Make Your Own Waves

Make Your Own Waves, The Surfer's Rule for Innovators and Entrepreneurs, by Louis Patler, Amacom 2016

The Fear Factor is a big element in a surfer's life, as it is in start-up businesses.  To that author Patler says "never surf alone," "learn to swim," and "never turn your back on the ocean" (three of his chapter titles).    You may not be thinking about jumping in to create a new business - in fact you may be dealing with other big wave challenges - starting a family, leaving your current job, finding a new life partner, or the bad ones like recovering from cancer, learning how to walk again, starting a gym routine (all the ones I've done and eventually enjoyed).  The Fear Factor is always there, but somehow something that I must have learned in early childhood  - I can't name it, but it's definitely there - has made all the difference.   The Fear doesn't go away, ever - it just gets manageable.

And I think that's what those crazy surfers know too.  Somehow they prepare and study the waters before they paddle out.  They have friends and videos that help research the possibilities.  And they do, they must, learn how to swim   - "In surfing, it's so important to get the basics down and then take it from there," says pro surfer Jordy Smith.  "If your foundation is strong, you'll have all the tools you need to become a well-rounded surfer."  

Chapter 7, Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean, my favorite,  has thriller surfer pursuit of The Big Wave, and a couple examples of big-time wipe-outs, the crashes one would never expect a well-prepared human to recover from.  But we do.  Patler quotes legendary lifeguard and surfer Eddie Aikau - "I will never understand the stupidity of people who turn their backs on the ocean.  People who have no knowledge of the danger the ocean threatens will walk right into it backwards while snapping pictures of the family.  One wave and - ZAP - they are grabbed and sucked out in  seconds."    One mistake - jimmying airbag results, or a bad accelerator design, and boom, your stock is on the rocks.  Happens every day.  

Get Back Out there?  Or give it up, never to return

Patler answers these questions in a realistic, enforceable way with four surfing incident stories - one involved a rampaging wave, another a coral reef and two great white sharks.  Each case showed the surfer in a near-death experience, but in each case they found a way to paddle back out again.  These are great stories, a fun read, and directly translateable to real life and real business challenges. 

Mill Girl Verdict:  Not what I expected - I had no idea from the title - but a fun read, credible, especially loved The Fear Factor.