South African sporting icon shares brutal experience entering the business world
Former world surfing champion Shaun Tomson said the reality of entering the business world after a successful sporting career was far from what he expected.
Tomson was born on 21 August 1955 in Durban and attended Clifton Preparatory School. He completed his education at Carmel College.
He enrolled at the University of Natal, where he received a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Business Finance.
He learned to surf in the beachbreaks around Durban under the watchful eye of his father, Ernie, his older cousin, Michael Tomson, and his brother, Paul Tomson.
“From the moment I first stood up on a surfboard as a 9-year-old boy, the sport gripped me hard and tightly,” he said.
“That sensation of being stoked, of being absolutely exhilarated, has filled me with passion, year after year, decade after decade.”
He excelled at surfing and won his first pro event at 17. He won 19 major pro events worldwide, including the Pipeline Masters and the World Professional Championship.
Tomson is also credited with creating a new style and technique for riding inside the tube, the most exciting and challenging part of the wave.
He is the author of the best-sellers Surfer’s Code, The Code: The Power of “I Will”, and the recent Amazon best-seller The Surfer and the Sage.
As an entrepreneur, he founded two market-leading international clothing brands – Instinct in the 80s and Solitude, which he co-founded with his wife Carla in the 90s.
He is currently an inspirational speaker for some of the world’s largest companies, talking about the influence of positive values on success in life and business.
His speeches focused on his own experiences of overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges, in and out of the surf.
Tomson has lectured around the world and inspired corporations such as General Motors, Cisco, PwC, Google, Disney, and The Gap.
A wake-up call for Shaun Tomson
Tomson recently shared a brutally honest account of his entry into the business world after he retired from professional surfing.
“When I retired from professional surfing, I thought I had earned a head start. Surely, I thought, there would be a natural next step,” he said.
This was not the case. “I always thought it was going to be Instinct, the company I had built, but I got into a dispute with my partners, and I sold my shares,” he said.
Tomson thought he was well-positioned for the business world, having spent 14 years on a world tour and won events across the globe, including a world title.
He had helped build the professional circuit, built a global brand, and travelled the world doing what he loved.
“I had a university degree. I had business experience. I had relationships across the industry,” he said.
He flew from South Africa to the centre of the surf business world, California, and walked into the headquarters of some of the biggest surf companies in the world.
“These were brands I had helped shape through competition and culture. I wasn’t asking to be CEO. I was simply asking for an opportunity to contribute,” he said. “One by one, the answer was no.”
“As an athlete, you live in a world where you think your name carries some weight. You walk into a contest, and people know who you are.”
“You have paid your dues, and there is respect. Then one day, it can feel like it’s gone. The scoreboard resets to zero.”
He learned that there is no golden pathway waiting for you just because you were great at something once. Your reputation does not guarantee you a future.
He had to start again. “I had to knock on doors. I had to learn anew. I went back to university and graduated with a Master of Science in Leadership,” he said.
“I had to accept that the skills that made me successful in the water did not automatically translate to success in business.”
Eventually, one door opened through Ian Yolles and Yvon Chouinard at apparel giant Patagonia. “They gave me a chance, and I have never forgotten that outstretched hand,” he said.
He said the experience was a wake-up call. “We all have to be ready and willing to paddle back out like a beginner,” Tomson said.
Shaun Tomson photos
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