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BEHIND THE BRAND
Andy McConkey of McConks
INTERVIEW : PETER TRANTER PHOTOS : BARRY DAVIES , DAN JAMES MEDIA , SUP2SUMMIT , CENTRAL SCOTLAND ADVENTURES , SUP4 , SUP LASS PADDLE
ADVENTURES , C2C & ARGYLL HOLIDAYS Before we start , let our readers know a little about yourself , your family , your background , etc .
So , as Family McConks , we ’ re Andy , Jenny , Tony , Ollie and Marley . Marley , the latest addition to our family , is a rescue dog from Bulgaria who ’ s a fan of dry land and not a fan of swimming or paddleboarding . Sometimes , we think he ’ d be happier back on the streets in Bulgaria rather than being part of our watery life ! Toby and Ollie are our two long-suffering children who think we are too ‘ Victorian ’ regarding mobile phones and screen time . Jenny and Andy , said Victorian parents and owners of McConks , are both marine and environmental scientists by degree but who both failed miserably to spend the rest of their lives working on boats in the tropics . So we are making up for that now , vicariously living through McConks customers ’ adventures and explorations on rivers , lakes and the sea !
We ’ re very much an outdoor family . Jen spends her working week working for a care farm with vulnerable students , and most weekends are spent with the family doing something outdoors – whether paddling , wild swimming , or just exploring with a Kelly kettle . Where many families might celebrate a significant birthday ( shh , but Andy was 50 last February ) with a week in a far-flung tropical hotspot like the Maldives , we chose to spend it in the Cairgnorms , walking , sledging and swimming , with evening campfires with the obligatory smores and hot chocolate . Of course , a hot tub , campfire , and bubbly made it feel like a birthday celebration .
How did the McConks SUP board company begin ? We set up McConks in the winter of 2015 with more hope and optimism than money or skill ! With a whole board full of nerves and trepidation , we set sail on the entrepreneurial seas with a simple idea : to create premium , top-end , top-performance quality paddleboarding gear that wouldn ’ t cost an arm and a leg — or a fin and a paddle in this case . We were determined to challenge the elitist nature of water sports , making it accessible to everyone , from the seasoned pro to the adventurous newbie . With a commitment to sustainability and a five-year guarantee , we quickly became the go-to brand for paddlers and businesses who wanted to hit the water without sinking their budget . By selling directly to customers and cutting out the middleman , much like a skilled surfer bypassing a gnarly wave , we saved a lot of money for coaches , instructors , and outdoor centres !
We can see that family mean so much to you . How do you balance family and running a successful SUP business ? We ’ re not sure we ’ ve cracked the code on balancing the waves of family life with the tides of a bustling stand-up paddleboarding business . It ’ s no small feat to juggle the paddles of parenting alongside the challenges of entrepreneurship ! We hope we ’ ve created a