is these days. Well, on one hand you have just your regular skater, not looking to spend alot of money on a board, but also may have a friend in the business who bro's down. They would love to get a free deck, but will they really continue to support your cause for the long haul? Then you have all those little shit kids who are all caught up in skating trends, and have no concept of and independently run skate company - they only want something because of the brand name, even if it's the shittiest product. For example - Spitfire wheels are not even close to the best quality in wheels, but EVERYONE has to have spitfire! Those kind of people are too oblivious to know a good deal when it's right in front of them. Then you have the trick of getting shops to carry your boards, which depending on their attitude towards skating, you will have mixed results for sure. The shop here agreed to carry some guy's boards to do the kids a favor, but then you go to the park, and there's the guy selling them out of his trunk for the same amount the shop paid - so they can't mark them up at all. So if a shop knows you're selling on the side to the public, they will probably not want to even deal with you.

 

Not to mention the skate industry is totally oversaturated right now, and the economy is in a recession, which will make it very difficult for you. So, even though skateboarding is experiencing quite a boom in popularity, the backlash is that chain corporations are all jumping on the bandwagon to get a peice of the pie, and don't expect those guys to support - again, they only care about what sells, and right now what sells are name brands to mostly little kids.

 

But take a look at some of the smaller board companies and look at their track record. I know a guy who starts one company per year, and they always fail - must be poor management. But someone like Natural Koncept is very small, and they've stuck to their ideals and style for long enough that now people are starting to respect them - and they have a kick ass team. When you see a small company succeeding, you know there's hope.

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Originally posted by Mr. Mang

it depends really. the origional idea is getting it pressed myself (with help from some good carpenter type guys).

 

kewl. i hope you get it going. i know from experience that it is a HUGE task, which takes ALOT planning, and a few dollars in the bank, so props if you've got ur shit together

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look..

 

ive been skating about 8 years... and ive seen a LOT of companies have ups and downs.. as far as spitfire goes, i dont know what planet YOU live on i love roo, but where i exhist spitfire weels have NEVER chunked on me, and i can ride those for more than a year... no coning, no bullshit. they are a solid 103a durometer on most of them they are HARD... as far as decks go, get yourself someone willing to be a LUNATIC.. im personally friends with james kelch, an older skateboarder who was pretty big in the early 90's... anyway.. he was an innovator at his time, he was jumping off roofs and doing 15 foot drops when that was the CRAZYNESS. anyway, wherever he went, profits went. look at bam margera.. that idiot is NOT that dope.. ive got friends better than his clown ass... but he is willing to take a beating and skate things that dont seem possible... thats why he is big. yeah... you could get some tech dogs, but unless you pull out a rodney mullen or a jamie thomas...... your not going to amaze. if your not worried about wonder profits, there is a little punk label in wisconsin called beer city, they have been making boards for a LONG time.. and they are still made, cuz they aren't deathly worried about getting rich, they cover costs, and can afford to eat out sometimes... bu tthey do it because they love it. thats the mindset you need when it comes to this stuff..

 

dont expect to rocket to the top. consolidated has been around since i can remember.. and are just now getting theirs. if your worried about graphics, you have a messageboard FULL of some crazy cats who are more than willing to contribute. serious, if you just put a $5 overhead to cover you, you'll do good.

 

and on the actuall wood topic. think of all the companies that use the exact same deck styles. all the tum yeto companies (foundation, toy machine, etc...) and all the birdhouse + hook-ups stuff is the same, flip and thier little posse, girl's posse.... etc. so just order the decks from a manufacturer, and do the paint/finishing yourself. thats where you'll be going right.. to press yourself is a TON of money.. and you need to know your concaves, etc... its HARD.

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i hate any little cute company that tries to sell an image or be family oriented...

 

birdhouse - pretty clean images. they can sell tony hawk

 

baker - selling the retarded drunk punk BS image

 

shorty's - weed smokin' gangstas

 

etc.

 

 

 

 

i'll keep you guys filled in on how it goes. thanks for all the help.

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Guest Sevs210

You best bet is to invest it some screen printing shit...... Its kinda cheap and you can sreen all your own shirts/decks... But bulk blanks..... Take a graphic arts class a t a little college to get an idea on how it all works.... DONT GIVE OUT FREE SHIT.... once its free, everyone is gonna want one..

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Giving Tree,

My point about spitfire is that all the little kids want them b/c of the brand and logo - they haven't been skating long enough to even know one wheel from another. For you, it's tried and true and they work, and that' why you skate them, right? Not because of the logo - or maybe that has something to do with it.

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Originally posted by aederone

i'll be on your team... free decks is the best thing that could happen to me...or free beer.but thats never gonna happen...

 

 

@ waterloo records in austin. you get free beer @ in store concerts.

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Hey, speaking of new skate companies, check out my friends company. Inlandskateboards.com

 

Smart is not entirely correct about only 6 companies making blank boards. There are several small time operations like the one that my friends own. It is true however that all of the wood is pretty much all of the same stuff. The real differences between boards comes into play in the lamination and pressing of the boards. Finishing techniques make a small difference as well, but mostly cosmetic.

 

As for the quality of these huge skate companies, it is much like anything that is produced on a large scale. Quality control goes down as production rises, especially when there may be over 5 different factories producing boards for the same distributor. This is why so many companies are really inconsistent. Sometimes a Blacklabel is tough and lots of pop and the next one chips and delams.

There are a ton of factors that come into play.

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