FEATURE STORY
13 LIFE-CHANGING
STRATEGIES FOR
WINNING In BUSINESS & LIFE
From Legendary Pro Skateboarder And Entrepreneur Tony Hawk
It ’ s easy to look at successful people such as the legendary Tony Hawk and think it ’ s inevitable . But while it may seem like success came easy , it didn ’ t magically appear . Hawk , the pro skateboarder , entrepreneur , tech innovator , bestselling author , and founder of The Skateboard Project was 9 years old when his brother gave him his first skateboard .
Hawk wasn ’ t a natural at skateboarding . He was small , describing himself as “ the runt ” for his age , and didn ’ t easily pick up the sport . The first time he got on a skateboard , he ran into a fence because he didn ’ t know how to turn . He was criticized by his elders , and later on in magazines , for his style . Because he was so small and couldn ’ t use his weight to get up in the air like the other skateboarders , he had to find a new way of doing tricks .
In 1982 , at 14 years old , he turned pro . By 16 , he was widely considered the best skateboarder in the world and was an athlete known by millions of people all around the world . But that didn ’ t stop the haters or his struggles . Pros were quoted in magazines saying he didn ’ t deserve to be on top . In later years , when his dad got involved in the industry , Hawk was accused of being favored because of that relationship . When Hawk got a sponsorship with McDonald ’ s , he was criticized for being a sellout .
As skateboarding died out and went underground , the money stopped flowing , and Hawk had to figure out a way to stay in the industry he loved so much . In 1992 , he started his own skate company , Birdhouse Projects ( now Birdhouse Skateboards ), but it was slow to get off the ground . After
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