How He Started a Successful Surf Camp at 23 With No Money or Experience… (& How You Can Too)

What happens when a 23-year-old, unemployed and fresh out of university during Portugal's worst financial crisis, decides to start his own surf camp anyway?

In this episode, David Moore shares the story of building Surf Cascais from the ground up into one of Portugal's most loved surf schools, surf camps, and surf villas. I had the absolute pleasure of staying at Surf Cascais while recording this conversation, and can say firsthand that the community David has created is truly something special.

David opens up about growing up in Lisbon completely obsessed with surfing, catching his first waves at 13, and how a lifelong passion for surfing slowly turned into a business he never set out to build. He shares the mentor who changed everything, the mindset that carried him through his early 20s with zero plan B, and why Cascais might be one of the most underrated surf towns in Europe.

We also talk about what it really takes to build a business rooted in connection rather than hustle. Now 13 years into running Surf Cascais, David spills the real secret to running a successful surf camp, the one belief that has driven every decision he's ever made, and his newest project taking the Surf Cascais community around the world.

This conversation is for anyone curious about starting a business from scratch, what it really takes to build a successful surf camp, or daring to leave the traditional path behind and build a life around the thing you love most.

Connect with David & Surf Cascais:

Book your stay → surfcascais.com

Instagram → @surf.cascais

Surf Atlas (small-group surf trips worldwide, via Surf Cascais) @surfatlas.co

David on LinkedIn → David Moore Rodrigues dos Santos

Surf Cascais Video Linked Here.

Follow along on other platforms:

KEYWORDS

surf cascais, david moore surf cascais, surf camp portugal, surf school cascais, how to start a surf camp, starting a business in your 20s, guincho beach surf, carcavelos surf, praia grande surf, surf villa portugal, surf atlas, maldives surf trip, lisbon surf camp, move to portugal, learn to surf portugal, solo travel portugal, kindred roads podcast, mary goggin podcast, unconventional life podcast, solo travel podcast

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(44)

How to Survive 90 Days Completely Alone in the Ocean

Cyril Derreumaux holds three Guinness World Records, and each one is its own kind of insane. In 2016, he and a crew of three other men set a record for the fastest ocean rowing crossing from Californi...

19 Aug 54min

Inside the High-Stakes Job of Being the First to Spot a Wildfire...

What happens when the person responsible for spotting the next wildfire is 100 feet in the air, completely alone, and just got struck by lightning for the fourth time? If you're Trina Moyles, you clim...

10 Aug 1h 25min

He Spent 21 Days at Sea, Worked in the Amazon for 30p an Hour, and Slept in the Same Room as the Taliban… | Part 2

Matt was riding a horse over a mountain pass above 3,000 meters when the weather turned and he ended up stuck in a snowstorm. What do you do when there's nowhere to turn back to? This is Part 2 of Mat...

27 Juli 57min

He Spent 21 Days at Sea, Worked in the Amazon for 30p an Hour, and Slept in the Same Room as the Taliban... | Part 1.

What do you do when the only way out of the country during a pandemic is to advertise yourself on a Facebook sailing group and hope someone takes you? If you're Matt Whitley, you pack your bags, fly t...

11 Juli 57min

They Invited a Homeless Man to Live With Them. Here's What Happened…

What happens when two friends invite a man they met outside a Little Caesars to come live with them, and all three of their lives change forever? This one is a little different from our usual episodes...

6 Apr 1h 2min

What Happens When a Solo Woman Cycles Across the World...

What happens when a solo woman decides to cross continents by bicycle, trusting the kindness of strangers along the way? In this episode, Claire Wyatt shares the story of cycling across some of the mo...

15 Mars 1h 26min

From Quitting Her 9 to 5 to Photographing Wimbledon’s Fashion Icon…

What happens when you leave a stable 9 to 5 and decide to build a career around your passions instead? In this episode, Olivia Chenery, a London based events, hotel, fashion, and brand photographer, s...

17 Feb 51min