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Popping Up and Growing Up

Alisa Meredith

Popping Up and Growing Up - Surfing and Business https://alisameredith.com/popping-up-and-growing-up/Anyone who follows me on social media knows I recently took my morning runs down to the streets near Wrightsville Beach. Not only is the scenery gorgeous and my fellow joggers friendly, but it makes it oh-so-handy for a quick dip and a little body surfing before I head back to work. The past few weeks, the local surf camp has been at my favorite access point.

Is there anything more adorable than a dozen 6 year olds in rash gaurds on surf boards? Well, maybe a dozen puppies on surf boards, but I digress. The coaches in their red tees whip these kids into a frenzy, “You want that wave? You want THAT WAVE?” and the kids respond with glee.

Here’s what kills me. The camp runs for five days. By day three these kids are “popping up” on their boards and riding waves like they’ve been doing it all their lives. Have you ever tried surfing? It is hard. Not only do you have to get your timing right and “Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!” (I hear my dad’s voice now), but then you have to pop up in a smooth motion. Try it sometime. Lying on your stomach, get to standing in a fraction of a second. Then try it on a moving, wobbly surf board.

It didn’t take me long to learn that body surfing was my thing, even though I really wanted to be good at surfing for my dad. What I should have done was start at five or six years old, when I weighed about 50 pounds. If these kids keep it up, their upper body strength will increase with their weight and they’ll never know how hard it really is.

If they don’t, they’re going to go out one morning in 15 years on spring break and wonder what happened.

If you’re starting a business, start it out right. Start with an exceptional product (it doesn’t have to be perfect – minimum viable product can still be exceptional), strong marketing, solid bookkeeping, and unbeatable customer service. That way, as you grow, everything will scale nicely and you’ll avoid the growing pangs when increased success points out huge weaknesses in your model.

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Alisa Meredith

I've been creating marketing strategies for years - for both B2C and B2B businesses, formerly as co-owner and chief strategist of a HubSpot partner agency, and since 2015 right here. I have a passion for businesses that make the world a better place in ways large and small, and the people who run those businesses are the ones I enjoy working with. I am slightly obsessed with Pinterest. Not just because it is fun, but because it works amazingly well for traffic and lead generation.