A Better Board

Carson Kropfl taught himself to skateboard when he was just 4 years old—it’s been one of his favorite things to do ever since. But when Carson, who’s now 14, started middle school a few years ago, his hobby hit a speed bump. When he took his skateboard with him to school, he quickly realized the board was too big for his brand-new locker.

“My locker was decked out and awesome, but none of my skateboards would fit inside,” says Carson. Did that mean no more skating to school? Not for Carson. He came up with an innovative solution to his oversized skateboard problem. Carson created a mini board that he could easily wedge into his locker or backpack. Carson calls his invention the Locker Board.

Carson Kropfl taught himself to skateboard when he was 4 years old. It’s been one of his favorite things to do ever since. But Carson, now 14, started middle school a few years ago. Then his hobby hit a speed bump. He took his skateboard with him to school. Right away, he saw that the board was too big for his new locker.

“My locker was decked out and awesome, but none of my skateboards would fit inside,” says Carson. Did that mean no more skating to school? Not for Carson. He came up with a creative solution to his oversized skateboard problem. Carson invented a mini board. He could easily slip it into his locker or backpack. Carson calls it the Locker Board.

Before Carson built the Locker Board, he spent a lot of time brainstorming its design. “I would sketch out models,” he says. “It was always in the back of my head, but for a long time I didn’t know exactly what the board would look like.”

Then one day, inspiration struck. Carson was at a garage sale when he spotted an old, beat-up skateboard deck. The deck is the flat part of the board (the part a skater stands on minus the wheels and hardware they connect to). Carson realized that if he trimmed the front and back off the deck, it would fit perfectly in his locker.

Carson wanted to build the Locker Board. But first, he spent a lot of time thinking about its design. “I would sketch out models,” he says. “It was always in the back of my head, but for a long time I didn’t know exactly what the board would look like.”

Then one day, an idea struck. Carson was at a garage sale. He spotted an old, beat-up skateboard deck. The deck is the flat part of the board. It’s the part a skater stands on, without the wheels and their hardware. Carson looked at the deck. What if he trimmed the front and back off it? Then it would fit perfectly in his locker.

Carson remembers taking his find home and excitedly shouting to his dad, “Let’s make the skateboard!” They had a saw and a sander to reshape the old deck. But before building a prototype—or testable model—Carson’s dad suggested they first visit Carson’s school to measure his locker. Carson didn’t think that was necessary. So the pair went ahead and cut the down. But when Carson later went to put it in his locker, the board was still too large.

Carson made sure to measure his next prototypes. These early decks were shaped like regular skateboards with rounded ends. They were also super wobbly, says Carson, and you couldn’t really skate on them. Over the next few weeks, he kept changing the design until he figured out what worked best. He settled on creating a rectangular board about half the size of a traditional oblong deck. “It fits perfectly in your locker, and you can still skate on it,” Carson says. “It’s super fun to ride.”

Carson took the deck home. He remembers excitedly shouting to his dad, “Let’s make the skateboard!” They had a saw and a sander to reshape the old deck. Carson wanted to build a prototype, or testable model. But first, his dad suggested they visit Carson’s school to measure his locker. Carson didn’t think that was necessary. So they went ahead and cut the board down. But later, Carson went to put it in his locker. The board was still too large.

So Carson measured his next prototypes. These early decks were shaped like regular skateboards with rounded ends. They were also super wobbly, says Carson, and you couldn’t really skate on them. Over the next few weeks, he kept changing the design. Finally he figured out what worked best. He decided to create a rectangular board. It was about half the size of a regular oblong deck. “It fits perfectly in your locker, and you can still skate on it,” Carson says. “It’s super fun to ride.”

Carson made more pint-size boards at home and started selling them to his friends at school during lunch. His customers gave him feedback, so he was able to make the boards’ design even better.

Then Carson posted a video of himself riding one of his Locker Boards on Instagram. People online started asking him where they could buy one. That inspired Carson to turn his idea into a much bigger business. He even went on Shark Tank, a TV show where inventors compete to get money for their business. Carson’s product pitch won over billionaire Richard Branson, who invested $65,000 to help take Locker Board to the next level.

Carson made more mini boards at home. He started selling them to his friends at school during lunch. His customers gave him feedback. That helped him to make the boards’ design even better.

Then Carson posted a video of himself on Instagram. It showed him riding a Locker Board. People online started asking him where they could buy one. So Carson decided to turn his idea into a much bigger business. He even went on Shark Tank. On that TV show, inventors compete to get money for their business. Carson’s product pitch won over Richard Branson. The billionaire invested $65,000 to help take Locker Boards to the next level. 

Carson wanted his business to be environmentally sustainable, or not harmful to the planet. So he chose to build his boards using recycled blemish boards, which are decks that had been made incorrectly at the factory. Instead of tossing the imperfect boards, skateboarders or manufacturing plants would donate them to Carson. Carson’s company sands out the flaws and cuts the boards down to the right shape and size.

Today, Carson works with a manufacturing company to produce his Locker Boards. So far, he’s sold more than 1,000. He’s also working with major brands, like Nike, to improve his product. Carson is eager to see where his business takes him. The young entrepreneur has other ideas for new products and wants to work on developing them along with his Locker Board. “I’m always going to be running some type of company,” he says. “It’s what I love.”

Carson wanted his business to be environmentally sustainable. That means it wouldn’t harm the planet. So he chose to build his boards from recycled decks. Known as “blemish boards,” they were made wrong at the factory. Skateboarders or manufacturing plants would donate these imperfect boards to Carson instead of tossing them. Carson’s company sands out the flaws. Then it cuts the boards down to the right shape and size.

Today, Carson works with a manufacturing company to make his Locker Boards. So far, he’s sold more than 1,000. He’s also working with major brands, like Nike, to improve his product. Carson can’t wait to see where his invention takes him. The young businessperson has other ideas for new products. He wants to work on developing them along with his Locker Board. “I’m always going to be running some type of company,” he says. “It’s what I love.”