Cameron Olthuis

Funny mental picture isn’t it? A bunch of sun-starved geeks out on the beach trying to learn how to surf. Alas, I vow that every one of them, who gives an honest effort, will get up and feel the sensation of riding a wave.

Wondering what I’m talking about? ThinkTank, an un-conference that’s being put on here in San Diego by my buddy, David Klein, is bringing together about 40 or so of the top Internet Marketing minds to network and learn from one another in a casual environment. I noticed there were a bunch of very cool activities lined up (i.e. MMA Training sponsored by Surehits) for the event but I also noticed no mention of surfing. I thought, hmm, how can there be an event here in San Diego that doesn’t even include surfing, especially an event that will be happening on the beach??

So I contacted DK and asked him what he thought about one of my sites, 5ones, sponsoring an activity that would give surfing lessons to all the attendees. Seeing as dk loves surfing (almost ) as much as me, he was thrilled with the idea. So, my action sports website, 5ones, is hosting surfing lessons to any of the attendees that have the sack to get in ocean and try. Yes, that’s a direct challenge to Neil, Shoe, and all the other attendees. I have hard time picturing Neil on a surfboard but I will try my hardest to get him out there, that’s a promise.

I’m beyond thrilled to be able to share my passion of both surfing and the ocean with my friends. Surfing is one of those things that unless you’ve done it, you just have no idea what an amazing experience it is. There truly is nothing else like it in this world, and on so many levels too. Not only is surfing fun, and physically rewarding, but it also serves as a form of mental therapy. It doesn’t matter what stresses I have in my life, or how bad a day I’m having… when I go surfing, it erases all of that from my mind and I always leave the water with a smile on my face. Hopefully I will be able to pass this passion on to at least a few of the ThinkTankers.

PS – I think there still might be a couple spots left for this event. It’s a small investment for the amount of knowledge you will leave with and I’d recommend that any serious Internet Entrepreneur attend.

While sipping guzzling my morning coffee and reading through my feeds, I came across a great post from Sugarrae titled How to Find a Pair of Balls. Her post is more or less about; if you’re wanting something out of life you need to reach out and grab it. It’s not going to be handed to you.

The only difference between my success and someone else’s lack of it is that I refused to accept, and still do refuse to accept, anything less than what I want for myself in life. I don’t give myself excuses. I don’t wait for shit to be handed to me, I go in search of what I want.

I love reading posts like this because I can relate to them on so many levels and Rae inspired me to write a post about my experience. I struggled for years to get to the point where I’m at now and to be honest I still have at least a few more good years of struggling left in me. Otherwise, I’d be retired on a beach somewhere, surfing epic waves all day. And until I’m there you can bet your ass I’m still busting my ass and making sacrifices every day. I’m now starting what will be the third business I’m currently running. I work hard, even if it doesn’t always seem like it.

Most people don’t realize the amount of work that I’ve put in over the years to get where I am. Like Rae, I wasn’t handed an audience or a reputable name in my industry, I had to work hard for those like anyone else. My family and I sacrificed years of our lives for the hope there would be a payoff (better quality of life) at the end of the rainbow. We’ve gone through many times where we literally didn’t have a dollar to our name and we’d stay up all night wondering how we would come up with a few bucks just to eat the next day. Luckily for family or we’d have starved to death. But I also want to point that family only helped in times of emergency… the only unfair advantage I’ve ever had is my burning desire for a life that doesn’t consist of a dead-end job. I instead desire a life where I have as much free time to spend with my family and surf as I want.

I have friends and family (you know who you are) coming up to me all time asking if I can teach them to do what I do. The problem is that they’re expecting quick success because they chose to look the other way all those years I busted my ass with nothing just to get where I am today. All they see now is what looks like a pretty glamorous life from the outside (I can assure you though, it’s not always glamorous, far from). I am in no way trying to disrespect these people because I love them, but to be quite frank, none of them have been willing to do what it takes to become successful online.

