Meet Griffin Thall | CEO & Co-founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Griffin Thall and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Griffin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I started Pura Vida with my best friend (turned cofounder) Paul Goodman, we had just graduated from college. We didn’t have jobs yet, and nothing was tying us down. We had a “nothing to lose” mindset. We stumbled upon a great product truly by accident. We were on a surf trip in Costa Rica and met two artisans, Jorge and Joaquin, who were crafting simple string bracelets. We saw a business opportunity and felt like starting our own company was high risk but also the highest possible reward right out of college. That feeling of risk and uncertainty is what has always driven me in my professional career.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m extremely proud that we’ve been able to take almost 1,000 artisans out of poverty and give full-time jobs. Anybody can start a business but at Pura Vida we really try to give back whenever possible. The artisans that work with us previously didn’t have a lot of experience or opportunity and they can now support their families through sustainable jobs. The biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that hard work and passion are the biggest keys to success. Even the most successful people in the world didn’t build their businesses overnight. True success takes time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend visiting me in San Diego I’d start by taking them to Board & Brew for sandwiches. Then we’d grab a coffee at Better Buzz. I’m a big surfer so we would definitely stop by Pacific Beach. I’d give them a tour of La Jolla on my golf cart so they could check out the local community and we’d probably end the day hanging out on my roof to watch the sunset.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve always looked up to Mark Zuckerberg. He started his business in college because he saw a problem (connecting people digitally) and he created a solution (Facebook). I admire him for seeing that something was missing in the world that nobody else saw and working hard to build his own company from the ground up. Beyond that, my company wouldn’t exist without Facebook and Instagram. Social media was one of the key drivers for growing Pura Vida. Mark Zuckerberg has provided so many people with new digital platforms to grow their businesses.

Website: https://www.puravidabracelets.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puravidabracelets/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/griffinthall/?hl=en
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffinthall
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/puravidabracelets/