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  Tony Hawk at the SDSI Investor Forum at Skullcandy's San Clemente

At the end of the SDSI Investor Forum at Skullcandy’s San Clemente offices last week, SDSI Executive Chairman Bill Walton invited Tony Hawk up to talk about the business of Tony Hawk.

 

They talked about Tony’s brands, his Tony Hawk Foundation, his athleticism and how it translates to his business acumen, and much more.

 

Tony was great at articulating his vision and strategy, and I thought it was worth sharing.

 

I’ll post short clips from their discussion this week.

 

In this first video, Tony  discusses creating a skate brand during a low point in skate popularity — the 1990s.

 

He offers great insight on how he and Per Welinder, his partner at the time in Birdhouse, sacrificed and existed on a diet of “top ramen and Taco Bell” until the brand took off.

 

 

 

 

 

On page 2: Video: Tony Hawk on staying authentic and selling Kohl’s

 

 

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In this second clip, Tony talks with Bill about maintaining core authenticity in skate, while also selling to mass retailer Kohl’s.

 

It’s worth watching to the end: Tony’s last line is a zinger.