ELFI TEUTSCH: HAPPY ENTREPRENEUR

LOT: What brought you to Troncones?

ET: Mostly surfing. I was chasing waves, looking for some warm water. I’d left Tofino, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, planning on traveling down to Peru, but I stopped in Troncones because somebody told me, “If you ever go down to Mexico, you have to go to Troncones”. It was never on my list; I’d never heard anybody else talk about Troncones, just that one person. That made me want to go.

LOT:  What did that person say about Troncones that made you want to come here?

ET:  That it’s a little surfer’s paradise, where the waves are great, the food is good and there’s a kind community. I didn't know any more than that. I just came, checked it out and fell in love.

LOT: What did you find?

ET: I didn’t know what I was looking for. I’d been to a few places in Mexico. Everything was nice, I had a good time, but when I got here, something was special. The people were always friendly and I connected immediately with a lot of people, people who are still my friends after four years of living here. And the surf was world class. It’s hard to describe. You only find a few places you really want to live, and I kind of felt like I didn’t have to go anywhere else. I found what I was looking for and I didn't even know I was looking for anything. I just felt “home”.

LOT: Where did you stay when you got here?

ET: I stayed at Bruce’s, at one of the surfboard shapers, and then at Casa Kitty, and then I found my own place.

LOT: Did you leave and come back?

ET: The first two years I had to, to make things work money-wise. I spent six months here, six months working in Canada. But I knew I had to figure out a way to not leave anymore.

LOT: What kept you coming back?

ET: The warm water; the heat; my cats, the surf and my friends.

LOT: And what keeps you here now?

ET: My businesses. I’ve started a few businesses over the past four years, along with my little homemade family–my cats and my best friend Vianca. I don't feel like I want to go anywhere right now.

LOT: How did you come to start so many businesses?

ET: I had to find a way to make some money. I didn't want to work abroad anymore and online remote-working wasn’t for me. I wanted to be a little bit part of the Mexican economy, to add a little something to Troncones. It’s hard to make money here, but each of my businesses here support the locals. They support me, I support them; we make a little money here and there.

LOT: What businesses have you started?

ET: First, I started Soul Surf, my all-natural sunscreen brand. Then, it was my all-natural dehydrated dog treats and cat treats–Ay! Mi Perro. My board repair business kind of just came up, people asking me to do that over the years. I really want to be a shaper, make surfboards, so I’ve started as an apprentice with Craig Johnson, one of the shapers in town. His brand is Hana Style; great boards. I'm going to finish up two more boards this week. I like being able to supporting myself and my lifestyle. Being a shaper, making my own boards, brings that together.

LOT: Do you consider one your primary or full-time business?

ET: Ay! Mi Perro. That's gotten bigger in, like, one year, bigger than I ever imagined. I'm already supplying two more states here in Mexico; we’re up to three in total–Guerrero, Michoacán and Morelos.

LOT: But I see you a lot at La Cervicheria.

ET: That's my best friend Vianca’s place. I helped her getting it all up and running in January. I'm still supporting her with that, with the food and the bartending.

LOT: And I’ve seen you bartending in La Saladita.

ET: Yeah, here and there, for some events, parties, I help out with my bartending skills. I’ve got those.

LOT: What was the process of being to work here legally?

ET: First, I got my temporary residency. That came through the immigration office in Zihua. Then, I got an RFC number, a tax number, Registro Federal de Contribuyentes. That came through the SAT, the tax administration service, Servicio de Administración Tributaria. That office is also in Zihua. Everything has been a process, with a lot of documentation and some waiting. Right now, Ay! Mi Perro is a fully-registered business with the government. The others are still in process.

LOT: Okay, let's back up a little bit. Where are you from?

ET: From Germany, close to Frankfurt.

LOT: And how did you get from Frankfurt to Canada?

ET: I’ve always followed my passions. In my early 20s, when I was still in Germany, I discovered snowboarding and it became my passion. There are no mountains where I grew up; I had to travel to snowboard. One day, I googled, “Where is the best snowboarding in the world?”, and western Canada came up. I applied for a visa, quit my job and spent two years in British Columbia, in Whistler. I snowboarded there for two years, working around my passion. Later, I discovered surfing in Tofino on Vancouver Island. I did that for a few years and then I wanted to move to where there’s warm water.

LOT: How would you describe your life before Troncones.

ET: [Laughs] Pretty exciting. If I wasn't living on the ocean, I was living in the mountains, in Austria, in British Columbia. I was trying to find a way to live my dreams, snowboarding or surfing every day.

LOT: How do you describe your life now?

ET: I’m living the dream now. I’m not trying any more. It’s hard work most of the week, but every day I do something I love, so it's worth the hustle. I hustle a lot with my five businesses but every day I wake up and I'm happy.

LOT: How often do you get to go out and surf?

ET: Every day.

LOT: What gives you the biggest thrill now?

ET: My biggest thrill is still surfing. That gets my adrenaline going every morning. What makes me happy? Pushing my limits a little bit. I'm competing in surfing; I’ve started going to events. Troncones has made me a better surfer.

LOT: What is being in the water teaching you?

ET: Me. The ocean teaches you You. That, and being focused, because you always have to be aware of what's going on around you, what the people are doing, what the next wave is going to be. It’s reading–reading people, reading nature, trying to be one with everything.

LOT: How do you find that playing out in the rest of your life?

ET: [Pause] You always have to be patient, mostly that, and have some empathy, too. Like, if I see somebody in the water who’s really frustrated because they haven't caught a wave in a while, and I know it's my turn, I just let the next wave go and give them a way in. I wish other things in life were like that. Surfing is about being happy and spreading the joy. Business is different; it's supposed to be more about making the money you need, but still, in some ways, it’s the same. It’s about making people happy. My treats make the animals happy, and their owners, too. To me, making money actually comes down to being happy, putting yourself and your customers in a place where they can get what they came for. With my sunscreen, you protect your skin, you don't get a sunburn, it smells good and you know it’s good for you, too. That’s part of spreading the joy and happiness.

Links

Ay! Mi Perro: https://www.instagram.com/ay_mi_perro

La Cervicheria Troncones: https://www.instagram.com/lacevicheria_troncones/

Soul Surf: https://www.instagram.com/soul_surf_mexico/

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