Dominating Courts, Currents & Consumer Packaged Goods w/ Laird Hamilton & Gabby Reece
The Ultimate Power Couple
December 19th, 2024 • 6 min read
When big-wave surfing pioneer Laird Hamilton and volleyball icon Gabby Reece entered the world of business, they brought the same mindset that drove their athletic success: discipline, resilience, and adaptability. Co-founders of Laird Superfood, XPT, and LAIRD Apparel, the duo shared candid insights at the FounderMade Innovation Show about what it takes to build brands, embrace failure, and stay grounded in the pursuit of passion.
Solve a Need
For Laird, building Laird Superfood wasn’t about following market trends. It was about solving a problem, starting with his own daily ritual. “I love coffee,” he said. “So it was a recipe with my coffee to improve the benefits of my coffee,” Frustrated with chemical-laden sports drinks, he began experimenting, blending healthy fats and clean, functional ingredients like turmeric into his morning cup.
That kitchen experiment developed into their first product, Superfood Creamer, which grew from prototypes to an online hit. “It started with our own personal need, our own desire,” Laird shared. “If you follow that intention, if you follow your own intuition, your instincts…you’re bound to be successful even if it's just that you'll be content.”
Today, Laird Superfood boasts over 41,000 glowing reviews and partnerships with major retailers like Erewhon, Target, Kroger, and Whole Foods Market.
Failure: The Best Teacher You’ll Ever Have
Both Laird and Gabby were transparent about failure. They acknowledged that setbacks are inevitable in both sports and business but emphasized that growth happens in those moments. Laird reflected: "I'm continuing to fail every day… failure is just part of it, that's where you learn, everything's learned in failure. Like, you don’t learn in success. You never remember your successes, the successful rides - you remember every crash very well because the body wants to make sure you don’t do that again."
Gabby added, “We’ve had a lot of failures too. This is not the first business we’ve tried to start!” For them, failure is part of the process, not something to fear. “You become accustomed to not being successful and understanding that that is part of the process, you don't get deterred by feeling like this isn't working, I'm not good at this, you go oh this is the learning, this is the part of it, I'll adapt, I'll pivot’,” Gabby explained.
Their mindset reflects a bigger truth: growth isn’t linear. Businesses evolve through trial, error, and the ability to change direction when something isn’t working.
Teamwork Makes the Business Work
Laird and Gabby credit their complementary strengths as a key part of their success. “I think it's like a person that you're willing to get in a lifeboat with…you're in the boat and it's just you and them and the ocean and so you better make sure that that you won't cannibalize each other in the boat or throw each other out! So, I think there's some of that! I think to be in a life boat together there's going to be times when each person has to move for the other person and I think that's a big piece of it.”
Laird jokingly added “I'll drink mud if I think it's good for me! But there'll be a customer of one - which will be me! So she's about flavor, I'm about function.”
The trust they’ve built allows them to focus on their strengths while staying aligned on goals. “You’re on the same team, no matter what,” Gabby said. “You know that ultimately their goal is the same as yours”.
Mentorship and Community Matter
In entrepreneurship, isolation can be a challenge. For Gabby and Laird, mentorship and community have been critical. Gabby encouraged entrepreneurs not to be afraid to reach out for help: "I believe that most people - all you have to do is call them, even the busiest person, even the most successful person - if you reach out and say, ‘Hey, can I have 15 minutes of your time, I have five questions?’ I find that people will say yes because they do want to share, and they know how hard it is and not to be afraid of that."
For Laird, surrounding yourself with the right people matters just as much as asking for help: “If you’re taking care of your yard, you’ll attract those people as well.”
Success Is More Than Numbers
The couple challenged conventional definitions of success, emphasizing that it’s not just about hitting milestones like IPOs or financial gains. “People define success as zeros or your company was brought public,” Gabby explained. “[But] Laird and I both feel like if you're in pursuit of the things you believe in, and you're solving the problems every day when you get out of bed that you want to be solving… in my mind, even when it's brutal, that is success”.
Laird added that health and relationships must come first: "You can have a lot of success but if you're not healthy… if you don't have good family and good friends…nothing else matters."
Passion and Persistence Make the Difference
While navigating business is rarely straightforward, Laird and Gabby believe passion and persistence make the journey worthwhile. As Gabby summed it up:
"Pursue a passion and if you do that long enough you will arrive at the right place, and by the way even when you're there, it's still hard!"
Give the gift of wellness this holiday season. Explore Laird Superfood for clean, functional products and discover Laird Apparel for performance-driven style.
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