Interview with Alistair Taylor and Karla-Costa Taylor
ATD Body Boarding Company Web Site
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Alistair Taylor
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Karla-Costa Taylor
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The ATD body boarding company has just recently launched. What goals have you set for your company, and when do you think you will achieve them?
My main goal is to produce a board that is distinct from all the other boards on the market today. Pretty much all the boards out there now are essentially the same, ie polypro cores, either stringers and/or mesh, and the same skins and surlyn. There is some resurgence in popularity of polyethylene cores, but other than that, boards are mainly differentiated by their branding and packaging. There is also some difference with a lot of boards now being made in the east, where a lot of times you can see that they have compromised on quality to achieve sales volume and low prices. Eventually over the long run you get what you pay for.
The core I am using is quite unique, I don't think anyone else in the world is using this technology. It is really strong and buoyant, so my boards are thinner, and the rocker guaranteed to be flat every time. They have exceptional planning speed, which is the basis of being able to surf fast and radical. They also have a padded deck skin, so landing airs is pretty comfy.
As far as the growth of ATD, I know that will take time. Feedback on the boards from customers so far is so positive that eventually word-of-mouth will make an impact.
Obviously body boarders from around the world want to buy their body boards from the best and most respected company’s out there. What key elements will make the ATD Bodyboarding company one of the best in the near future?
Hopefully just staying true to the ideal of making really high performance boards. I don't care about being the best selling board in the world, I just care about making the best performing boards in the world.
I like to do a lot of research before buying a new bodyboard. I usually talk to a couple of my friends and ask them questions about the best options out there, or I hit the forums and ask for some feed back. What got me interested about the ATD’s BodyBoard’s is the “X-Cell Core”, but all I know is it alters the foam for a better performance. I know this is your Area 51 top secret formula, but what specifically makes the “X-Cell Core” in your boards a must have for every rider across the globe?
I think it is probably the buoyancy factor. It's just weird that having good flotation makes a board fly across the water like the X-Cell core does. If you use polypro or other cores, all you can do to get better buoyancy is to increase the thickness. This makes for a beefy board with thick rails, which IMO move more slowly through the water. Thinner rails equal less drag which equals more speed.
The durability of the core is probably also going to be a good drawcard for guys that can only afford a board a year. The core is very strong and doesn't need stringers at all.
What is one promise you can guarantee to every viewer reading this interview regarding the ATD body boarding company?
At the moment I want to focus on selling boards direct to customers, partly because it opens the opportunity of developing a customer relationship. Once a board goes through a surf shop, that relationship is pretty much severed. I would like to be as much a service company as a product company, and listen to my customers' feedback, advice and so on, and so work with them on developing better boards. Hopefully it will also enable me to invest more into bodyboarding directly.
ATD does more then just manufacture body boards, ATD is of course a body boarding company. What plans does the ATD bodyboarding company have to give back to the body boarding community to help it advance?
At the moment I am already super busy as chairman of the South African Bodyboarding Association. I help out with most of the development clinics we have and am involved in trying to bring new kids into the sport.. One of my main goals for 2007 is that we'll have a world tour event in SA, I think we're long overdue it. We have the waves and the riders to make it a great event, and I believe that would be a great catalyst to getting the sport to surge forward here.
The question I am about to ask you is going to put you on the spot, but I know the majority of the body boarding community feels the same way I do. It seems most of the boarding company’s out there are just trying to push their product and bring in the money. Fellow boarders an I have experienced problems with purchasing shoty boards, or never receiving magazines. How does the ATD Bodyboarding company make sure every single individual you sell a product to is taken care of, and if any problems occur it will be handled immediately?
So far it's been easy, just because I'm only dealing with a few customers. I have to be careful, if I grow really big, to keep my focus here. As it is now, a customer puts in an order, I contact them myself to confirm that it is correct and give a quote on delivery time. I then update them either during the process or when the board is completed and has been shipped. Then finally just follow up maybe a week later to make sure they got their board and are happy with it. Most of my customers have so far said that my boards are the best they have ever ridden, and they were as stoked with the service as the board. I'm really stoked about the feedback I have been getting. I just need to make those business principles my foundation no matter how much the company grows.
Alistair, you have given so much love and passion to the sport of body boarding over the years. How will you put that same love and passion for body boarding into your company?
To me it's the same thing really, just doing the best you can at whatever you do. I don't think it's about making money, it's more about inspiring others to do. Something or be something that is all positive, and gives someone else a better life experience. I have several articles on my website that are of course completely free that I hope will just be a bit of good advice for kids, from someone who has been there done that.
I have an idea for the ATD Bodyboarding company, and I am wondering what you would think about it. A lot of company’s out there are sponsoring big name boarders, but you never hear from them, they are just there to sell the product. Of course Alistair you’re a prime time boarder and so is Karla, and I respect both of you very much. What will make your company grow strong is interaction with the ATD Community. I was wondering if you can set up a message board so you can interact back on reasonable basis? I am sure many boarders reading this interview like this idea, so what is your take on it?
