Meet Patrick O’Toole | Skateboard instructor and program consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patrick O’Toole and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patrick, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I honestly had no plans of starting what is now Skatestart. I was a personal trainer and golf fitness instructor running skateboard programs on the side. I invented a teaching tool which became the kicker to really make something happen. I basically had to run things on a trial basis for a couple years but now I’m twelve years in! It’s crazy that this is my “job”. I get to travel all over Colorado helping kids do something positive and have had cool opportunities helping communities throughout the country. The next step is focusing on hopefully getting my patented skateboards to the masses.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My story is one of taking a chance. I dropped everything to go out on my own. My experience in multiple sides of recreation, a degree from Northern Iowa in education, and having knowledge of the skateboard industry puts me in a very diverse category. I’m a parent too, so I get the mindset of parents who put their kids in my programs. I have created something I’m passionate about that allows me to be myself. It’s given me a great work and life balance that gives me freedom to do other things I’m passionate about. I’ve taught over 15,000 kids and won’t stop until my body stops. I have devoted time to take care of myself by all means possible so that I wake up each day ready to go. Sure I get sore and feel off sometimes but it’s all worth it. More content and skateboard instruction programs have popped up over the years but I truly feel I’m the best at what I do and can back it up. But it’s not about me, it’s about paying it forward which to me is the ultimate success.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Simple. My best friend is a skateboarder so we would go to Lyons CO and hit the skatepark there then go for a hike on the trail next to the river there. After that we’d hit up The Old Man for some cheap beer and BBQ. The rest of the trip would be a fun tour of skateparks, hiking, and golf at the Ranch CC. Sounds like a solid week!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank the communities that let me run programs across Colorado. There’s too many people to list here but I’ve got great advice from Kevin Brown (owner of Friction Labs) about business and need to thank my dad for the seed money needed to get a trademark and patent. My wife for supporting what I do and allowing me to be forever young. And I’d like to thank those who’ve asked me when I’m going to get a real job. Ha!

Website: https://www.skatestart.com

Instagram: @skatestart34

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