Trouble starting my own business.

[Gamisch]

Hi everyone. Shalom to all my SS brothers.

I am a bike mechanic. Been doing this for the last 2 years. Got into the business via a friend, and leaned the basics. It was a small family business, and it was clear from the get go that I couldn't get a long contract. ( they like most , started from the backyard and grew the business to a healthy company).

After approximately 1 year I left, with a bag full of skills. I figured out a business model to start my own business. Ebikes are rather expensive. I refurbish the higher end models top to bottom, add a new electric system to it and sell it for half to one third of the normal price.

But here the problem. I dont sale(enough).

It seems I am invisible on the selling sites. Every sh1tty bike ( less quality AND more expensive than mine) gets 30 plus likes and is sold within days ,but mine seem invisible. It makes me doubt my model, and I am honestly stuck on how to move forward.

I dont ever wanna work for a boss again in a dusty factory, but tbh its crossing my mind lately, to just give up and stop chasing my dream. Technical I M sound but my marketing is sh1t is seems.

Maybe the wrong place to ask but lets not always talk about women women women right? Perhaps somebody has a golden tip.

 

[DonJuanjr]

I dont ever wanna work for a boss again in a dusty factory, but tbh its crossing my mind lately

I told myself "no more dirty, grimey, jobs/factories". I may have to eat my words for a little while, until I get out of a hole. I feel ya on this.

The thing about achieving your dream job/passion as a career, you don't know if it would have been happily ever after anyways. Something could happen to change your view on the "passion" or "dream". It happened to me. Resulted in depression for a while due to it. Made a lot of sacrifice to pursue a passion that ended up dying.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Yeah it's not easy...gotta keep grinding. The people who make it aren't the ones who give up. Read about Richard Branson and the lengths he went to with his businesses to get them off the ground...and with Elon Musk...sleeping in the factories so he could get up and work. Virtually every person who started their own business that is successful has stories like they do. It's rare for a business to just start and be wildly successful from the get go.

 

[Gamisch]

Yeah it's not easy...gotta keep grinding. The people who make it aren't the ones who give up. Read about Richard Branson and the lengths he went to with his businesses to get them off the ground...and with Elon Musk...sleeping in the factories so he could get up and work. Virtually every person who started their own business that is successful has stories like they do. It's rare for a business to just start and be wildly successful from the get go.

Yes what you say makes nothing but pure sense . I wont give up but it seems that one needed push is the hardest.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Have you tried purchasing paid advertising on the selling sites? If you know roughly what your conversion rate is, you know what you can afford in terms of advertising.

 

[jaygreenb]

Hi everyone. Shalom to all my SS brothers.

I am a bike mechanic. Been doing this for the last 2 years. Got into the business via a friend, and leaned the basics. It was a small family business, and it was clear from the get go that I couldn't get a long contract. ( they like most , started from the backyard and grew the business to a healthy company).

After approximately 1 year I left, with a bag full of skills. I figured out a business model to start my own business. Ebikes are rather expensive. I refurbish the higher end models top to bottom, add a new electric system to it and sell it for half to one third of the normal price.

But here the problem. I dont sale(enough).

It seems I am invisible on the selling sites. Every sh1tty bike ( less quality AND more expensive than mine) gets 30 plus likes and is sold within days ,but mine seem invisible. It makes me doubt my model, and I am honestly stuck on how to move forward.

I dont ever wanna work for a boss again in a dusty factory, but tbh its crossing my mind lately, to just give up and stop chasing my dream. Technical I M sound but my marketing is sh1t is seems.

Maybe the wrong place to ask but lets not always talk about women women women right? Perhaps somebody has a golden tip.

You got to build a sales funnel wither that is through targeted online ads or building a social media following. Even if it is a small niche audience. Have you thought of documenting of your rebuilds through social media? You could do YouTube videos of your process then sell to your audience. If there are other related products to E bikes you can sell to them too. You can do really well even with a small loyal following. Provide real value to them and not just sell to them

 

[Billtx49]

It seems I am invisible on the selling sites. Every sh1tty bike ( less quality AND more expensive than mine) gets 30 plus likes and is sold within days ,but mine seem invisible. It makes me doubt my model, and I am honestly stuck on how to move forward.

