Second Semester, Fewer Gnarly Situations

The first semester of Sunset Duckies was an experiment. I wanted to see whether kids would train harder and learn faster in a group than they do alone. They did.

When one kid managed a clean pop-up or caught a better wave, the others wanted to do it too. They came for the surfing, but the group kept them training through the running, squats and endless dry pop-ups before we let them touch a board. That part worked better than I expected.

We also learned that a kids’ surf club cannot be run too casually. Last semester we had too many gnarly situations with kids in the water while parents watched from the beach. A parent on the beach cannot help quickly when something starts going wrong. I should have made the rule clearer earlier.

Looking down, I think my belly could also use some training, so let’s get down to business.

What changes this semester

We start again on Friday 11 September, 4-6pm in Tamarin Bay. The kickoff is open to everyone, and every new duckie gets one free first session.

After that, the regular Monday and Friday sessions will be for members. Membership is Rs 3,000 per semester for one child or Rs 5,000 for a family.

The fee helps us run the club, but it also makes the commitment clear. We are putting time into organising and coaching twice a week. The duckies need to turn up and train, and the parents need to be part of the session.

Every family must now have at least one parent or guardian in the water for the full session. Watching from the beach does not count. The rule also applies during the free first session.

This asks more from the parents. It also puts more adults next to the kids in the water. We want the duckies in the water, and we need the parents in there with us.

The granola business

The club taught me something else. Sunset Duckies has a good logo and a group of families who care about it. That is enough to try a product, but the product still has to stand on its own.

Estelle, the daughter of a good friend of mine from Switzerland, is coming to Mauritius for an internship with us. Together we are starting a Sunset Duckies granola business.

Her job is concrete: work out the first granola, the ingredients, packaging and price; speak with the club families and people outside the club; find out who can make it; and get a small first batch ready. She will contact everyone who joins the club as part of that work.

We plan to launch the granola with the next Sunset Duckies competition in October. The competition date and format are still being worked out.

Supportive parents will probably buy the first bag because they like the club. After that, we need repeat customers who like the granola, buyers outside Sunset Duckies who pay full price, and enough margin for one batch to pay for the next. We will track those numbers instead of treating a busy launch table as proof that we have a business.

The granola money will stay separate from the club fees. Membership pays for the club. Granola revenue pays for making and selling granola. If the business becomes strong enough to support the club later, we can make that decision with real numbers.

I wrote down the working plan for the granola business here.

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