76 MAY 2017
says. “Have a big idea and go after it for a few
years, then step back, analyse the situation
and, if necessary, figure out a better solution.
That’s what I had to do with FutureFlex.”MAINTAIN YOUR STANDARDS
In 2012, Cox travelled to Surf Expo, a huge
board-sports tradeshow in Florida. Unpacking
his boards that had shipped straight from the
factory, Cox was devastated to notice small
imperfections in the colouring of the resin.
Despite having travelled halfway across the
globe, Cox refused to exhibit his product. He
admitted the issue with his retailers upfront
and simply told them he’d return next year.
Cox then flew straight to his factory in
Thailand and personally drove a router through
every single board that was similarly marred.
“I made a graveyard of about 800 boards,” he
recalls. “It broke my heart because they were
perfectly fine surfboards. But they weren’t up
to my standards.”
It was a brutal decision. But Cox didn’t flinch,
destroying more than a half a million dollars
worth of potential turnover. The reason: when
running a business, your product isn’t
everything, it’s the only thing. “It’s my name on
the boards,” Cox explains. “My boards are the
ultimate representation of who I am as a
surfboard designer, what I stand for, my quality
levels and how I treat my customers.”THE BUCK STOPS WITH YOU
Three years ago, Cox was woken at 2am by a
phone-call from his US customer service
coordinator. The entire manufacturing team at
his Californian factory had suddenly walked
offsite because no one had received their
weekly pay cheque.
Cox’s response was immediate. First thing
the next day, he jumped on a plane from
Sydney to LA. He then drove around the city
to apologise to each of his staff in person and
hand-deliver their pay cheque. “I was mortified
that they hadn’ t b een paid ,” he says. “ T hat ’s
not who I am and that’s not what my company
does. The only person who could fix that
situation was me, face-to-face with every
staff member.”
Strictly speaking, this wasn’t Cox’s fault. The
problem had arisen because his accountant
had screwed up the wages. But when it’s your
business, Cox insists, your employees’
mistakes are ultimately your mistakes. When
things go w rong , i t ’s up to you to t ake
responsibility, put things right and implement
systems to ensure they never happen again.
H ire well and lo ok af ter your employees. “ Your
staff really are the most important people in
your business,” Cox insists.MY BOARDS ARE
THE ULTIMATE
REPRESENTATION
OF WHO I AM,
WHAT I STAND FOR