Surfing has long been an inspiration for water sports enthusiasts and diverse scenarios in the use of boards on water have led to the creation of many varieties of surfing. All of them have the same goal: to raise the level of adrenaline and let surfers taste freedom. Thrill-seeking and constantly exceeding the limits, riders are continuously looking for new challenges.
They ride boards to which the latest technologies are adopted and modern trends are heading towards self-propelled boards. This new development would allow surfers to free themselves from all restrictions and enjoy the pure pleasure of modern surfing. When it comes to surfing, having the right gear is crucial, and this applies to various elements, including ski gloves for men. The right gloves not only provide protection from the cold waters but also ensure a comfortable grip on the board.
Fridee is a unique company that builds electric jet boards to help adventurous surfers engage in a breathtaking surfing experience.
The founder of Fridee Lukasz Krol states that he has been passionate about water sports and technology, specifically electronics and programming since his childhood days. His first experience of surfboards with combustion engines installed sparked the unique idea to release his own electric-powered board. For a long time, he had known that such a board would revolutionize the sport and had no doubt about it.
The genesis of Fridee quickly revealed to him that his previous lifestyle as a full-time employee in a stable job was not sustainable. He had to (and wanted to) devote much more time to his company. The earliest challenge he had to overcome after making this decision was maintaining a good relationship with his family, which required a completely different approach and his primary goal was to maximize the efficiency of the available time. In theory, it sounded simple.
However, achieving this was a tedious process of working on himself and his habits. The new approach made him realize how much time he had been wasting before. He believes that everyone should think about this, stating that time is the most valuable thing we have.
The founder goes further to say that one of the few things that he would have done differently in the past would have been to start much earlier. However, he still believes that working as an employee in the early stages of an entrepreneur’s life makes sense because there is an opportunity to gain experience for free. He, however, believes that people should learn to control their time because they can get stuck and sink into a comfort zone from which it is difficult to emerge later.
The biggest challenge he had to overcome was the transformation from a person stuck in their comfort zone to a goal-oriented individual capable of taking action. He agrees that this is a complicated transformation that often requires changing deeply ingrained negative beliefs, which can consume a lot of energy and time.
To him, another important point was finding a way to stay self-motivated. There were moments when he had enough of everything. In such a situation, he believes that it is important to take a break, recharge, and re-emerge with new ideas and doubled strength to act.
In his case, working as a full-time employee was a little too long, but he is glad nonetheless because he gained not only technical knowledge but also knowledge in the world of psychology. He had the opportunity to make many observations on large social groups from various levels, which allowed him to draw interesting conclusions.
He goes on to share his experience about founding a company in Wroclaw, Poland which was a natural move because there is a wide network of specialists in various fields of knowledge there. Working in various companies in different industries (automation, manufacturing, R&D, IT), has enabled him to meet many great specialists.
This was how he met Mariusz Wlodarczyk, the co-founder of Fridee, and together, they have found many clients through a series of recommendations resulting from many meetings they have had. To this day, they meet with different people, companies, etc. developing the company’s network of contacts.
Above all, the people who work with the company are excited about the project. They all work with passion; a small team was selected based on two factors: passion for water sports and outstanding skills in their field.
According to the founder, both the company strategy and the product itself are adapted to the rental market. Research has shown that there hasn’t been such an approach in the jet board market before. On the one hand, it is adapting to the developing trend of sharing resources, and on the other hand, it provides access to the sport to a much larger number of users than before.
He added that a Fridee board has several technical solutions that make it better suited for rental purposes and individual customers as well. On the contrary, he believes that it is a durable, maintenance-free unit that makes it easier and faster to start surfing than on other boards. His advice to starting entrepreneurs is that if they believe, they can overcome all the problems they encounter, and solving those problems will bring them a lot of joy.
Since the beginning of its existence, the company has been financed by the founders’ personal savings. Some of the company’s contractors collaborate based on agreements where they have established compensation terms for a later stage of the project. However, due to limited funds, the company operates at a slower pace than it should. The small advantage of this is the efficient use of money. Without having funds, the company often has to find other ways to solve specific problems, albeit at the cost of time. That is why Fridee is also currently seeking investors.
Fridee’s major customers are water sports enthusiasts, primarily surfers, kiteboarders, windsurfers, wakeboarders, and people who would like to engage in watersports but don’t have the time to learn or travel to spots with suitable conditions.
The company has built a large group of interested individuals on social media. There are many groups of water sports enthusiasts that the company reaches out to. Additionally, Fridee reaches out directly to water sports equipment rental companies and supports the creation of new rental companies in tourist locations. Recently, the company has also started working on building an exclusive paid surfing community.
The founder’s greatest pleasure is the fact that he can do what he really enjoys – developing a business that is meaningful and has a future, with people who share similar values. As a result, his productivity is maximum because the boundaries between work and pleasure are blurred. For him, one of the most important qualities of a good entrepreneur should be the ability to choose the right tasks. That is, tasks that are of the highest importance, that will have the greatest impact on solving problems or developing the company.
Currently, the company is developing a board for rentals. The company has also started building an exclusive surfing community, but at the same time, are working on a unique construction of an electric wakeboard that will be able to ride symmetrically (in both directions). Fridee also has an idea for a jet board control system without using a controller, utilizing AI technology, and is also seeking investors because, without financial support, it will be unable to realize all its visions.
