How Aussie siblings turned childhood hobby into six-figure business

What started out as a childhood bonding activity between two Aussie siblings, has now flourished into a six-figure business idea.

Dan, 28, and Sarah O’Connell, 45, have always had a strong bond through their love of surfing, with Sarah teaching her younger brother how to surf when they were growing up in Victoria.

This shared passion is where Dan says the idea for their joint business venture, Boardsox, first came from about five years ago.

“We just thought there was no really exciting board covers on market, a lot of the board covers are so boring,” he told news.com.au.

“We’ve had quite a few of those board covers and they’re that polyester weave soft material and we would end up breaking them pretty quickly just because of the nature of using them, throwing in the back of the cars or catching on a another board or a piece of your car and they would rip or fray.

“We thought there has got to be better solution, we’ve got to find a better quality cover that you can put cool prints on. That was kind of where the idea originated from.”

Seeing an opportunity to fill a gap in the industry, Dan and Sarah came up with the idea of making surf board covers from canvas, as opposed to knit polyester, which, while also being a higher-quality product, allowed them to also be printed with different designs.

The business then paired up with charities and artists to create specific designs where part of the profit form the sales would go towards donations.

“That’s kind of where we started and everyone really liked that,” Dan said.

“But being a surfer you go down to the beach every day and you see so much plastic getting washed up on the shore and you have just got to kind of think there’s a better solution.”

Which is why Boardsox decided to move towards an even more sustainable option, by making their covers out of recycled plastic bottles.

The covers are the “first of its kind in Australia”, with Dan saying they are still the same quality and have the same prints, but are even more environmentally friendly.

“We’re just trying to close that gap between people throwing plastic out or instead people having a use for that plastic to be in good quality products,” he said.

The 28-year-old said the business was always looking for ways to become more sustainable.

He said that, while a lot of the plastic recycled material comes from China where their manufacturer is located, the alterations to covers and a number of smaller items on the website are hand made in Victoria.

There is a small team that cuts and sews the covers to size for different board shapes, with the offcuts then made into a different product, such as a surfboard carry sling, beach bag or changing mat.

The business is continuing to go from strength to strength, with the products racking up hundreds of five star reviews and customers loving the new recycled plastic covers.

Being a surfing company, the hotter months are the busiest time, with Boardsox pulling in a six figure revenue over the summer period.

One of Dan and Sarah’s major dreams for the company is to see it become the biggest manufacturer of bags for all kinds of sports, such as surf, snow, water and skateboarding.

“I think the name Boardsox kind of lends itself to be a brand that branches across many different life adventure categories,” Dan said.

While the business is thriving, Dan said it wasn’t always easy, noting that just breaking into the surf industry in the first place was difficult.

“A lot of big companies own a lot of the stores and shops and already have pre existing agreements with stores, so it’s hard to find your little mark in there,” he said.

“It’s just the kind of about building relationships slowly. Just keep showing up and keep being friendly and just deal with rejection well.”

When asked if he had any advice for other young people wanting to start their own business, he said the best piece of advice he had ever been given was to “just start”.

“Don’t try to make it too perfect, you’ll learn as you go,” he said.

“A lot of the lessons take longer to learn than what you think they will, so the sooner you can start, the sooner you can start learning.”

He encouraged other to seek out different resources, such as books, podcasts or other business owners.

“I’ve got a few really good mentors that I reach out to every now and then when I’ve got a question that I’m stuck on or need a second opinion,” the 28-year-old said.

“People are really happy to help if you have got the right intentions in mind and you are trying to try to build something and you’re passionate and you’re genuine.”