Professional surfing taught me how to perform under pressure
Christo Hall is a former professional surfer turned award-winning entrepreneur and business mentor. After nine years competing on the international surfing circuit, he went on to win the Australian Masters National Surfing Title in 2022 and 2025. Today, he is best known as the co-founder of Basic Bananas, Australia’s leading marketing mentoring organisation for business owners.
Through his work with thousands of entrepreneurs, Christo has helped generate millions of dollars in additional revenue, earning a reputation as a highly regarded Speaker, mentor, and peak performance strategist. Described as knowledgeable, confident, and down to earth, he is recognised for his ability to translate complex business strategies into practical outcomes that drive measurable results.
Christo’s expertise and innovative thinking have seen him featured widely across media, including The Today Show on Channel Nine, the Talking Lifestyle breakfast radio show, Virgin Inflight Entertainment, and as host of the BankWest Business Insights Podcast. He has also delivered a TEDx talk and presented for leading global brands.
As the author of three bestselling books, Beyond the Break, Perception, and Bananas About Marketing, Christo combines the mindset of an elite athlete with proven business acumen. His presentations equip audiences with actionable tools to sharpen performance, inspire innovation, and achieve sustained success.
Talking Points
The Surf-Inspired Code for Lasting Business & Life Success
Mindset Secrets from Professional Surfing and How to Apply Them to Success in Business and LifeThe Surf-Inspired Code for Lasting Business & Life Success
Success in business, much like riding a big wave, requires resilience, focus, and the ability to stay centred under pressure. Drawing from his background in professional surfing, Christo Hall shares mindset techniques that can help you elevate your results in career, business, sport or hobby by harnessing the power of a pro surfer’s mental toolkit.
Through intense and entertaining stories from professional surfing and business you will discover…
How to cultivate a deeper level of focus and why it’s key to your success
Develop the same type of intense focus that surfers use to navigate unpredictable waves, allowing you to gain clarity, make impactful decisions, and stay on track.
Techniques to stay resilient under pressure
Discover how surfers manage high-stakes situations with calm and confidence, a learn how to apply these methods to handle challenges without getting overwhelmed.
Strategies to embrace setbacks as fuel for growth
Learn the power of reframing challenges, just as surfers learn from wipeouts, to push past obstacles and build a more resilient mindset.
How to leverage the “flow state” for peak productivity
Tap into the state of flow that surfers experience on the waves to increase creativity maintain momentum, and stay energised in your business journey.
This is a very inspiring presentation, which you will come away from with strategies to improve both your business and personal life.
The Wave of Sales: Grow Your Sales Without the Grind
What if you could grow sales without stretching your teams time, energy, or to-do lists? In this high-impact keynote, Christo Hall—Australia’s leading marketing mentor and former professional surfer—shares proven strategies that have helped thousands of businesses generate more sales with less effort.The Wave of Sales: Grow Your Sales Without the Grind
Drawing on methods used at Basic Bananas and with countless businesses worldwide, Christo reveals how to scale sales in a leveraged way while avoiding wasted time on the wrong leads. This session gives you the practical frameworks to sell smarter, not harder, and to create sales systems that work for you around the clock.
You’ll discover how to:
A framework to systematically increase sales
Strategies your sales team will love to use without sounding pushy or “salesy”
Processes to own the buyer decision making period so that prospects naturally choose your business over competitors
Every business is in the business of sales—and this presentation will show you how to ride the sales wave with confidence and scale faster, with less stress.
The Marketing Eco-System
The most powerful framework to continually grow your businessThe Marketing Eco-System
Small businesses must have a strong marketing presence in order to not be left behind. There are so many different marketing strategies available to business owners it can get very confusing when it comes to what to focus on.
In this session you will discover…
The framework that finally brings clarity to continually grow your business.
How to apply your marketing efforts in a systematic way to produce growth.
The key numbers to focus on to grow month on month.
The four most important marketing funnels every business must have.
You will walk away with your own Marketing Eco-System mapped out and ready to rock.
All attendees will receive the Marketing Ecosystem Template which they can use as a resource to map out their own marketing.
The Two-Page Marketing Plan
How to go from scattered to organised and stay focused on what really mattersThe Two-Page Marketing Plan
It’s no secret that marketing is the oxygen of any business. Marketing is what helps a business to continuously scale and avoid the ups and downs. A scattered and unorganized approach to marketing can make it very difficult for them to stay focused on the activities that matter most. There is so much information out there, and it’s easy to be pulled in a million directions.
