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When I started with BRP in 2018, one of the first partnerships that I wanted to pursue was Kai Lenny and Sea-Doo. Kai had just recently had a jet ski malfunction, and as a result it created a life-threatening situation, and got destroyed on the rocks at Jaws. I saw an opportunity to replace his totaled watercraft, which would also help overcome our brand perception challenges as less durable vs. our competition (Yamaha). You could argue that seeing him destroy a PWC would disqualify him from partnership possibilities, but I knew it was because Kai pushes the limits, which only fueled his credibility in my eyes. My first phone call with his manager, who was his father at the time, would have been discouraging to most people. They weren’t interested in any level of collaboration because they didn’t really know who Sea-Doo or BRP were. It was a very short phone call with a very confident “no”. I can’t blame them. They weren’t having any major issues with their watercraft, Kai’s mechanic wasn’t trained on Sea-Doo, and Kai’s sponsors provided his watercraft for free, so Red Bull were really the ones I needed to convince. And the Lennys were highly selective with who they partner with, quality over quantity sponsorships. Not only were the Lennys not interested, but BRP & Sea-Doo were not interested in investing in surf, big wave, or water safety, so it was a hard NO from both sides that I was trying to sell. I spent the next 4 years convincing both parties to consider the possibilities, laying out a long trail of dominoes to strategize how to make this work. I connected consistently with Kai and his team. I flew out to introduce myself in person, even on my own dime. I took a Big Wave Risk Assessment Group water safety course with them to understand their needs and the culture of big wave water safety. I called back every few months. I did a workout with them, which included 10 standing backflips, and showed firsthand that I can speak their language. I went surfing with Kai to confirm that he’s a far better surfer. I scouted for dealerships who could open in Hawaii to support the partnership & maintain their products. I connected with industry leaders to gain more insight into the growth and data behind the business justification. I connected with water safety teams and organizations around the world who support Kai and Ridge in California, Mexico, Portugal, Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, and Indonesia. I adapted our approach and fought for funding to include Kai’s content-savvy brother, Ridge, so we could amplify the partnership, building on their collective strengths. I worked with their performance coach to collect factual data on the product advantages versus competition. I built a parallel partnership with their PWC accessory provider, Waterman Unlimited, to create the industry’s first Sea-Doo specific accessories, since they had all previously been modeled after Yamaha in big wave surfing. I did everything in my power to leave no doubt that this partnership would be a massive win-win to both organizations. It took nearly 5 years, but we finally pulled it off. Ironically this pursuit was similar to big wave surfing. It took grueling long-term preparation, training, and a relentless growth mindset. The process was full of absolute beatdowns and setbacks. It required a highly skilled, and massive, team to pull off. A lot of people did not understand why I was pushing so hard for the outcome, but the reward, once we caught the wave, was pure magic. You’re only as good as your last wave, so I’m paddling back to the horizon.
