It's Hard to Sleep When You're Chasing Your Dreams

David Zima is out of his mind.

The device for his insanity: VegaBond surf and skate brand, a company he is establishing from his home in Auburn, Ala.

In early 2009 Zima founded the company under the name “Sound.” At the time, the infant brand focused on designing shirts, hats, hoodies and other skateboard-influenced apparel. Today, under the updated trademark,
VegaBond creates apparel, custom skateboards and custom surfboards all from
Zima’s house on Glenn Avenue.

“It’s cool to be able to say that we do all our creation ‘in-house’ and actually mean it,” Zima says. “The first surfboard was shaped in the living room, but since I started doing more boards I transformed the back
deck into the main surfboard shaping area.”

It is obvious that Zima is fixated by the culture of skateboarding and surfing, and it is under this influence that he is forming his company.

“I don’t want VegaBond to be a big corporate organization. I want to put the soul back into the industry. There should be personal relationships between the company and anyone we do business with.”

For Zima, VegaBond is his response to the life he’s been given through experiences riding skateboards and surfboards. His desire to share the joy with others is the source that fuels him through long nights of work.

“As far as labor goes, it’s pretty much just me,” Zima explains. “I do design for the apparel and boards, I handle the money, I manage the paperwork, I shape the skateboards and I make the surfboards.”

Though the company requires a relentless amount of work, Zima enjoys the different challenges of starting a small business.

“The most difficult part of getting the company off the ground is having the money to buy the products,” Zima explains. “But this is also the greatest part. I’ve met so many people I never would have met through
starting my own business. Just when you think there’s no way it can work, you
meet the right person and everything falls into your lap.”

VegaBond’s main expenses include printing apparel and buying the needed materials to produce high-quality surfboards and skateboards. Almost all of the start-up money comes from Zima’s pocket which is the personal
investment required to turn one’s favorite hobby into a career.

“I guess you could look at it as a hobby, but it’s definitely something I want to make my career. For me, I’m up all night thinking about it, and when I wake up it’s all I can think about during the
day. I’ve always thought that as long as I work hard and I enjoy doing it, it’s
going to be successful no matter what.”

Zima is the fearless leader of the VegaBond operation, but he is reluctant to take all the credit.

“Without support from my best friends this company wouldn’t be anywhere. My friends help me with designs, they give needed input and my roommates put up with all the craziness at the house. It’s not my company, it’s our company.”

Eventually Zima would like to own a surf and skate shop in California. Until then, the VegaBond operation will continue from the living room of Zima’s house. If all good stories have humble beginnings, VegaBond is
off to a good start.