How to Get Sponsored (part 4)
(Go Pro)

Part 1|2|3|4

Step 3.
    The next step is working with the companies that flowed you gear the season before to get not only new gear but possibly some sort of allowance or even extra gear that you could use, trade or sell. By now the rep should have your number in their cell phone and talks to you on a regular basis.

    You should also send another round of packages to companies that would not conflict with your current sponsors. Your portfolio should be twice as thick and your resume even more full of awesome contest results. Your letter should note the things that the rep said you needed from the season before and how you achieved those things in the past season.

    So at this point you will have a few companies that are helping you more then others and you shouldn’t be paying for much of your gear anymore. This doesn’t mean that you can now ditch your shop sponsorship by any means. You still want to be referring as many people as possible there and helping them out in any way you can.

    Continue ripping as much as you can and keep winning those contests.

Step. 4
    Hopefully by now you have a handful of companies that pay you a small allowance and give you some cash incentives to win contests. This is probably the point where you don’t have to worry about holding a regular job during the winter season. This is also probably the point where you need to move beyond the rep that has been helping you out and make a solid connection with the companies team manager. The team manager will most likely start to have some stringent requirements for you including photo shoots and lots of traveling to the major contests.

    Although it is hard at this part of your journey it is super important to remember who put you where you are today. Those reps and shop owners that took a risk on you and stuck out their own necks.

    Even though it may be hard, try and stay loyal. At this stage of the game your name is going to be floating around and you will be in some demand. It is important not to drop a sponsor on a dime just because someone offered you more money or something along those lines. Hopefully you chose wisely earlier on and are representing companies that you believe in and have good people with whom you work with. If you drop a couple sponsors in a row very quickly no one else will want to risk having you represent them, you have basically shot yourself in the foot and it will take a long time to get yourself back to being desirable.

    Also at this leg in your journey you have made some friend out there that have chosen the life as a professional snowboarding photographer or cinematographer. When you are not at a contest you want to be hanging out with these guys in whatever adventure they have planned. This will allow you even more exposure and your demand will be directly correlated with it.

Step 5.
    You have made it. Congratulations. By this point you have a few sponsors that pay you a decent allowance and your season has gone from 6 months to 10 months or even more now. You are not financially strapt like you used to be. You get to travel a ton and are always on the road helping promote the companies that pay your bills. You may have much more impact on next years product design and you may even have a board line coming out sooner or later that you have been helping work on.

Final words
    Going pro is not for everyone and is a journey that may take many years to complete but just remember every step of the way, you are doing what you love and persuing your dreams.
Always remember your roots and those that got you where you are today.

    NEVER EVER under any circumstance should you ever rip on the companies that are flowing you gear or helping you pay your bills. It doesn’t make you cool to talk trash about the companies that are putting you where you are today not matter what the situation is. Some how somewhere the word will get out and get back to who ever and create a bad situation. You may loose your sponsorship and no one wants to sponsor someone who rags on their company so finding another may be a very hard task.

    You should also try not to rip on any of your companies competition because first of all its really not necessary and second you never know when you may have to go knocking on their door.

Good luck!

-Lakes

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