Rob Dyrdek - Entrepreneurs, Life Achievements and Childhood

Rob was always interested in sports and from a very young age he used to try his hands at various things in school. Finally at the age of 11, he stumbled upon the sport of skateboarding when he was gifted his first skateboard by professional skateboarder, Neil Blender. He took a year to get the hang of the sport, which proved a bit difficult since his town did not have proper facilities for training in skateboarding. After a year, at the age of 12, Rob Dyrdek decided to enter the arena of professional skateboarding. He bagged sponsorship from the same company that his idol Neil Blender was attached to. That same year, he also became the youngest member on the G&S Skateboarding team, one of the top-rated skateboarding teams in the country. In his own words, he was an extremely driven teenager who spent all his time thinking about skateboarding, all the cool new tricks he can try and all that he could achieve as a professional.

He continued skateboarding under the banner of his first sponsor and started competing in championships. After competing for a year in various events, Dyrdek convinced his mentor, Blender, to leave the umbrella of their sponsoring team and start their own skateboarding company called 'Alien Workshop'. This was his first venture towards successful entrepreneurship and he later came to establish Alien Workshop as one of the top skateboard deck sponsors as well.

Very soon, he quit school and moved out from his small hometown where training opportunities were scarce and the competition cold. At the age of 16, Dyrdek gave up his senior year in high school and moved to Southern California to see his skateboarding career flourish.

Soon after moving to California and jumping into the professional skateboarding scene, Rob Dyrdek started coming into the radars of top sports brands. In no time, he was offered sponsorship deal from Droors Clothing, currently rebranded as DC Shoes, which is still going strong, with the company releasing a line of custom made shoes curated by Rob himself. Rob has set 21 Guinness World Records during his illustrious sports career including Longest 50-50 rail grind and highest skateboard ramp jump into water in 2007.

Rob Dyrdek has seen phenomenal success as a professional skateboarder. Apart from a sports person, Rob has established himself as a super successful entrepreneur too. Right from starting his own skateboarding company when he was really in his teens and then taking it up to build it into the country’s and then the world’s premiere independent skateboarding company. He has tried his luck into various ventures and seems to have that golden Midas touch when it comes to businesses. He has teamed up with DC Shoes, launched toy skateboarding crew called Wild Grinders, and also launched a signature fragrance with TAG Body Spray scent called 'Make Moves'. He has also partnered up with several brands to create unique experiences and unmatched interface. He partnered with Chevrolet to launch the new Chevy Sonic performing his gravity defying kickflip. He also teamed up with ISX, Bill My Parents, and DTA Rogue Status to create unique user experiences while watching various sports, especially skateboarding.

Rob has also made his successful foray into the world of entertainment. He starred in the MTV reality TV series 'Rob & Big' between 2006 and 2008 and included his near and dear ones in the show. Following this, he featured in Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory during 2009, where a big part of his sports ventures was shown in an entertaining form. He has also featured in video games and music videos. He also made a movie called Street Dreams in 2009. He has also hosted a show on MTV called Ridiculousness since August 2011 alongside other sports personalities and the show features internet videos of sports mishaps.

Rob is one of those few sports people, who have not only achieved huge success, but has also turned his success into financial gains. He has constantly experimented with businesses, whipping up one crazy business idea after another and partnering up with the correct brands to take those ideas forward. The ideas have certainly paid off since his net worth just keeps going up. He has explored the entertainment business and has also grabbed prime opportunities that came his way in that area. Rob Dyrdek is the shining example of how one should not restrict oneself to a single niche and not be afraid to experiment, in order to achieve great heights.

Rob currently lives in Los Angeles with his family to be near all his current business endeavors. He grew up in the small town of Kettering, Ohio, but eventually moved out to settle in California to broaden his skateboarding horizons. He is close to his family and several of his family members have been featured in his 'Rob and Big' reality show. Rob was especially close to his bodyguard, Christopher Boykin, affectionately known as Big Black who died suddenly in May 2017 of heart attack. Rob was left heartbroken and paid his heartfelt tribute to his friend in a public statement saying "Thank you for being an amazing human being and brother."

He got married to his longtime girlfriend Bryiana Noelle Flores in 2015. The couple has a son named Kodah and together they paint the picture of the most perfect American family.

Rob established a philanthropic foundation in his name in 2003. 'The Rob Dyrdek Foundation' aims to raise money to build legal skate parks around the country since in most states there are no proper skateboarding facilities and most kids practice out in the open which is illegal for obvious risk reason. The charity is close to Rob’s heart because he believes that by doing so he is securing the future of skateboarding in his country.