Turning a passion into a business

Headquartered in Dublin, BigStyle has a stand-up paddle-boarding school in Dún Laoghaire Harbour and this year opened a 33-bed surf lodge in Westport, Co Mayo

Paddle boarding at Doolough in Co Mayo
Adventure watersports and travel venture BigStyle runs activities in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin and Co Mayo

When Kris Goodbody set up BigStyle in 2013, the decision to go into business was born of necessity.

Having returned to Dublin after studying journalism in the US, he found himself unable to secure work in the depths of the economic crash. The opportunity to travel to Kenya to teach kitesurfing part time kickstarted his interest in running an ...