A White Rock paddleboard business is going to be in the line of fire on Dragons’ Den this week.
Mandy and Ryan Johnston, a husband-and-wife team who own Sea Gods Stand Up Paddleboards in White Rock, sell inflatable stand-up paddleboards featuring exclusive artwork commissioned from independent artists to watersport enthusiasts across the globe, from Inuvik to Europe to Australia.
After auditioning for the show without telling Ryan, Mandy said she surprised him with the news after her last-minute video audition with their kids in the background got them invited to be on the show.
“Surprise, Ryan!” Mandy quipped.
They’ll appear on the CBC show, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts and products to a panel of Canadian business moguls, this Thursday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m. Pacific Time.
Their business started “Honestly, by accident,” according to Mandy, who said when she and her husband moved to White Rock seven years ago from Alberta with their two young children, they thought that getting into paddleboarding would be something they could do as a family.
“When we were shopping, we couldn’t find any we really liked,” she recalled, adding that a sustainable, high-quality product that also, looked good, was their goal.
“We never understood why no one was taking advantage of making a statement with the largest canvas in board sports,” Ryan noted in an email.
“With that in mind, we set out to begin designing the raddest paddleboards ever made while collaborating with artists that we love. Every board we make uses an original art piece from an independent artist that we commission exclusively for Sea Gods.”
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One of their most popular board designs was created by Indigenous artist Mark Anthony Jacobson, entitled The Spirit of White Rock, which features the story of how P’Quals, or the iconic white rock the city is named for, came to be on the beach.
They did their research and started making their own, learning from West Beach Paddle owner David Dreves and taking as many courses as they could from him, starting in their van and garage before moving to a White Rock storefront/showroom.
The paddleboards quickly became popular online, selling all over the world, from the United Arab Emirates to Alaska to New Zealand.
“People started showing up at our garage… we were busy,” Mandy said.
She thought being on Dragons’ Den would perhaps, be a good way to get some business advice.
“We found ourselves with a multi-million (dollar) business with no business background,” she said, adding that she and Ryan have plenty of education and work experience, just in fields that are not associated with paddleboarding or water sports.
“We thought we might be able to get an investment partner, someone to help us make good decisions and really, be a mentor.”
While they can’t share what happens on the show, Mandy said the effort that goes into making each show is impressive.
“We thought it was going to be a business-type meeting, but it was a production… we got some amazing feedback!” she said.
Their White Rock showroom is now open to clients by appointment only, after three incidents of individuals smashing their glass window-storefront over the summer alone.
They are still available online as well, of course, and do live broadcasts on the Shop App every Wednesday at 4 p.m.
“Although we are too busy for walk-in traffic these days, we will always continue to serve our locals,” Mandy said.
“If you give us a call, we are happy to get you set up with a sweet board and sound advice.”