Sector 9 Sold to Billabong Surf

Mile_High_Mark · 07-02-2008, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stubbs

I meant to ad that Sector 9 has just realized the American dream. Start a company from scratch, carve out a market, expand that market, dominate that market, sell your company for tons of money and skateboard the rest of your life.

Please, anyone, tell me what is wrong with that?

Not one damn thing.

Petary791 · 07-02-2008, 08:15 AM

Most people in this thread need to take a damned Economics class. If you don't like their stuff, instead of bitching on the internet, don't buy it. You're in control of them believe it or not.

And +10093 MHM. If I was in their position, I'd do the same thing.

sprodigy · 07-02-2008, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stubbs

I meant to ad that Sector 9 has just realized the American dream. Start a company from scratch, carve out a market, expand that market, dominate that market, sell your company for tons of money and skateboard the rest of your life.

Please, anyone, tell me what is wrong with that?

I agree. It is the goal of every entrepreneur (unless you are socially motivated) to harvest your business in one form or another.

Just be glad it's Billabong - a company with some of the same ideals and background as S9.

Imagine the uproar on here if NIKE bought S9?

Mile_High_Mark · 07-02-2008, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petary791

Most people in this thread need to take a damned Economics class. If you don't like their stuff, instead of bitching on the internet, don't buy it. You're in control of them believe it or not.

And +10093 MHM. If I was in their position, I'd do the same thing.

So would I.

Stubbs · 07-02-2008, 08:41 AM

Sprodigy - SECTOR 9 has always done both: made money and been socially motivated. Now, because there has been some behind the scenes paper shuffling, it seems all that has been forgotten.

Camel · 07-02-2008, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stubbs

carve out a market

Good way of wording it....

C

sprodigy · 07-02-2008, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stubbs

Sprodigy - SECTOR 9 has always done both: made money and been socially motivated. Now, because there has been some behind the scenes paper shuffling, it seems all that has been forgotten.

What I mean is...pure social entrepreneurs are people who start businesses (mostly non profit) for some kind of goal to better society (YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, etc.).

I'm not saying you can't be socially motivated and make a profit, but when you start selling your business off who knows what can happen to those original goals and ideals of the business when YOU started it. It's not in your hands anymore.

EBasil · 07-02-2008, 08:51 AM

A few people have been kind enough to point out several other, well known brand names that are also owned by the Billabong empire. How many of you can post photos of the Billabong-Nixon glasses, for example?

You can't, because the value of the brand they bought was in the name and logo and market placement. It's the same with Sector. The marketing wonks, attorneys and analysts that justified the acquisition of a new skate line product certainly looked at Sector's market position (with access to data that would make Brooke giddy and put Sk8Norcal into a posting frenzy!) and came to an opinion that the crew of jewelry-crusted, tea-drinking golfers at the top of the Sector 9 operation had something that could be made even better under Billabong's funding and marketing power. That's why companies like this buy smaller brands -- not to dilute or absorb. That's also why the buyer asks the smart folks at the top of the acquisition to stay on: so the thing keeps working and Billabong's crew can work their magic.

Sure, there are plenty of opportunities to decry the death of longboarding, the death of core, the good old days when we were unique... like those aren't all relative states of being anyway. I think the better or more realistic view is to realize that very big, very important and very wealthy investors have just given a huge vote of confidence to longboarding. We should be stoked that the Sector boys had this sucess, because it is ours, too.

mc99david · 07-02-2008, 10:05 AM

ill sell dopamine longboards for a million!!! anyone? anyone???

i would love to retire right now...

XCrunner · 07-02-2008, 10:09 AM

I'm like shocked about this...Normally I would be excited about bashing on S9's but they really are decent boards and it sucks that some Surfboard company absorbed one of the biggest and lets face it solid LB companies on the market..Good thing the Exec's and creators are still on board though

jspats40 · 07-02-2008, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBasil

A few people have been kind enough to point out several other, well known brand names that are also owned by the Billabong empire. How many of you can post photos of the Billabong-Nixon glasses, for example?

You can't, because the value of the brand they bought was in the name and logo and market placement. It's the same with Sector. The marketing wonks, attorneys and analysts that justified the acquisition of a new skate line product certainly looked at Sector's market position (with access to data that would make Brooke giddy and put Sk8Norcal into a posting frenzy!) and came to an opinion that the crew of jewelry-crusted, tea-drinking golfers at the top of the Sector 9 operation had something that could be made even better under Billabong's funding and marketing power. That's why companies like this buy smaller brands -- not to dilute or absorb. That's also why the buyer asks the smart folks at the top of the acquisition to stay on: so the thing keeps working and Billabong's crew can work their magic.

Sure, there are plenty of opportunities to decry the death of longboarding, the death of core, the good old days when we were unique... like those aren't all relative states of being anyway. I think the better or more realistic view is to realize that very big, very important and very wealthy investors have just given a huge vote of confidence to longboarding. We should be stoked that the Sector boys had this sucess, because it is ours, too.

that is an awesome way to say it, i totally agree. now that a huge company like billabong has come into the longboarding industry, hopefully, longboarding will become more and more popular. this should bring more money to not only S9 but other longboarding companies, thus increasing the quality of all longboards.

but with anything mainstream, there comes posers.

Firefox777 · 07-02-2008, 10:31 AM

what about tony hawk , bam margera and other big nime mooks. you can buy a tony hawk board that dosnt roll with no name trucks no name wheels and it will snap on you if you do tricks with it. and it costs up to $110 bull sh*t if you ask me
they wont increase the quality . most likely they will drop the gullwing name and say s9 trucks bushing and wgeels. or better yet it will go the way of walmart and sell a complete for 60 bucks with cheap chinese "gallwing" trucks and "lime big zugs"