Even though it may sound like it, I’m not trying to toot my own horn here. That’s not at all what this post is about. I’m just trying to point out that if you want to be successful in life you need to get off your lazy ass and do something about it. It will not be handed to you. It all comes to down to how bad you really want something. I’ve had every excuse and reason in the book on why I shouldn’t be successful but I refuse to accept that there’s nothing I can’t do or have.

I definitely recommend you check out Rae’s post.

Is there such a place where time ceases to exist? Where the land is so beautiful that you could swear you just saw the most mind blowing scenery that’s ever graced your eyes, only to turn the corner to a view that out-does the last? Where the people, who have no money or material possessions, are happier, friendlier, and more greatful than any other people you’ve ever met? A place so tranquil and relaxing that all your troubles literally slip your mind?

Such a place does exist and I am fortunate I was able to find my own little paradise in Nicaragua.

A couple months ago I wrote a post expressing my desire to not only travel to Nicaragua but also someday own a home there. Last month I had the pleasure of fulfilling half that dream as I was able to spend a few weeks in what is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on this earth. And after spending some time in Nica, it has only made my (now burning) desire of buying a home there that much stronger.

Nicaragua is not only beautiful in the sense of the breathtaking landscape… it’s a combination of everything; the people, the food, the culture, the surf, the experience, the wildlife… everything.

My trip began with a series of fortunate events… From getting bumped up to first class, to oversized luggage (think surfboard bags) fees being waived, to scoring a ride with a local surf guide from the airport in Managua to our destination in San Juan Del Sur… it was definitely a sign of good things to come.

Once arriving in San Juan Del Sur, my good friend Shaun and I quickly looked for the nearest taxi (and by taxi I mean an old Toyota 4×4 pickup with a bench in the bed) we could find to haul us to the nearest surf break, Playa Maderas. One of the very few annoyances I found in Nicaragua is that the surf is not easily accessible, it’s mostly by boat or muddy “highways” that will push any 4WD to the limits. However, riding in the back of a truck through the jungle is certainly an exciting experience in itself.

San Juan Del Sur is a beautiful little town that sits right on a picturesque bay in the Pacific. It served as a hub for most of our time spent in Nica. All the amenities you need can be found in SJDS; hotels, restaurants, bars, markets, taxis, friends, and more are found here. Here is a couple of pictures of the view from one of the restaurants…

We also spent a few days up near a surf break called Popoyo, where we stayed in a B&B that was literally right on the sand. It was the coolest beach house ever with the most amazing decks where I spent many-a-afternoons lounging around in the hammocks. There was a couple of pretty good surf breaks right out in front, so it was a nice change from the boats and 4WDs. Its nice just to grab your board and walk 10 steps to the surf. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of this place but that’s ok because they could never do it justice anyways. I do however have this wonderful picture of a whole pig that we roasted on the beach one night…

The one thing I can’t stress enough is how good the actual surf in Nicaragua is. In the few weeks I was there, the infamous offshore winds blew every day but one and the swell was consistently at a minimum of chest-high with most days going head-high or overhead. For you non surfers, that means it was really good.

All-in-all my trip to Nicaragua was a wonderful one filled with more great experiences than I can remember. I could turn this post into a book but I feel like it’s already getting too long. I can hardly wait until my next trip back. Some things that really stand out in my mind are….

The greeness. It’s their wet season right now which means that whole country is literally all green right now. So beautiful.
The people. I met so many wonderful people and made many life long friends. That’s pretty impressive for only being somewhere for a few weeks. I was also very impressed on how most of the local people there have no money or “things” yet they are so happy and nice.
The cost. Everything is so cheap… most meals, which I found to be excellent, where about $5 US. My last night there I splurged and went for a Filet Mignon, it was as good as anything I’ve had here in the states (thanks Nick!) and I think was only about $13 US.
The underdeveloped land. Surfing at beaches with no homes or people is amazing. You don’t get to experience that here in the US. Everything is so crowded. I was so blown away when we cruised the coast line in boats at just how empty the land is.

