What Surf and Lifestyle Industry Founders Are Really Looking For in 2026
Insights from the Surfpreneurs Community
Starting or growing a business in the surf and ocean lifestyle space looks incredible from the outside — waves, travel, lifestyle, and freedom.
But behind the scenes, surf industry founders face the same challenges as any entrepreneur, often with fewer resources, greater seasonality, and more volatility.
At the end of 2025, we surveyed the entrepreneurs and founders in the surf and lifestyle industry (members of the Surfpreneurs Club) to find out more about their business and its challenges, as well as what they find most helpful in solving problems. Those who responded come from a variety of niches in the surf industry including surf schools and hospitality, to product manufacturing and wholesale or retail sales, as well as industry specific like content and creative specialists. They are also based across all four corners of the globe, which reflects Surfpreneurs total member base of almost 900 members, also.
It was arguably not a huge surprise that almost two thirds (64%) of respondents said marketing and finding new customers is their biggest challenge. This was followed by bringing new products and offers to market, operations and processes, hiring and managing teams, and funding and investment as the key themes on Surfpreneur’s minds.
So, with those challenges in mind, we then posed the question, “What actually helps you most when building a surf business?”
Below are five key themes that emerged from the responses that we are sure will help other surf and ocean lifestyle founders. We have then fleshed out what these themes they mean if you’re starting out, scaling up, or looking for support in the surf industry. While these insights directly reflect the members who responded to the survey, they align closely with what we see across the wider surf and ocean-lifestyle space.
1. How Community Builds Confidence for Surf Entrepreneurs
More than anything else, founders told us they value connection with people who truly “get it.”
It’s the real conversations, with others navigating the same mix of cash-flow swings, lifestyle trade-offs, marketing experiments and more, that help shift the dial.
Sometimes those conversations aren’t even about business. They might happen over a coffee, a walk, or a shared surf. But simply knowing there are others facing similar challenges, and willing to listen, can make a huge difference.
Many surf founders operate solo or in very small teams, often in remote coastal locations. That independence is part of the appeal, but it can also lead to isolation. Without the traditional startup, corporate, or industry networks, decision-making can feel heavier and lonelier.
The insight:
Surf founders don’t just want information, they want people and support. Peers to sanity-check decisions, share lessons, and remind them they’re not alone. While networking opportunities exist everywhere, the surf industry is unique, and founders value connecting with others who understand its realities.
2. Real Conversations vs Content for Surf Founder Learning
Templates, courses, and resources have their place but on their own, they’re rarely enough, and lose the flexibility that a two-way interaction provides.
Across the survey, founders consistently ranked in person and online meetups, discussions, and real-time conversations higher than static content libraries.
Surfpreneurs often wear many hats in their business which means that questions are rarely one-dimensional, or can have impacts that span several areas of a venture.
On top of this, surf businesses are deeply contextual and customer experience is crucial. Seasonality and weather are out of our hands, so how a surf hostel deals with flat spells can make a big difference. Customers may look similar but behave very differently, driven by different values so understanding why price is more or less important than other features like environmental impact or speed of postage can help decision making and positioning in market.
Gaining different perspectives and shared experience builds confidence. A two way conversation (in the digital or real world) allows follow-up questions, nuance, and taking the topic where you didn’t necessarily expect it would go. Static courses and templates struggle to have the same practical impact.
The insight:
In a world flooded with content (increasingly, AI generated), human interaction matters more than ever. It may even help cut through the noise to know what content could actually help. Lived, shared experience builds trust and that trust leads to better informed decisions.
3. The Power of Local & In-Person Networking for Surf Businesses
In a global, digital world, physical and in person interaction matters.
One of the clearest signals from the survey was the desire for more local and in-person connection, particularly Summits which were the origin of Surfpreneurs Club.
Surf businesses are grounded in geography. Conditions, regulations, seasons, staffing challenges, and customer expectations can vary dramatically from one coastline to the next. Connecting with someone operating in a similar region can shortcut a lot of trial and error.
While online communities make global connection possible and can remove concerns about sharing with direct, local competition, many members also shared that some conversations simply land better face to face. Sitting down for a coffee, or sharing some waves, and taking the opportunity to talk things through in real time creates trust and momentum and that is priceless.
The insight:
Digital interactions are strongest when paired with real-world connections. For Surfpreneurs this comes to life as a hybrid platform that uses online spaces to stay connected, and in-person moments to deepen relationships. It’s not about choosing one over the other, but making the most of both that lifts up the surf business community.
4. Case Studies & Honest Lessons That Help Surf Businesses Grow
When asked what type of insight is most valuable, our surf industry leaders who responded favoured real case studies and honest lessons from people actively building businesses.
Not polished success stories. Not ‘overnight’ success stories that sell newspapers. And not the kind of toxic positivity that is sometimes used to sell courses and e-books. Instead, founders want to hear about the messy middle and what worked, what didn’t, and what someone would do differently next time. This helps them avoid the same mistakes and learn faster.
This requires openness on both sides. Surfpreneurs members want to learn and are willing to listen with an open mind. This works best when others are willing to share honestly. The best part is that giving freely can not only help others, but reinforces your own learning too. The added bonus is that reciprocity often comes back around in unexpected ways later on.
The insight:
Authenticity beats hype. Relatable stories provide inspiration, clarity, and reassurance that you’re on the right path, or the courage to adjust when you’re not. It can help with knowing what you know, what you don’t know, and didn’t know that you didn’t know.
5. Turning Community Connection into Real Surf Business Outcomes
Once connections are made, the next question is: ‘What happens next?’
Responders told us the most valuable connections are those that move beyond surface-level networking and turn into action. Practical examples include shared projects, referrals, content and marketing collaborations, product partnerships, as well as mutual support.
Surfpreneurs has already seen this happen for those working on new and existing businesses. They meet through the community, build trust, and go on to collaborate in meaningful ways. Even Surfpreneurs itself began when Peter and James came together from two different industries (hospitality and skincare) to run events.
This could also be the solution to the almost two thirds (64%) of the responders who said that their biggest challenge right now was marketing and finding more customers.
The insight:
Trust comes first and then action follows. When surf founders feel supported and understood, it becomes far easier to say, “Let’s do something together.” The outcome of working together can be a classic case of the sum being greater than its individual parts, too. You just need a way to find that partner.
What This Means If You’re Starting or Growing a Surf Business
Taken together, these insights point to a few clear truths:
You don’t need to do this alone.
You’ll move faster by talking to people, not just consuming content.
Community can create a genuine competitive advantage.
Once you’ve found the right people, opportunities naturally follow.
That’s exactly why Surfpreneurs exists.
It’s a place where surf and lifestyle founders can:
Connect with peers who understand the industry
Share real experiences — wins, lessons, and challenges
Learn from people actively building
Turn relationships into collaboration and growth
What’s Next for Surfpreneurs
We’re using these insights to shape where Surfpreneurs goes in 2026 and beyond.
Our focus remains on keeping the core community accessible, while exploring ways to support founders who are seeking deeper connection, accountability, and shared learning.
If you’re building (or even if you’re just dreaming of building) a surf business and want to stay close to this conversation:
Join the Surfpreneurs community
Subscribe to the newsletter
Come along to a meetup
We’d be stoked to have you join us.
Surfpreneurs was created nearly 10 years ago by surf business founders getting together to share ideas, knowledge, challenges — and a few waves along the way. That purpose hasn’t changed.
Surfpreneurs Team