Small LBS Start-up advice

[Dan the Cycologist]

2 hours ago, mecheng89 said:

Good luck! You're following your passion, which is enviable for a lot of us desk jockeys. 

well i'm trying my best to avoid the desk life😂, its not for me. never has been

[Dan the Cycologist]

5 minutes ago, Frosty said:

I can't offer much advise for a bike shop, but have the following:

1. good luck, starting up is not easy;
2. its not about you, but rather your customers; listen to what they want (within reason of course). give them something they can't get elsewhere;
3. failure only exists if you don't give in after the first few bad experiences; see the bit below about the Dunning-Kruger effect;
4. don't be afraid to give away advice for free; the wheel turns and you'll get that in return in ways you least expect.

Google the Dunning-Kruger effect.

oh yeah, those first few months or even years are gonna be tough. But i shall persevere. i really want to get it going

excellent advice, thanks man🤙

[BaGearA]

Get an accountant and make sure your books are clean from day one 

[Edereese]

This has always been a passion of mine, just not worth the risk so desk it is. Too many challenges and just to give you an example.. client brings bike, chain worn 1%.. my advice, replace chain rings, chain and cassette + major as it's clearly ridden into the ground, client don't have the funds and only wants to replace the chain. I turned him away as I know the drive train will slip the moment he leaves. He left and never returned, I lost a client, still have my job and now I do it as a hobby. The most important part for me is quality of quantity and that comes at a price not many people are prepared to pay.

Best of luck and hope you succeed. 

[RobbyB]

As I've heard before, cyclists will choose you as a LBS if:

a) you are nearby them...collect and dropping off is a bonus!

b) if you offer a good service at a good price.

c) you don't B.S. your clients with servicing that they don't need.

d) you have the technical knowledge to problem solve and come up with the winning solution.

e) you put a little polish on the bikes before delivering - not the awful sticky gel stuff that you get all over your hands when first touching the bike.

PS: good book-keeping and getting COD is preferable. Sometimes late-night accounting is part of the job (get your missus/sister or mother involved if possible - free labour)

Try not to scandal or speak badly of clients or suppliers - it can come back to bite you.

Good luck with your venture

 

[JulienR]

Have you checked to see how many bike shops are nearby? I am in bedfordview and there are probably at least 5 biggish bike shops within a 10 -15km radius...so competition is tight...and it will be hard to attract customers if they have established relationships....

 

[Dan the Cycologist]

22 minutes ago, Edereese said:

This has always been a passion of mine, just not worth the risk so desk it is. Too many challenges and just to give you an example.. client brings bike, chain worn 1%.. my advice, replace chain rings, chain and cassette + major as it's clearly ridden into the ground, client don't have the funds and only wants to replace the chain. I turned him away as I know the drive train will slip the moment he leaves. He left and never returned, I lost a client, still have my job and now I do it as a hobby. The most important part for me is quality of quantity and that comes at a price not many people are prepared to pay.

Best of luck and hope you succeed. 

yeah i've experienced this, on my own account tho.

i definitly agree with you, i too want to focus on quality over quantity. i will try to arrange everything before pick up and drop off. but you never know what you might run into while in the job, so ill try and build a good relationship with the customer to earn trust

Edited February 23, 2022 by Dan the Cycologist

[Dan the Cycologist]

9 minutes ago, RobbyB said:

As I've heard before, cyclists will choose you as a LBS if:

a) you are nearby them...collect and dropping off is a bonus!

b) if you offer a good service at a good price.

c) you don't B.S. your clients with servicing that they don't need.

d) you have the technical knowledge to problem solve and come up with the winning solution.

e) you put a little polish on the bikes before delivering - not the awful sticky gel stuff that you get all over your hands when first touching the bike.

PS: good book-keeping and getting COD is preferable. Sometimes late-night accounting is part of the job (get your missus/sister or mother involved if possible - free labour)

Try not to scandal or speak badly of clients or suppliers - it can come back to bite you.

Good luck with your venture

 

will keep note of this, top notch advice this. thanks man

[Dan the Cycologist]

4 minutes ago, JulienR said:

Have you checked to see how many bike shops are nearby? I am in bedfordview and there are probably at least 5 biggish bike shops within a 10 -15km radius...so competition is tight...and it will be hard to attract customers if they have established relationships....

 

we do have one or two in town, but the service there is not very good, we've had far too many bad experiences, and most people who have higher end bikes takes their bike to the next town over, in Hartebeespoort. so im hoping to be a slightly cheaper, and closer option

[Dan the Cycologist]

27 minutes ago, BaGearA said:

Get an accountant and make sure your books are clean from day one 

it'll have to be top priority, to save myself unnecessary headaches

[RobertWhitehead]

Brits is not that far from PTA (relatively speaking) so I will be keen to help you out to get started. I am not sure what my offer entails (yet) but I mean I do have a bit of a network and some tools and some spares. 

[Dan the Cycologist]

5 hours ago, RobertWhitehead said:

Brits is not that far from PTA (relatively speaking) so I will be keen to help you out to get started. I am not sure what my offer entails (yet) but I mean I do have a bit of a network and some tools and some spares. 

cool, i'd appreciate any help i can get, just let me know what you have on offer🤙

Also whereabouts in gauteng are you located? perhaps we could strike a meeting if the situation allows it.

Edited February 23, 2022 by Dan the Cycologist

[Beesrib]

33 minutes ago, RobbyB said:

As I've heard before, cyclists will choose you as a LBS if:

a) you are nearby them...collect and dropping off is a bonus!

b) if you offer a good service at a good price.

c) you don't B.S. your clients with servicing that they don't need.

d) you have the technical knowledge to problem solve and come up with the winning solution.

e) you put a little polish on the bikes before delivering - not the awful sticky gel stuff that you get all over your hands when first touching the bike.

PS: good book-keeping and getting COD is preferable. Sometimes late-night accounting is part of the job (get your missus/sister or mother involved if possible - free labour)

Try not to scandal or speak badly of clients or suppliers - it can come back to bite you.

Good luck with your venture

 

Good advice!

[NotSoBigBen]

1 hour ago, BaGearA said:

Get an accountant and make sure your books are clean from day one 

Just to emphasise this, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork ... if you don't stay on top of this it'll give you more headaches than any customer!

Best of luck

[Dan the Cycologist]

Just now, NotSoBigBen said:

Just to emphasise this, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork ... if you don't stay on top of this it'll give you more headaches than any customer!

Best of luck

indeed will make this a top priority

[Jewbacca]

Value your time, knowledge and expertise.

The 'Can you just' and 'will you quickly' jobs are worth money, mess with your workshop roster and take up time as they often put you on the spot.

Don't undervalue yourself. Time is money. If you don't do this from the start, people will expect free service and be bummed when you realise you need to draw a line in the sand.

Also, your friends should pay. Doing work for your mates for free almost always extends to their mates etc which puts you in a hole. Real friends will pay you more as they will want to support you.

My last bit of advice would be to chat to CCS and other suppliers about product education and courses.

Suspension service courses etc.... do them. Closing for 36 hours because you're away learning how to service the latest damper from RockShox shows your clients you value their kit enough to sacrifice your time AND you will learn awesome skills