These might be useful tips if you’re looking for a sponsor or already have one or several but don’t want to get screwed in your career:

- For up & coming riders: Gather a bunch of good pics & videos of you as a portfolio to show when seeking for a sponsor

- For up & coming riders and already-sponsored riders: Make sure you edit the video well or ask a friend to edit it well for you, it’s important to show something nice to potential sponsors

- For up & coming riders and already-sponsored riders: If you send emails make sure you dont do mistakes, it’s important to show you can write and express yourself well

- For up & coming riders and already-sponsored riders: ALWAYS ask for a contract and if it’s only flow-team stuff and free gear ask the compnay how long the deal is for and how many free products you get a year. Even if it’s just a couple boards or accessories it’s important to ask the company to write it down in a contract or at least in an email so that you know what you have and where you’re going. No contract or no written deal = nothing

- For already-sponsored riders: If you have a sponsor(s) ask for their HD logo and use it in video edits or photos, also ask your sponsor if they can pay for the video editing if you ask a good videographer to edit the video. Better ask your sponsor to pay and have a nice clip than try to do somehting half-ass

- For already-sponsored riders: If there’s money involved please read above point once again! Ask for a contract even if it’s a 100 dollars contract.

- For already-sponsored riders: If you have a board sponsor and a contract check if there is an article in the contract that forces you to ride their boards and also their accessories. If there is, then ask exactly what that means and if you get extra money or extra advantages by agreeing to ride their accessories. If you’re not happy with this ask for a modification before signing. If you’re accepting the terms of the contract as they are make sure the deal suits you! Why? Because by accepting to sign a contract that forces you to ride boards + accessories or wetsuits you simply miss the opportunity to get 2 or more sponsors instead of 1 and you miss the opportunity to get more products and potentially more money from a second or third sponsor. Also keep in mind that having several sponsors might be better to multiply your chances to get recognition, additional sponsors (clothing or sunglasses or whatever), additional money and coverage on the web or mags because the brand will use shots of you for ads and promo and having more sponsors means more ads and recognition.

- For already-sponsored riders: Does your sponsor have a website ? Do you appear on the website ? If not, then why ? It’s important to be part of a team and be well identified and promoted on their website.

- For already-sponsored riders: Ask your sponsor if they can buy some pictures of you when a photographer has some good shots of you or at least put the photographer and the brand in contact to see if they can deal something.

- For already-sponsored riders: Be smart, most board companies are managed by distributors, they want to sponsor you for boards, accessories and wetsuits to get you all set up with their own stuff and no one else’s stuff and they’re not necessarily your friend, they need you but they don’t want to spend too much money on you unless they are good honest blokes or good friends of yours. Choose what you want to do, tell them what you need, what you’d like and how you see things, dont be shy and let yourself get driven. You’re not risking anything if you ask your sponsor or the distributor who’s sponsoring you for more details in the contract, for modifications or whatever. The brands need you if you surf good and most of the time you’re only getting free stuff from them (no money) and you have a job or you’re still at school or doing studies so you’re not risking anything if you’re picky and know what you want.

Note: Independent brands might be easier to deal with and to target if you’re looking for a sponsor or for sponsors deal because you’ll be dealing with several brands and not just a group of brands belonging to a distributor and you can wisely choose your sponsors or leave one and keep the other when things are not going your way. Most of the time clothing sponsors are independent from distributors (for example I am None, Grand Flavour, Unite, Flipmode are independent brands), some wetsuits sponsors also are independent (Z I O N, Reeflex for example) but not all of them, some boards companies are independent too but very few (QCD, Toobs for example), some accessories or fins sponsors are also independent but few… Always know who you’re talking to and keep in mind all of the above tips…