Interview with John Klutznick, chief executive dude
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I started this business with a good friend, our wives and my two sons (now 12 and 15) in 2011. The best way to answer this question is to share our mission statement: “It is the mission of all members of the BoardLife family to create a fun, innovative, educational, respectful, open and inclusive environment where we can share with all our guests our lifelong passion for boards. We are determined to provide our guests with the best experience possible.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: The BoardLife Deck it Out program is totally unique to our shops. Our guests can choose skate components from a wall of gear and then build their board with our trained staff. During the selection process, the guest chooses wheels, trucks, risers and deck type. The process can be tailored to a beginner or the seasoned skater. We love to customize as well. We have a laser engraver onsite, so we can burn graphics into the wood skate deck. Complete longboards start at $149 and shortboards start at just $99.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: That is a tough question because we really enjoy what we do and have fun every day. We enjoy the interaction with our guests, community and amazing staff. We educate and learn every day. Our guests visit from all over the world and it is exciting to hear their stories and to share the BoardLifestyle.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: At BoardLife, we dedicate ourselves to knowing every product we sell, in depth. That means testing each product and knowing the people that make each item so we can be completely informed for our guests. The challenge is finding enough time in the day to get it all done.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: People may be surprised to learn about BoardLife’s community outreach. We work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, donate to many educationally based causes and teach small-business and financial literacy to eighth-grade math classes. Another surprise: We offer free lessons every Sunday at noon.
Profile
Business: BoardLife
Address: 2000 30th Ave.
Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday
Founded: 2011
Contact: 800-975-8112
Employees: 8
