Stephan Aarstol
American internet entrepreneur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stephan Aarstol is an American internet entrepreneur and author of the book The Five Hour Workday.
Stephan Aarstol | |
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| Alma mater | Western Washington University University of San Diego |
| Occupations | Entrepreneur, author |
| Known for | The Five Hour Workday |
| Website | www fivehourworkday |
Life and early career
Aarstol grew up in Bellingham, Washington. He graduated from Western Washington University's College of Business and Economics in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance, Marketing and Decision Sciences.[1] In September 1999, Aarstol developed a web portal for the medical imaging community. In 2003, he launched a venture producing and selling high-end poker chips. Aarstol quit his day job the following year, by which time his venture was generating $50,000 per month.
Tower Paddle Boards
Aarstol founded Tower Paddle Boards in 2010. Aarstol pitched his business on Shark Tank in 2011. Mark Cuban made an offer and invested $150,000 for a 30% stake in Aarstol's company.[2] In 2013 and 2018, Aarstol was featured as one of Shark Tank's biggest winners by People Magazine.[3][4] In addition to selling beach products, Aarstol is also the Editor-in-Chief of Tower Life Magazine,[5] a biweekly publication that discusses beach lifestyle.[6]
His company, was ranked San Diego's number one fastest growing private company in 2014.[7] Jeff Bezos' 2015 annual letter to stockholders singles out Aarstol and his company.[8] Aarstol was featured on ABC's Beyond the Tank in January 2016.[9]
In November 2016, Harvard Business School professor Thales S. Teixeira published a case study on Aarstol and Tower Paddle Boards titled "Selling on Amazon at Tower Paddle Boards".[10]
In 2018, Aarstol launched the No Middleman Project, an online directory promoting direct-to-consumer retail models. The project was described by Inc. as part of a broader movement to reduce reliance on third-party marketplaces.[11]
The Five Hour Workday
In June 2016, Aarstol published The Five Hour Workday, a book about switching his company to a five-hour workday and the benefits this change yielded in productivity.[12]