To help busy entrepreneurs not only select the right marketing channels, but also to get a better return, we’ve created a planning framework that has helped thousands of businesses to stay focused on growth. It’s a slightly different approach to the conventional methods you find in textbooks— and it works. The great news is that you don’t need a 50-page marketing plan to grow your business exponentially.
In this session you will discover…
Why you don’t need a fifty page marketing plan – phew
how to select the right marketing strategies to grow your business
How to compete with the big guys on a small budget
How to truly understand your target market and engage with them
You will walk away with your own two-page marketing plan filled in and ready to go!
5 Ways to Transform Your Email Marketing
Take control of your business growth with strategic and personalised email marketing strategies5 Ways to Transform Your Email Marketing
Email is the most important marketing method for sustainable business growth on the planet right now.
One of the major benefits of email is that you own your database. In fact, it’s your most valuable asset.
With so many constant changes to the online advertising space causing non-stop headaches and inconsistent results, the one marketing method that brings results consistently is email marketing Over the last decade, we’ve written, automated, sent and analysed thousands of emails and developed templates and methods, which generate millions in revenue through consistent relationship building.
You’ll discover…
3 ways to grab attention with your subject line before people hit delete
The simple little secret that keeps people subscribed for as long as it takes to make sales
The reason email marketing often feels icky and how to avoid it
A framework to generate endless email content ideas
2 must-have email funnels to boost sales
In this session the co-founder of Basic Bananas Christo Hall will share all elements that go into a powerful email marketing system.
Putting the F-Word Back into Business – Incorporating Fun in Your Company Culture
An incredible team and culture is what can take a business from good to amazing. Your team members are your biggest asset and can be your best allies. Putting the F-Word Back into Business – Incorporating Fun in Your Company Culture
Business is a team sport and it is important to nurture your team to help them stay engaged and excited about your business.
In this session you will discover…
The key ingredients to creating a work environment that increases happiness, productivity and loyalty
How to attract high-performing, loyal and engaged team members
How to become a truly desirable company to work for
The bottom-up leadership style that will transform your business.
You will walk away with practical strategies to build a loyal, happy and engaged team.
How to Rank in AI Search: The New SEO for Small Business Growth
Learn how to generate sales directly within AI search.How to Rank in AI Search: The New SEO for Small Business Growth
Learn how AI search actually works and how it’s already deciding which businesses people buy from. Discover how to make your business the one AI recommends first, the new rules of SEO for LLMs (AI-powered search engines).
See real examples of wins and failures, including where small businesses lost sales (and how you can capture them instead).
AI search is quietly rewriting the rules of marketing — and the businesses that adapt now will get a massive head start. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are already shaping what people see, trust, and buy.
In this live online workshop, Christo will show you exactly how small businesses can rank in these new AI-driven searches. You’ll see real examples from his own experience — times where he searched for something, tried to buy, and either ended up purchasing from a business that nailed their AI visibility... or didn’t buy at all because the business failed to show up or make it easy.
Key Takeaways:
• How AI-powered search engines decide which businesses to recommend.
• What “AI Search Optimization” really means for your website and content.
• Proven tactics to make your business show up first in AI results.
• Real examples of small businesses thriving in the new search landscape.
• Next steps to future-proof your online visibility and attract ideal customers.
Walk away with practical strategies to optimize your brand, content, and online presence so AI drives more customers and sales your way.
Video
The Online Marketing Eco-System | Christo Hall
We had Christo as our opening keynote at DigiMarCon, our Digital Marketing Conference — a global event featuring speakers from around the world. We chose Christo to open because we knew he w ... keep reading DigiMarCon
Christo was a fantastic presenter at our small business event. He brought an incredible presence to the day. Christo is a highly engaging and knowledgeable presenter, with a down-to-earth style that really resonated with our audience. He motivated everyone in the room and also made the content practical and inspiring. His ability to connect, engage, and energise a crowd makes him a standout speaker and facilitator. I’d happily recommend him for any event where you want a knowledgeable small business expert and a great presenter who knows how to bring the room to life.
I went along to one of Christo’s presentations, he was super knowledgeable and had a great delivering style. Christo is a legend! Not only does he rip on a surfboard (like seriously) he is a very astute entrepreneur and educator. Not content with growing his own businesses over the past couple of decades, he has also assisted hundreds of others to do the same.
Christo is a wonderful facilitator. His energetic easily understood direct approach to marketing educates and inspires.
Christo is an innovator with his thoughts and plans. A great communicator and trainer. I would highly recommend him.
