Tony Hawk inspiring us for 72 minutes straight
Tony Hawk joins Sam Parr and Shaan Puri to talk about building a career and business empire from skateboarding, covering money, creativity, and giving back.
The gist
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Tony kept skating through a financial collapse in 1991 when his income dropped by half each month, which kept him sharp and motivated.
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When Activision offered a $500K buyout of future royalties before launch, Tony said no, and the game went on to earn millions more.
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Tony built multiple income streams including Birdhouse Skateboards, licensing, video production, and angel investments in companies like Nest and Blue Bottle.
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Tony says he started his skatepark charity without waiting to feel wealthy enough, because that feeling of readiness never comes on its own.
What they recommend · 1 pick
Pre-skate stretching routine
Health & fitness
"I do have some techniques for warming up pre-skating that have helped me in my last five years for sure. One of my friends, a pro skater in the 90s, asked me for tips for sciati..."
Also mentioned
1:22
Charity: Water
· "We went on a trip to Ethiopia with Charity Water. So we're in the middle of nowhere — no service, no..."
8:50
Bones Brigade
· "When I finally got sponsored by the Bones Brigade, I was an amateur. I won the amateur series that year...."
17:27
Back to the Future
· "I like to credit Back to the Future. When Back to the Future came out in '85, kids wanted skateboards...."
18:42
Sharper Image
· "I had no vision of saving for the future. I was taking all my friends on vacation, buying the newest car,..."
18:56
Airwalk
· "I was making about $1,500 a month from my shoe sponsor, Airwalk. They would call me every month and say,..."
36:21
Skate or Die
· "The last game that had been released up to that moment was Skate or Die for Commodore 64. So we're years..."
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