Meet Samantha Eastburn | Owner and Founder of SUP Pups

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

Hi Samantha, what do you attribute your success to?
Pure Passion has to be the most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand. Truly loving every aspect of what you do despite all your hardships and setbacks, you have to love what you do.

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 always have had a deep love and passion for being on the water. There is just something so calming and relaxing about it. I had a very special childhood where we would go to the lake in Arizona every weekend, it is where I feel most at home. So in college I knew I wanted to move out to San Diego to pursue a career on the water but had no idea what I wanted to do. My other passion and love is for the animals, especially dogs. At the age of 5 I was begging my mom for my own dog to take care of, and she let me adopt a sweet Yorkie.

So after I obtained my Tourism Development and Management Degree at ASU and moved out to San Diego, I received a job at a water sports rental company. Through San Diego Bay Adventures I had fell in love with the sport of Stand Up Paddle Boarding. For me, being on a paddle board felt like I was on my very own boat! I studied and received my flat water paddle board instructor certificate and started teaching lessons on San Diego bay out of Harbor Island. Then it all began when I took my rescue dog Jack out on the water and he loved it as well. So I decided to combine my two passions of being on the water and dogs and created the program SUP Pups!

It was a lot of trial and error to develop my lesson plan as well as learn how to market the program. A beautiful thing about San Diego is how dog friendly it is and desire for the amazing weather so I had that going for me. But not having a business or marketing degree required me to learn a lot on my own. I feel a lot of pressure because I did decide to do this all on my own but it’s the love of what I do that keeps me going.

SUP Pups sets me apart from others because there is no other program or business like mine! I cater the entire business to be around the dogs, and I do not discriminate against any dog, all are welcome. What I am most proud of is the community that SUP Pups has built and helping other fall in love with the sport with their dog. My heart gets so happy when I teach someone how to paddle board with their dog and then they go off and buy their own board and equipment to keep their new found passion going.

Every day I learn a new lesson, what products work and what does not. Investing my own money into the business even if that means eating spaghetti every day to make means work. But its the smiling faces both the dogs and the humans when they leave that keep me going!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spot in the city of San Diego would be the home of SUP Pups, Liberty Station. There is everything that you would need or want to do located within Liberty Station. Not only you can paddle board with your dog, but after you can visit the adorable shops and restaurants that are just blocks away! If you are not from San Diego there are multiple hotels located in Liberty Station and some are even dog friendly! Another amazing attribute about Liberty Station is that they developed a Public Market featuring local artists and food vendors. If I were to tell someone to come visit and plan their itinerary, I would have them start off with a coffee from Moniker General and then come to a paddle board lesson with SUP Pups. After gaining an appetite, they would then head over to the Fig Tree for breakfast followed by checking out a little dog store with cute apparel and accessories called Puppy Picnic Co. Then they would head over to Liberty Public Market and check out all the amazing vendors inside. Next for lunch, head over to The Presley for a dog friendly patio with amazing food! If they want to have another fun activity, then they could go to the Loma Club and play mini golf and have a drink while watching sports games at Dirty Birds. Lastly, for dinner the newest spot in Liberty Station would be Go Go Amigos! Such an adorable spot that is instagram worthy with amazing Mexican food!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shout out for my success is to my parents and how I was raised. From a little girl, I have always been very independent and wanted to everything on my own. My parents have always supported me in doing so, they raised me to learn from my mistakes. Yes they would get upset if something went wrong in my life, but they would never hold me against it. They accepted me, and they always knew I would figure it out for myself, but were there to support me. Sometimes I do wish that they were a little more tough on me, and held me accountable but then it did make me who I am today and I am very proud of the woman I have become. Growing up I knew deep down how much they loved me, and that they would never judge or hold anything against me. With that feeling I always had the motivation to keep getting up every time I fell down.

Website: www.SUPpups.com

Instagram: instagram.com/SUP_pups

Facebook: www.facebook.com/suppupsusa

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sup-pups-san-diego-2?osq=sup+pups

Image Credits
SUP Pups – photographer Joe Obani – photographer Gretchen Otero – photographer