…and I don’t even know where I’m actually finding the time to write this because my schedule’s still packed with business stuff that is going on, but here goes…
This week, the business side of my skating just blew up. I know I won’t be able to skate forever and even though I’m only 17 right now, I gotta start thinking about the future. One thing I’ve always wanted to have was my own line of clothes and this week, I busted my butt to get a business like that off the ground…

Steve, who does way more than any agent I’ve ever had, sat me down and talked me through the week of meetings we were going to have. I was really pumped to go in there and talk with the people at Oakley and Etnies. These companies I ride for are really, really important, but we’re taking the ties with them to a whole new level. I want my own line of Oakley glasses and Etnies shoes. When you go into Oakley, there’s this poster of Michael Jordan on the wall and they’ll tell you how Jordan had his own office there and it’s just sick to think about having a company like that have your back.

You guys got to see a little of what I go through to get these kinds of things off the ground. You also got to see something a little embarrassing too – just how much I don’t know about business stuff. Those guys were throwing around words like “LLC” and “R&D” and talking about expanding partnerships and what not and I felt like I was in some college-level economics class. I know people don’t use the words to confuse me, but at some points, it was like I wasn’t even in the room. It is times like that I appreciate smart people like Steve being on my team. Plus, my dad told me that it’ll start making more sense the more I’m in conversations like that. (Oh, and R&D means “research and development.”)

The most fun for me is going over the top-secret designs for the graphics on the shirts, seeing the stuff getting printed in the factory and sitting down with the designers, approving some things and making changes to others. That’s the part of all of this craziness that got me the most excited.

Speaking of excited, let’s talk about Kayla for a second. You guys ever been in that position where you like someone and you’re not sure if they like you back? That’s where me and Kayla are. I like her. I’m doing what Casey and Taylor said to do which is take it slow, but…I’m still not 100% sure if she likes me like I like her. And her being out of town – no, out of the country and in a completely different time zone – is not helping things. Two weeks is a long time to not see someone and a lot could happen in two weeks. Mainly like they could find somebody else to be interested in which would completely suck. Now, I’m kinda understanding what it’s felt like for girls in my past when I’ve been the one on trips. For a while there I was just stuck hearing through Taylor cute messages from Kayla. But Kayla finally got back into town and seeing her made all my concerns disappear. She really loved her bag (I picked it out, but thanks Mom for picking it up) and I could just tell I wasn’t reading the signals wrong. I’m getting a good feeling about this girl.

Can we please talk about Shane’s Mohawk? I know I cut my hair into a hawk and then cut the hawk part off, but Shane was actually doing it Mr. T style. I am bummed you guys couldn’t see it. By the time you see him in the show, he cut it off, but it was pretty tight. Knowing Shane, he’ll grow it back and keep it for a while. I hope he grows it again just in time to take his drivers license photo in May.

I don’t ever want to be the guy who’s too busy for his friends or his family, but I think a got a little too close to that starting to happen. Thank God Mitch, Shane and Casey were there to kinda check me on it. Sometimes, it just doesn’t seem like there’s enough time to do all the things I want and have to do and I feel pulled in a bunch of different directions – skater, business guy, brother, friend. Getting to sit down and talk to Carey Hart was important because he could relate to what I was going through. He wanted to make sure I kind of learned from his mistakes so I didn’t have to repeat them. I’m glad he was able to make some time for me ‘cause I basically got to pick his brain. The biggest thing I remember from our talk is that the success with my companies doesn’t have to be overnight. I can make the time to skate, grow businesses and be a regular guy if I set up some priorities. Having the right people around to take a lot of the load off my shoulders will also be a big help. I’m excited about what the future holds.