Here a couple fishing pics to leave you guys with…

A nice Blackfin Tuna…

Notice the colors of this Mahi-Mahi, they call them Dorado in Nica…

I want to give some shout-outs to the friends I made, if I forgot your name I apologize and it doesn’t mean I love you any less…

Alan, Codo, Nicaraguan Superman, Heather, Sandra, Sonya, Caleb, Oscar, Marlys, AJ & Molli, Nick, Josue, Cliff aka “killing it”, Jeffrey, Brandon, Ashley, Dan, Jesse, Gustaaf, Aaron & Rena, Kevin & Betsy, Mike, Victoria, Tona, and last but not least my good friend Flor de Cana… All truly wonderful people.

Next time you see me, ask me to tell you some stories about Nicaragua, trust me, I have lots of them I’d love to share ‘em all.

I have to admit, I’m really having a lot of fun playing around in the action sports industry. Besides, my passion for action sports, one of the main reasons for starting Factive was that I knew I could come in with my audience building skills, dominate the online space, and have fun while doing it.

Our audience is growing at a very rapid pace… I couldn’t be happier. The best thing is that it’s super defensible traffic too, we get a very healthy mix of Google, direct, social, and referral traffic. We’re now at the point where we’re ready to start monetizing our sites. Exciting!

I love the fact that I’m building a company around something I love so much. I wish I would’ve done this sooner as it makes life so much more enjoyable to combine work with your passions. At that point it no longer becomes work, as big of a cliche as that is. For example, ‘board meetings’; instead of sitting in an office, I now have meetings with people while I’m surfing. I get to go hang out at cool places like the Red Bull headquarters. I can fly around the world on exotic surf vacations and call it work. And companies are backing their trucks up to my door with free products for me to review. Its got it’s perks to say the least.

My advice to you is: get into something you truly enjoy and figure out a way to make money doing it.

I have my sights on moving to Nicaragua right now. I’m trying to figure out the logistics so I can spend 2 out of the 3 months there this coming summer. Go down, check the place out, scope some real estate, surf my brains out, etc.

Consistent year-round swells, offshore winds 300+ days a year, low crowds, white sands, crystal-clear water, low cost of living…. sounds like the dream to me. I certainly can’t think of any good reasons not to move there. Seeing as all I need is an internet connection to make my living, work certainly wont be stopping me. At the very least I’ll probably be buying a second home there where I can spend 6 months a year.

This just happened down the street from my house, a San Diego man was attacked by a shark this morning and bled to death. Apparently this is the first fatal attack in 50 years in my area. This is pretty scary considering I was just about to paddle out for a surf.

I have never really worried about attacks around here just because they are so rare. I guess now I will have something to be cautious of. This is sad news and my thoughts go out to this man’s family.

All you business and website owners listen up and listen well. Avante Gardens, an Anaheim Florist, is going to school you on building loyal customers, links, and positive buzz all in one shot….

So how many of you remember my story about FTD Sucks and how they screwed me over on Valentine’s Day? If you don’t the click over and read it really quick so you can be up to speed.

So, there is this super bad-ass floral shop up in Anaheim that took notice of my post and decided they’d use my bad experience to their advantage to win over a new customer, me. Shortly after I checked into my hotel for SMX I got a knock on my door. It was a room service dude that had a bouquet of flowers for me. At first I thought maybe I had a secret admirer that wanted some lovin’ or maybe the SMX crew was just going the extra mile for their speakers. Nope, I was wrong. The following note was included in the flowers…

Dear Cameron, After reading your plight with FTD during Valentine’s Day, I just want to put in a plug for local florists. I’m looking forward to your presentation.

Wow! My heart melted. I was in love. I thought this was one of the coolest things ever and couldn’t believe someone remembered and cared about little ol’ me.

I just snapped that pic of me with the flowers. The ladies tell me that’s a super nice bouquet. Huge thank you to Avante, you effin rock and I love you.

Hope you all learned something. This would have been a great opportunity for FTD to step to the plate and make good with me… they didn’t and now they can kiss my badonkadonk. I will never order from that piece of crap company again and have told as many people as possible not to as well. They obviously don’t care about their customers. Now, on the flip-side – you all know a good florist.