It's a great idea, and something I hope to implement soon. The guy that built my site is super busy, but hopefully soon he's going to set aside some time to teach me the ropes of maintaining the site myself. Then I can have all kinds of cool and often-updated stuff.
Alistair, what gave you the ambition to start the ATD body boarding company?
I really didn't want to get into the surf industry, as I know it's also full of nonsense and politics. A couple things changed my mind, so I decided to give it a shot. One was coming across this new core material that was an opportunity to make a new kind of body board. The other was the idea that maybe I could also build a one on one customer relationship, by selling boards direct as much as possible.
Many boarders out there may be skeptical about the new ATD body boards currently on the market, what will you like to say to them to ensure them a quality product?
Well I guess talk is cheap unless it is a customer review, in which case it's based on their experience and that so far has all been very positive. It's just going to take time for word to get out that these are quality boards that perform incredibly well. The boards are quality guaranteed, and about the only things you can't guarantee against are the same things that no bodyboard manufacturer can guarantee against. Such as damage from the sun (bubbles and such), and creasing (although the X-Cell core is a lot more crease resistant than PP and PE cores). In time, the product will sell itself based on its track record.
What is one thing that you think stands out about the ATD body boarding company over any other company around?
I guess it would be that the core is unique to us, and consequently the performance that it offers. Also the fact that you can get proper direct-from-the-manufacturer after sales care in the event of having a problem with the product. I am also always ready to help any way I can with advice or questions.
The floor is all yours now Alistair, what would you like to say to every body boarder reading this interview right now?
Just to never be afraid to follow your dreams, and to fly in the face of adversity. I just won my 8th SA champs title, and I'm 33 years old. A lot of people would say that I'm getting a bit old to be competing against guys that are in their teens and early 20's. I believe that if you work at it, anything is possible. Better to try, and fail, than not to try at all. Take the opportunities you have now and run with it, make the impossible happen.
And lastly thanks for the interview and insightful questions.
Questions For Karla Costa Taylor:
Karla you finally have your own board now the “KCT Pro Model” designed for women. Can you please share information on this board, and tell us the advantages of the KCT Pro Model over any other women’s boards on the market?
I think the main difference is that I only approve a model that I like using myself, and that came only by my own experience. My shape works well in all conditions and it is usually more narrow then most women’s boards. I love being able to use the same shape in heavy surf as well as beach breaks. Besides the shape, the color/design and all are simple and clean. It is a very unique Board, Alistair has done a amazing job on the logo design and the detail on the boards.
The “KCT Pro Model” also has the X-Cell core feature in the board as well. Can you explain how the Cross-Mojination of the X Cell core and the KCT Pro Model help the boards performance?
Mainly the projection is amazing and also the speed I get from it is much better then any other board I rode before.
ATD is more then a body boarding company, it is a community. What would you like the image of the ATD community to be like?
I hope the brand translate the passion we both have for the sport. I hope it can always be fresh and young. The main thing is that we are doing things because we love the sport. and that in itself translate the name of the brand and it’s products.
Karla you have done so much for the body boarding community over the years, How do you plan to keep in touch with the ATD body boarding community?
Thank you. The easiest way is to make full use of the internet. Al’s got some very good ideas to be implemented on the website. With the help of our customers we can keep in touch with what they would like from us, using either emailing lists, message boards etc. We give our customers great service, and with that we can will gain their confidence to thrust in the product and in us as well.
If the ATD body boarding company could achieve one major thing, what would you like that to be?
My main goal is to make a good product that will work and people will get satisfied with it. Put our own reality into it, and hopefully help change and create a new image for the bodyboarding world. If you are true to your work everything else will become transparent to others.
Support is critical to any company out there in the market today. How would you like the ATD community to help support what you stand for?
I think support is critical , for us we will continue to put back our time and efforts to help the sport get unto the level we have always dream of. I think our main goal is to insist in the fact that each one of us can make a difference, so when buying a product invest in someone that puts back in the sport. It sounds clichÈ but the only way to grow is to help our companies grow and create our own market in within. If you are a free surfer that loves to BB or a competitor, just start by the simple things. Such as supporting BB brands, buying their t-shirts instead of a shirt from a brand that will write us off or make fun of Bodyboarders. If the stuff doesn’t look cool to you, give them advice, participate, we are a sport different then any other and in most cases people appreciate you opinion. But the main thing is to not try to hard, just be true to what you are and keep moving forward.
When people say the name ATD body boarding company, what one word would you want them to associate with your company?
TRUST
Now from your heart Karla, tell every one reading this interview why they should believe and join the ATD BodyBoarding community?
You can trust in what we say. We are both reliable in all information we give to our customers and friends. Al will go the extra mile to give his best and for myself, be sure I will always make sure we stay true to our goals and never forget where we came from and what was like in the beginning of everything. Come join us and give us ideas, we are what we are. Like it or not we are not trying to please you or anyone else, we are just trying to be true to the love we both have of nature and the bodyboarding lifestyle. We’ll love to get to know all of you and hear your ideas and opinions.
Cheers
Thanks Vinny for this opportunity.