5 Questions with Dave Watson of Sombrio
Meet Dave Watson, founder of one of our partner companies: Sombrio. He went from pro athlete to entrepreneur, and gap-jumped the Tour De France in between. We sat down with him to talk about his journey so far.
institute B: How did you know you wanted to go from pro rider to CEO and start Sombrio when your riding career ended?
Dave Watson: It was a natural progression, as I’d always had a desire for both design and business. It was just a matter of time before the Sombrio seed was planted. But I had a real aha! moment in my last few seasons competing when the drive started to transition from a desire to win, to more of a lust to enjoy riding, and the journey. To stay at the top of any sport, one needs to be fully commited. I’d set competitive goals, and hit most of them before I was 30 years of age, so it was a ‘what’s next’ attitude. When a lot of my competitors where off training, I was building Sombrio for my post career, and learning a new trade. Plus, I always knew I wanted to be an entrepenuer, once I took a step back, so the timing was just right. I was also fortuante that I had a good, small team of collegaues operating Sombrio in the earlier years. When I took a bigger step away from riding as a career, to take on the role of CEO Sombrio, I was well positioned.
iB: You’re passionate about getting kids on bikes, why?
DW: Yes, I suppose I always have been. It’s funny, just the other day I was reading an interview from back in the earlier years, and in it, I’d made a comment towards the Young Guns Alliance. That was an early program we’d labelled as a grass roots sponsorship for young and amateur riders. I was 21 when we branded that. We’re also big advocates of ‘trips for kids’ which takes kids from inner city youth and introduces them to mountain biking all over Canada and the US. I’ve also been coaching for Summer Gravity camps in Whistler, and guiding for Big Mountain in Europe since their inception, both of which include working with kids. For beginner and expert young riders alike, it’s great to see the smiles on their faces the first time they descend a new section of trail, and even cooler when you see them get into the sport and then stay with it.
iB: What are some of the coolest bike trends in Europe that you see coming soon to North America?
DW: The Apres is big in Europe. They live for it. I see that making it’s way over. Also, Lift access mountain biking, though it was born here, and Whistler can lay claim to that, but Europe is booming with trail networks and mountain towns jumping on board with the phenomenon. When you have a rich culture of people that are adept to outside activities, and cross over from winter sports, it is quickly becoming the ‘it’ thing for teens to thirty somethings for pastime and holidays in the summer. The bikes have also evolved so much, and the funky apparel (Sombrio - hint hint, nudge, nudge). Freeride is quickly becoming an aspirational lifestyle and is crossing over in many cities and towns all over the world. In places like Japan, you see guys riding there big mountain bikes to café’s for a coffee, and in cities like Amsterdam there are more bike lanes than roads, and they’re full of well dressed girls and guys cycling from one place to the next. Wether it be for groceries, a night out, or back and forth to work. How people move on 2 wheels is what’s stoking me the most these days.
iB: Is there any comparison between running a company and being a professional athlete?
DW: Absolutely, a lot of successfull business people have come from various sporting backgrounds. The symmetry here, is it takes the same kind of mind set. One needs to be driven, and want to beat the competition, and be prepared to make big sacrifices, for big rewards. Trust me, I’ve missed so many 30+ centimetre days in in the Winter with friends because of deadlines. But, the idea is less now = more later. In sport it takes a long time for a professional athlete to reach their optimal performance, never mind peak peformance. Operating an entrepreneurial, and high growth business is much the same. But, balance is key, and when there’s success their needs to be reward too, and then move on to the next set of goals. I feel much too often in traditional corporate environments, success is not rewarded enough. Accolades drive people, and this is something that has come from sport, and helps us build our play book for success.
iB: You’re a new dad, what’s more challenging – being an entrepreneur, father or freerider?
DW: So, far I’d have to say an entrepreneur. Being a pro freerider was a gravy train, once I was established it was a comfortable and rewarding lifestyle . It was perfect for my 20’s because I was fortunate to travel the globe, meet great people, and get paid for it. The challenges were how to ride faster, jump further, or learn a new trick. In some ways this was similiar to being entrepreneur, as one is always working on self improvement. But the tasks shifted to executive insight, learning to become a stronger leader, improving finance skills, or more on point creative direction for example. I’ve had to learn to stay focused on business, and make sure it’s creating common value for all stakeholders, and will be a stable entity for years to come for our people. A far cry from our first pair of shorts, and an idea 13 years ago. But, nothing could have prepared me better for fatherhood that being an entrepreneur. Our little guy is only 8 months this July, so it’s just starting to get fun.
You can follow Sombrio on Twitter.com/sombriocartel or check them out on Facebook.com/sombriocartel