Surfing Waves

hey folks:

i am a 3rd year student at the university of central florida, i have been assigned by my economics teacher to develop a business plan for a start-up company. Being a surfer and resident of the new smyrna beach area i thought a surf company would be a sure bet.

my trouble begins with the break-even analysis section, not that i have trouble understanding it, but acquiring information for Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), no retailer or manufacturer wants anything to do with me, and it's not like i'm misrepresenting myself or impersonating somebody, I just get the cold shoulder. Please help, there is a lot of information to gather, but so far no ground covered. Any help whether links to websites, phone numbers or e-mail addresses.

What about looking past the big name companys like Ripabong etc and try and offer more enviromenatly freindly products like Organic surf clothing and wax, these companys would deal with 'small timers' and would be happy to help with any querys.
Not sure of any names in the US though.

Ripabong

maybe you could try speaking to one of the reps rather than approaching the company directly? i know a couple of reps for surf brands and theyre generally pretty friendly. Ask at your local surf shop they may be able to give you some phone numbers tohelp you out?

thanks for the feedback, had a good chuckle. i'm not a opposed to contacting any company outside of the mainstream surf brands like ripabong. i actually think environmentally sound companies are a great idea. as pat of a great product mix this may help separate myself from all the other smaller stores that i would compete with. my instructor mentioned this and i will definitely include it i my business plan. now for the names of those companies, and if posssible contact information would be awesome. thanks, again.

james

I think loose fit do some organic T's ive got a 'fish' 1 its nice!!!!!!
Roy Stewart is a good bloke to ask about org wax, not really sure about anything else-try googling organic surf or something!

Well, no one is going to just give you their private accounting records and plop in anyone's lap a clear idea what their cost per surfboard or shirt is. From there, you're figure out what the margin is and tell everyone how big their markup is.

So, I'd recommend finding some raw material providers. If you're looking at maing boards, call some blank shops and find out how much it costs for a truckload of blanks, and then find out how much the different resins cost.

If you're looking for clothing options, do some assumptions around wholesale t-shirt costs.

Start looking at wholesalers - they'll give you a ballpark for what raw material costs (COGS) may be around.

Everyone has so many great ideas and I will try each and every approach until I exhaust them all. I understand very well that a company will not hand-over sensitive information about their balance sheets and accounts receivables and payables. And I do understand all figures for COGS will only be assumed or estimated values, I'm just in need of some rough (preferably accurate as possible) numbers. I did like the idea of asking a local surf shop for their sales reps information. Maybe the store owner would be sympathetic to my cause and give that info instead. Well wish me luck and "I'm gonna hit the ground running". Thanks everyone for your feedback.

ask shapers how long it takes them to make a board

I am doing some cost analysis for wet suits and I can share that information with you if you keep it strictly for educational intent. Please contact me at aztex22@gmail.com.

glideon wrote:hey folks:

i am a 3rd year student at the university of central florida, i have been assigned by my economics teacher to develop a business plan for a start-up company. Being a surfer and resident of the new smyrna beach area i thought a surf company would be a sure bet.

my trouble begins with the break-even analysis section, not that i have trouble understanding it, but acquiring information for Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), no retailer or manufacturer wants anything to do with me, and it's not like i'm misrepresenting myself or impersonating somebody, I just get the cold shoulder. Please help, there is a lot of information to gather, but so far no ground covered. Any help whether links to websites, phone numbers or e-mail addresses.

Patagonia - enviro. friendly