Skate

Snow

Surf

Photography

Design

Automobiles

I taught myself how to skateboard when I was 13, eager to learn this new skill after seeing a kid in my
neighborhood perform a skateboard trick. After teaching myself as many tricks as I could learn, I then strove
to perform these tricks with skill and finesse.
As I grew into a teenager, it became evident, that this sport was not just something I would do for a few years,
and grow tired of. I loved the challenge of the sport and became obsessed with learning and mastering every
skill & trick, simultaneously immersing myself in the subculture. I started skateboarding for the sport of it, but
in time, it became my main point of interest. This interest became a lifestyle, and this lifestyle grew into a
career-path.
When I turned 18, I got my first job working in retail sales at a skate-shop in Colorado, where I spent most
of my childhood. For the next 6 years, I worked at this job, and then a few others like it, learning everything
there was to know about retail sales.
During this critical growing period, I learned many skills and gained a lot of experience in the retail sales
sector of the Action Sports Industry. These new tools would provide me with an education and extensive
understanding of how a brick and mortar skateboard store functions.
When I felt like I had exhausted all there was to learn about this area of the skate market, I moved into
the wholesale sales sector, and learned the manufacturer's side of the business. This provided me with the
opportunity to learn everything else that I needed to know, in order to have a full understanding of the Action
Sports Industry.
This is where I would spend most of my adult career utilizing most of my skills and experience as a skateboarder
along with my vast experience as a Wholesale Sales Rep. for many of the top brands in the Industry.
When I felt as though I knew enough about the business as I could possibly learn, I partnered up with a longtime
childhood friend and we started our own wholesale skateboard manufacturing company. This opportunity
provided me with a complete understanding of how business works, The functions and the role it plays within
the industry, and would help to establish many close business relationships, that remain active today.

Yannis Christensen works in Newport Beach, CA. View their experience, skills and work history on Malakye — the professional network for creative,…

Yannis Christensen

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