Gilson Boards and Start Ups

My name is Jared Bernhart and for my internship I had the opportunity to work with Gilson Boards, a Pennsylvania snowboard startup. The company has been in business since 2012 when the founders Nick Gilson and Austin Royer set out to develop a snowboard that would revolutionize the industry. It took several design changes and iterations but they were eventually able to craft a snowboard that was faster, floated better, and gave an overall enhanced feel on the mountain. Most people on here probably don’t ski or snowboard but Gilson Boards has patented the first three dimensional base in the industry, setting themselves apart from veteran manufactures such as Burton and K2.

The start up field is one rife with pot holes and sticky situations that must be navigated to create a sustainable business. There are many tactics that can help get through the businesses first three years, the most common time frame for a business to fail. One method is to go Lean. Just like dieting, lean production or manufacturing helps to manage essential resources by using balancing usage and restocking to, in turn, minimize expenditures and increase profit margins. 

While interning with Gilson I learned a good deal about an industry that I would enjoy to work in someday. I learned about patent infringements and aqua-dynamics and how to build a computer. My position was within the marketing department so I also handled social media accounts, press releases and advertisements both creating and distributing. Watching a small business function has inspired me to create a business plan and begin working for myself and my own ideas. With a well executed and profitable business plan you can find willing investors with some added leg work. If you can make a business plan and prove that it can bring money in faster than the Federal Reserve Interest Rate you just became a lot more attractive to any potential investor.

For anyone who would like to someday make their own business the Small Business Administration has resources for free on their website.