A presentation I prepared for AASI Development Team tryouts at Loon Mountain - March 2015

1. Confessions of a Riding Nerd:!
What Snowboarding Could Learn !
from Internet Businesses!
!
Mike Ma!
AASI Development Team Candidate 2015!
Loon Mountain, NH
Scene: My home office

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3. The press thinks we’re dead (or dying …)
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4. The data prove them right, literally !
!
We are riding less & getting older, while skiers don’t seem to have this problem
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5. The death of the middle class isn’t helping us
Population
making less than
$100K declined
from 60% of the
US to 48% in a
decade
Cost of living rose
28% in the same
course of time
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6. The death of the middle class isn’t helping us
“In 2001, taxpayers earning $100,000 or less
accounted for 60% of Walmart’s total income; in
2011, they accounted for less than 50%”
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7. We can do better as instructors
Source: http://business.transworld.net/110863/features/sunday-biz-the-rise-and-stall-of-snowboarding/3/
First timers,
beginners, and
intermediates
have suffered
biggest 3-year
declines
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8. What does this all mean?
!
Our average riding public is …
Aging
Riding less / doing
something else
Economically less
diverse
Not learning
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9. Examining the Guest Experience
!
1.Call us on our time to buy our
products ahead of time
Riding less / doing
something else
2. Wait in line to get your stuff
3. Come to our lineup, at our
time, at our spot
… and be intimidated!
4. Pay a premium for it
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10. !
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11. My Hypothesis: 3 C’s
!
Clarity
Guests need to know exactly what they are getting and be able to
make an empowered choice
Convenience
Do it on my terms, when I want and how I can afford it
Community
Be a part of something larger
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12. Clarity: Challenges today
Guestsneedtoknowexactlywhat
theyarebuyingandbeableto
makeanempoweredchoice
Who am I getting?
How did you pick her?
Is he qualified?
What are we going to be
doing?
Why does it cost so much?
What should I do next?
A potential convert
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13. Clarity case study: Yelp!
Through reviews, Yelp! has created clarity & transparency
around buying – from reviews to shopping
• 67 Million Reviews
• 10,000 food orders
facilitated / week
• 200,000 phone leads
delivered … every day
• 98% of Yelp! users
have bought something
• Largest user groups
• 35-64 (36.4% reviews)
• College (60.2% reviews)
Source: http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/yelp-statistics/2/
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14. Clarity prototype: ShredBetter
What if we built for instructors as an interactive
experience?
Integrated w/ mountsnow.com
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15. Clarity prototype: ShredBetter
Also, allow for instructors to setup the next lesson with online
Progress Cards
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16. Convenience case study: “Come to me” startups
Make me a Top Chef, but I
don’t do prep work
Make my stylish, but I
don’t shop
Pick me up, but I don’t do
cabs
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17. Convenience case study: “Come to me” startups
Old, stodgy brands are starting to integrate this in to how they do
business today
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18. Industry Convenience Challenge:
Make me a better rider,
but I don’t
“do snowboarding.”
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19. Convenience prototype: ShredUber
Quick tips, delivered to you, where you want, on your terms
ShredUber prototype:
1. You say where you are
2. Tell you how long it will
be till we meet you
3. Tell us what you want to
cover before
4. You see who you get &
approve
5. Instructor comes to you
6. Your credit card is linked
and automatically billed
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20. Convenience prototype: Signal’s Cardboard Snowboard
Reduce the “cost of failure” with a disposable, low-cost gear
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21. Community case study: CrossFit
The content is free. Individuals can be certified. You really pay for
the community and “your box.”
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22. Community case study: CrossFit
Growth of CrossFit:
• 7,000 affiliate gyms, up
from just 13 in 2005
• 166% year-over-year
growth rate of the
CrossFit Games
• 2% Estimated failure
rate of opening a
CrossFit gym
• 2 Billion estimated net of
just the CrossFit
affiliates in 2013
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Google searches 2009-2013
Source: http://www.tabatatimes.com/how-fast-is-crossfit-growing-the-chart-tells-the-story/
http://www.channelsignal.com/fresh-signals/by-the-numbers-the-growth-of-crossfit

23. Why I am here: 3 magic words
Guestsneedto
knowexactly
whattheyare
buyingandbe
abletomakean
empowered
choice
“You should teach.”
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4th day on a snowboard, and 1st lesson …

24. Community prototype: “AASI Everywhere” Affiliates
1. Amplify and give
away our content
Everyone can be an instructor, we welcome everyone into our
community
2. Certify to empower
affiliates
3. Shift from
lessons at schools
to sessions &
clinics anywhere
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25. Conclusion & dealing with change and fear
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a
“Insanity: Doing the same thing over again and expecting different results”
– Albert Einstein
Clarity
Guests need to know exactly what they are getting and be able to
make an empowered choice
Convenience
Do it on my terms, when I want and how I can afford it
Community
Be a part of something large

26. Thank you
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Mike Ma
mike@shredbetter.com
917-553-7161
Twitter: @michaelwma