After graduating from college with a business degree in 2002, I spent a year teaching English in China, with the idea of seeing that side of the planet and then coming back to join the corporate world. I had asked the program to put me "near a beach," as I was a surfer from Virginia Beach and knew that some access to the ocean would give me a refuge. I was stationed just outside of Shenzhen in a factory town area called Longgang. Back in 2002, Longgang was a much different place than it is today...it was a grimy place, and it was rare for a foreigner to be seen. I did explore the coast on the back of a motorbike taxi, going to beaches and posting them on a site called Wannasurf as potential surfing destinations. One of them, XiChang, has now indeed become a hub of surfing in Guangdong Province. But for the most part the surfing options in mainland China seemed meek. I had heard there was a beach in Hong Kong called Tai Long Wan (i.e. Big Wave Bay) where expat Aussies surfed. There are actually two Tai Long Wans...one is in Shek O area (crowded, accessible) and the other in Sai Kung (much better but much more effort required to get there). So I went to the second one--which at the time, required a 1.5 hour busride to the border, at least an hour getting through the border from China into Hong Kong, then a KCR train to the MTR (metro), then metro to a bus stop, then a bus to Wong Shek pier, then a boat taxi (usually fisherman picking up a few extra bucks) across from the pier to Sai Kung Peninsula, and then a 45 minute hike over a mountain to a gorgeous, remote beach with occasional surfing waves. It was less than 30 miles away from Longgang as the crow flies, but it took 1/2 a day to get there, and it felt like a million miles away. Upon arriving there my first time, I had found a place I knew I could surf at.
Tai Long Wan, Sai Kung, Hong Kong
During my time in China I did have the opportunity to scratch the surf itch. I surfed in Thailand, Bali, and New Zealand. I bought a board in New Zealand and brought it back to Hong Kong, where I hauled it to Tai Long Wan and paid a local woman $10 a month to keep it in her shed there. I really only got to surf it a few times, but it was a special place for me--a refuge from the hustle and noise and pollution.
SARS 1 in 2003 shut down the Teach English in China program and sent me home a few months early. I went to work for a local entrepreneur back in Virginia Beach, and together we built a series of companies...web cameras/security systems, hearing aids, automotive care products, and more. I used personal contacts from my time in China as well as my my ability to speak & negotiate in Chinese to help source products for all of these businesses. I returned to China as a businessman multiple times. I also became a licensed Customs Broker in 2007 so I could master the regulatory & logistics side of product sourcing.
In 2015, one of the businesses I had helped to create was successfully acquired. I didn't have equity in the business, but I did get a bonus check that exceeded my annual salary at the time. I didn't know what the future held. I had two children now, growing up by the beach, with my oldest son turning 6 years old and ready to learn to surf, and my daughter at 4 not far behind. Looking at the soft board options I saw well-made but overpriced/over marketed softboards and then cheap boards that were just...bad. I saw an opportunity to go middle of the road, good quality/price combo, and focus on just making the best "first surfboard" for children...one that actually rides well.
I traveled to factory in China that made softboards and had samples made to my specifications. Before flying home, I took one of the samples back to Tai Long Wan & did the long lonely trek to give it a surf for myself.
Surfing first sample at Tai Long Wan, 2015
The board surfed well! I spent the next few months designing my Squarespace website while living in a trailer at a trailer park and renting out my beach house for the summertime. I had a good friend from college design my logo.
Rock-It Surf was born.
I was thankful to live in the community of Sandbridge in Virginia Beach where there is a lot of surfing experience and surfing business experience. I got my first wholesale opportunities in local surf shops, and I also got the feedback I needed from this community to make constant improvements.
For the first few years, I expanded the lineup and added colors as sales grew. Rock-It Surf was becoming a good "side hustle" for me as I continued to work with business partners in the hearing aid space.
I did explore the possibility of making these boards here stateside (including designing new samples, cutting from AKU machines, vacuum bagging, etc.) but the capital investment required, the management of staff, the huge risk, all to result in a product that will cost exponentially more shelved the idea.
I had specified the use of recycled materials with my factory in China, hoping to do some good in an environmental manner, with associated good marketing karma. I had 3rd party quality control (something I had discovered to be necessary when sourcing from China) and was conducting an audit on the materials when I found out the factory as not complying with my requests. I was also having some pretty persistent quality issues with them. I came to the conclusion that the most "environmentally friendly" way to produce a soft surfboard is to make one that lasts for many years and therefore doesn't end up in the landfill quickly.
In 2019 I switched to a different factory and construction method out of Taiwan. My costs grew massively, but the product quality did, also. I had to abandon the use of recycled materials for the time being, but the new emphasis on better quality and unique features (such as the shark-resistant bottom pattern) was well received.
In 2021, in the throes of COVID pandemic, my sales grew 300%. I also have a habit of keeping wholesale customers once I get them. This is because of general good business practices...managing supply chain well, delivering on time, meeting expectations, standing behind my product, and giving my customers a good offer. Many of the companies in this space struggle with these simple tasks.
I exited the hearing aid business in 2023 and turned my focus to Rock-It. At this point, the business is no longer a "side hustle," and the opportunity to grow is in front of me. In 2024 we migrated to a Shopify platform with a new site rebuild and managed to increase sales in the midst of a challenging business environment in this space. We also did the Boardroom Show in San Diego and visited our partners in Hawaii--Surfboard Factory Hawaii, The Lineup and Waikai and Ollie Fix. For 2025 we're bringing new products to market including a new wakesurf model, the Plank; a performance short-board developed in wave pools, Da Wizard; and packaged accessories including Rock-It Surf replacement fins and leashes. With the leashes, we have once again returned to utilizing recycled materials.
We're launching 2025 with our first-ever full booth at Surf Expo January 8-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Come say hello and celebrate our 10th year in business!
Cheers
Nick Naylor