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