2007-2010: What a journey!
Author: Brent Stallo	Brent Stallo | Tuesday, 13 October 2009 18:15

In 2007 I packed my bags for the Atlanta Supercross on February 20 and didn’t return to my own bed until April 23. What was I doing? Following the dream, that’s what.

 

That Sunday, after watching James Stewart lay wood in front of nearly 80,000 screaming fans I flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sunday night I was in a 2002 Toyota Forerunner with Andrew Campo on the way to California to search for gold. After all, we were about to be rich. Heck, we had been in business for nearly four months and had already proven that we were a viable company with sustainable growth, right?

 

We drove all night, slept in a truck stop parking lot and had one of the most memorable cups of 3 am coffee of our lives in Arizona. We arrived in California the following morning around 8 am with no place to go. No shower awaiting us, no bowl of Fruity Pebbles and no meetings scheduled. Not to mention we were actually about four months too late to be included in anyone’s budget for that year.

 

Against his better judgment I convinced Andrew to stop into a Denny’s for a quick bite. Don’t ever do this before storming the doors of a company you hope to one day do business with. No details needed, but just trust me and opt for a piece of fruit and some stiff coffee instead. After a hearty breakfast of over-buttered toast, what we hope was an omelet and a quick change of clothes in the parking lot we headed further west to So. Cal. to find our gold.

 

Our goal was to drive back to New Mex. three days later with the motocross industry in our back pocket. With no warning, no scheduled meetings or email conversations forewarning of our arrival we stormed into over a dozen major companies to ask for their ad dollars. It was almost like trying to sell someone a rocket ship ride to the moon in 1912. Bad metaphor, but true nonetheless. Not only did no one know who we were, online advertising was still growing in awareness and no one, including ourselves, really seemed to understand it at the time.

 

After countless embarrassing meetings Andrew and I tucked out tail between our legs, used the last of the money in our bank accounts to fill up the Forerunner and headed back to Santa Fe with not one contract in place.

 

It’s now approaching 2010 and I just got of the phone with Andrew, who happens to be in California meeting with current and potential marketing partners for the 2010 calendar year. Today he was welcomed at DC Shoes, One Industries and Thor with open arms, and is lined up to meet with at least 10 more companies on his trip. A far cry from the lonely trip he and I took in February of ‘07.

 

I’m not quite sure the premise of this blog, but I’m feeling an unbelievable sense of accomplishment at the moment. Not personal accomplishment, but accomplishment for Vurb as a whole. Accomplishment for every single one of our contributors who believed in us enough over the years to cover races on their own dime. Accomplishment for all the readers who saw the talent in Vurb in 2007 and have continued to log on and read each day.

 

I’m never one to rest, never one to say that we’ve “made it” and never one to take what we’ve earned for granted. Win, lose or draw, though, it sure feels nice to finally see our vision from 2007 come into fruition. Here’s to 2010 and an even better 2011.