Sponsorships: The guide.
To start this off, yes, Schlaudie is looking for our next rider to sponsor. Do you think that it could be you? Well, do you have the drive and commitment to better the team? Do you have the skills necessary to compete amongst the best in the industry? Do you have the style and bag of tricks to catch people's attention? If you said yes to any of these, then you are off to a good start. But, there is more to it than being good.
At Schlaudie we get hundreds of messages and DMs asking us if we are sponsoring. We fully appreciate the love. We really do but, let's be real. Not everyone can be sponsored. Not everyone has the skills necessary for a sponsorship. For those few who do have the skills necessary, that is not the full of it. Skills are just the entry point to being looked at.
When brands are looking to bring someone onto their team, they are bringing someone into their family. They want to not just have another rider, they want the relationship that comes with it. Now, that relationship is not just a relationship among friends but also a business relationship. The business aspect is a major part of being sponsored and we will get into that shortly.
From the outside sponsorships come with so much awesome. Riders get bragging rights with their friends, props at the park and of course, free goods. Who doesn't love free goods!? Every month, boxes of boards, clothing and cool fresh shiny new items arrive in the mail. In this day and age where many pro decks can cost upwards of $80 in the US and $100 in places like Canada, free boards are not only amazing for the morale but also amazing for the wallet. But, the wallet is where sponsorships are directed. Because it is free for you does not mean it is FREE. You still have to pay for it. It just may not be coming out of your wallet.
Companies, both big and small, are not in the game just to give out free goods. Companies are in the game to grow and to pay bills. They use the talents of the riders (you) to increase their own standing in the world. With the best riders on the team, it shows the world that the product is "cool", solid and premium quality. Advertising definitely helps with this but there is nothing better than having the top rider