From a Passion For Surfing to a Global Business

In this episode of The Happiest CEO Show, we sit down with Nathan Folkes, founder of MojoSurf, one of Australia’s most iconic surf and adventure companies. What started in 1998 as a passionate, roaming surf lifestyle became an international business helping thousands of people catch their first wave across Australia, Bali/Indonesia, Portugal and beyond.

Nathan shares the real story behind building MojoSurf — from leaving school at 14, carpentry trade life, and launching a “totally rogue” pop-up surf trip from Sydney to Byron, to scaling a complex multi-location operation built on fun, freedom, and community. We also dive into the less glamorous realities of growth: cashflow pressure, hiring the right people, and learning to outsource your weaknesses before they swallow your passion.

Then comes the wild pivot: when COVID hit and tourism stopped overnight, Nathan and the team had to adapt or disappear — transforming their resources (beds, buses, and a whole lot of grit) into a large-scale accommodation and transport solution supporting Pacific Island workers in Australia’s farms. That unexpected chapter sparked something bigger: a long-term commitment to Pacific communities, sustainability, and responsible tourism — including projects in Indonesia and exploratory work in places like the Solomon Islands.

This is a conversation about adaptation, resilience, purpose-led growth, and what it really takes to build a business that still feels like you.

What You’ll Hear In This Episode

• Surfing as a metaphor for business: timing, persistence, and “paddling out the back”

• How MojoSurf began: a phone, a cartoon brochure, and a bus headed north

• The truth about scaling: staff culture, systems, and outsourcing your weak spots

• Sustainability + responsibility: “people, planet, purpose, profit”

• The COVID pivot: from surf camps to supporting farm workforces and Pacific communities

• Lessons from “failing forward” — and why showing up matters more than perfection

• Nathan’s best advice: “Keep breathing. Find a way.”

  Nathan Folkes — Founder, MojoSurf

  Learn more: www.mojosurf.com