Episode 88: Buy This, Be Happy

#ridebikesbehappy

I’ve known Jan Roubal for probably 20 years. He's a personal friend who owns Vélorution, a bike store in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.

What does a bike store have to do with owning a gym?

As CrossFit gym owners, we are in the fitness industry. We own a service business, not a product business. We already KNOW that building a community is critical for our success. We also know: that's not easy.

In the product sales business, that's even harder. Some would say it's impossible to build a community around a product when there are dozens of competing products in town. If a new cyclist can't tell the difference between a Cannondale and a Trek, won't they always make their decision based on price?

Not if you're buying a bike from Velorution.

You buy a bike from Jan because it makes you happy.

His customers routinely show up to ride with him and help new cyclists. They tag him in pictures--#ridebikesbehappy--every weekend, wherever they are.

I would never consider buying a bike somewhere else locally other than Jan’s shop and it’s all because of the atmosphere he has built around Velorution. Jan’s personality comes through in this interview--the first one recorded at the new TwoBrain Workshop. Jan strolled in wearing cycling shoes and jeans, and carrying two cans of his favorite beer. But this chill persona isn't innate: it's the person Jan has learned to be in order to become a better leader and business owner. And we can learn it too.