Suit Up!
Sick and tired of bruised hip bones and ugly surf gear, these two surfer chicks became hip-bone-saving wet-suit designers and heroines of water-sports-loving women everywhere.
Vital Stats: Amber Sakai,
28, and Brighdie Grounds, 27, of Costa Mesa, California-based Four
Girls.
Company: Wet-suit and
water-sports gear manufacturer started in 2000.
2001 Projections: $1
million.
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Then There Were Two:
Co-founders Michelle and Navah Paskowitz elected to leave Four
Girls in late February, "but it's OK, because the
company's for all girls," says Grounds.
Stop the Suffering: "So
many girls wear just their bikinis when it's freezing, because
their wet suit doesn't fit them right or they don't like
the way it looks," says Grounds. "We've seen their
battle wounds."
Stand and Deliver: "Not
to brag about our surfing, but we've surfed pretty well in the
last four years," Grounds says. "We can hold our own in
the water, which, as far as respect goes, makes a
difference."
Business (Very) Casual:
"We can work in our flip-flops one day," says Sakai,
"and the next day, if we feel like dressing up, we dress
up."
Serious Business:
"We're not just looking at the waves every day," says
Grounds. "We're working at 10 a.m. and talking until 10
p.m."