Hi, This is Richard and I thought it was worth adding a blog entry to confirm a few things. I have recently returned from a global trip which took me across the USA and Australia, into China and Hong Kong and home. Nineplus in the USA and Australia are now operated and owned by myself and our team and although I am a little unsure how to manage this growth I’m sure it will be an interesting continuation to the last 10 years since Nineplus was created (and an increased workload !!!). The purpose of the recent adventure was to visit every stockiest we will be operating from and although it has been our intention to add each store and a photo to the blog, it quickly became a daunting prospect with over 50 independent visits. Nineplus will shortly be operating through 75 stores globally and these images and addresses will be online throughour ‘stockiest’ section shortly, forgive me for not updating the blog as often as I had intended but I do hope you will support them as they are all genuine supporters of the surfing sport.
Recently I read the book ‘Business Stripped Bare’ by Richard Branson and it inspired me, especially a comment made on page 212 in the ‘Learning from mistakes and setbacks’ chapter. It says, Assuming you’re not burning others peoples money in their faces, you could always perform the hardest trick in the book of business tricks: get very small, very specialised and very expensive. He continues, I would absolutely count this as innovation, and of the highest calibre: you’re taking a large operation and finding ways to scale it down, re-target it and re-market it, all the while adding bucket loads of value to justify the hike in price. And it’s very hard to do – not least because you’re in so much pain as you’re doing it. (Indeed, your old business is dying around you)
I enjoyed reading that paragraph, one can resemble that to our symbol of rebirth, the lotus flower; but also it stands for what I am now embarking on delivering. A niche company that makes outstanding products in a market hungry for change. I was delighted travelling throughout California and Australia clocking up 3000 miles in a little over a month discovering shops that arenow considered as friends. There is a movement within surfing and after 10 years I am excited with what I see, smallish independent retailers whom make or break is the difference of their families being supported. Whose love for surfing has seen them risk their own securities to try and capture the heart of surfing again stoking those whom grace their stores. Something that got lost when the quest for capitalism and stock markets proved too big a carrot for ourstaple surf companies to ignore and the message got tainted of where the market actually is. How ironic that the image of freedom and anti corporate lifestyles are so entrenched in wall street reporting. I consider it an advantage this has occurred as it has opened an emerging market of surfing’s core.With anticipation I look forward to working with the people we have yet to meet, both customers and also along side like minded businesses within this ‘neculous’ market that feel this wind of change and move with it.
We have recently moved back to using ‘Yamamoto’ neoprene from Japan, in most opinions, the best and warmest neoprene on the market with no exceptions. We will be chasing the best materials (not the cheapest) to supply the best surfing accessories and create clothing that is both strong and functional standing behind each product we make. I would like to thank all of you that enjoy this little company which has recently become 3 little companies both now in Europe, The USA and Australia and look forward to supplying products to both our trading partners and consumers that will be used for enjoyment on future waves yet to be ridden. While we are both getting very small and very specialised in line with Sir Richard Branson’s comments I will ensure we do not become very expensive, as always we will always add our own twist.
Thank you for being part of Nineplus.
Richard Balding.
