I founded Santa Barbara Seals surf school, where we not only teach kids how to surf, we mentor them, build their self-confidence, and educate them about the environment.

EDUCATION | BS Environmental Studies

HOW TO GET STARTED | Make sure it's something you really want to do, really think about it. Then start working on a business plan. A well thought-out, solid business plan is crucial. It helps you know where you're going and how you'll get there. But as with anything, you've got to follow through with it, even when it doesn't feel like the surf's up.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | For being a teacher: open-minded, compassionate, understanding and patient. As a business owner: thick skinned, because it's always competitive. Inquisitive and a good listener.

how I got started | Back when I was at UCSB doing environmental studies, a buddy asked if I wanted a summer job at a local surf school. I said, 'Sure, why not?' I do love to surf. After a couple of weeks, parents started coming up to me and telling me what wonderful things I was doing for their kids. When the summer ended, I thought to myself, well if this guy can make money in the summer teaching kids to surf when the waves are bad, why couldn't I do a year-round school, and surf when the waves are good? So I talked to my friend who got me the job in the first place, and we worked on a business plan. We started small, and we set up "shop" at Miramar Beach, in Montecito. We didn't want our little school to bother residents, so we'd keep the walkways and stairs to the beach well-swept, and we even got a heat lamp to put in the sand when it got chilly. Then we got our first two students, a brother and sister. Then another beach-strolling mom signed up her son, and he happened to be one talented 7 year old. Our kids were good, and people just started gathering to watch them, and to sit under our heat lamp. Word spread, enrollments grew, and we got some vans (so we could follow the good waves). That 7 year old student is now 16, and he's won competitions and is sponsored by Red Bull!

why this job?| I'd only thought of my summer job as teaching kids how to surf, it turned out I was doing more than that. I was mentoring these kids, helping them build self-confidence. When I realized this, it was the beginning of something. I could also connect the work with my environmental studies and influence kids to care about the environment from an early age (it's hard for a kid to be told the ocean is too polluted today to surf). So I see the activism starting with kids and I think that's the best way to have real long-term change. I genuinely enjoyed the kids' company, I would wake up excited to go to work. My dad always said, whatever you do in life, love it, and do your best at it. So I did, and my best was to start my own surf school.

why I love this job!| The families I get to work with and the connections I make with them, for years, in some cases long after they're graduated. I love being able to do what I love. I love doing the best for my community and students because it also relates back to my family.

my typical day| I'm a surfer so it typically starts early. I get the vans ready, check the surf, buoys, weather, make any changes in scheduling. Then there's invoicing, paperwork, advertising, keeping the website up and updated, and general business administration stuff. If after all that I have time, I'll go catch some waves myself. I'm in the water with the kids minimum 4 days, up to 6 days a week. I work on various projects involving photography, short films, and do charity work and get out into the community.

what they are | When you open a business, the money aspect is a challenge. Business is like a game and you're always trying to stay ahead of the curve.

all about growth | Entrepreneurship has vertical and horizontal growth. In my business I'm a bit limited by the number of students I can feasibly take out to surf every day, so we plan to expand with tee-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, other marketable goods to produce. When you own a business, you find the grown opportunities that work under your business model. And you can always take your business to new levels and even to other locations.

my website| http://www.santabarbaraseals.com