There’s something wrong with your presale advertising / messaging.
The key to Any successful advertising is in you knowing what the customers want to hear / see / read. Your Message = Their need
Identify what their need is, then pattern your advertising to hit their hot button.

Examine what your competitors offer that you do not, then don’t match them, use you messaging to beat them. Also research the public hesitancy on electric, both auto and bike. Focus on relieving those fears with what you offer.

My brick & mortar that sold niche furniture products had to draw from a large area, so I advertised ‘the best selection’.
They then came to me and from the increased sales my retail selection grew…
That was with TV advertising in a major metropolitan area, but you need to find and use the right message to get to your sales goals. Remember this, it isn’t always about price to make sales happen.

My all time ad favorite was the De Beers diamond industry. They didn’t exclusively advertise how great their expensive diamonds were, that became the side issue. They basically convinced men that their rocks were a necessity item for any marriage and to get a woman’s love ……
A prime example of overcoming their price obstacle and expanding their market by controlling the advertising narrative which hit their potential customers hot buttons…
And that’s probably more than you needed to know about the topic…

 

[EyeBRollin]

Not a strong market for ebikes compared to conventional bikes.

 

[Gamisch]

You got to build a sales funnel wither that is through targeted online ads or building a social media following. Even if it is a small niche audience. Have you thought of documenting of your rebuilds through social media? You could do YouTube videos of your process then sell to your audience. If there are other related products to E bikes you can sell to them too. You can do really well even with a small loyal following. Provide real value to them and not just sell to them

Great advice. I am now indeed filming the process and edit the video's to use them.

Have you tried purchasing paid advertising on the selling sites? If you know roughly what your conversion rate is, you know what you can afford in terms of advertising.

Yes I did. It did help a little bit not as much as I hoped. I am now making a website. Our local chamber of commerce advice me to get things rolling and wait with the official registration untill I am sure I have a more sustainable future.

Not a strong market for ebikes compared to conventional bikes.

I do both. I do sell conventional bikes easier as they are much cheaper. I do believe tho that bikes to ebikes is like the transition that happened from house phone to mobile.

 

[jaygreenb]

Great advice. I am now indeed filming the process and edit the video's to use them.


Yes I did. It did help a little bit not as much as I hoped. I am now making a website. Our local chamber of commerce advice me to get things rolling and wait with the official registration untill I am sure I have a more sustainable future.


I do both. I do sell conventional bikes easier as they are much cheaper. I do believe tho that bikes to ebikes is like the transition that happened from house phone to mobile.

One other idea, create a course on how to rebuild E bikes themselves. Once it is created you can sell it continuously without additional cost besides the time upfront to make it. Sell it for 19.99, or whatever you think is appropriate. This would be a lot easier to scale since it isn't solely dependent on your labor per job. Off of this value provided you could the Ebike expert and sell all the parts needed to do it themselves. Product intensive business is much easier to scale up than labor intensive. You can also sell your time as a consultant.

Glendon Cameron sells courses on how to build a business like this. He has a youtube channel too

Getting Rich in Business

www.bschoolforhustlers.com

 

[Gamisch]

Man y'all be coming up with some great ideas !! Thanks everybody!

 

[EyeBRollin]

I do both. I do sell conventional bikes easier as they are much cheaper. I do believe tho that bikes to ebikes is like the transition that happened from house phone to mobile.

ebike as in electric assist, correct?

I am a recreational cyclist. I would never buy an assisted bicycle. Defeats the whole point.

 

[jaygreenb]

Man y'all be coming up with some great ideas !! Thanks everybody!

From people who I know who have built followings online for business, the biggest piece is being consistent especially for algorithms to come up in searches. Just decide for yourself you are going to make 2 videos a week for a year, I would bet if you are consistent a lot opportunities would start opening up. The toughest part in any business is the first year or two to get the ball rolling, most quit. Another idea for content, do a review of different Ebikes each week. You could approach shops that sell them and they would let you borrow them for review if you listed their shop and gave them free advertising. Who ever it is that sells them would appreciate the free advertising. Also a good relationship builder and you could refer each other business and potential commissions. Consistency over time and commitment is the most important thing.

 

[Gamisch]

From people who I know who have built followings online for business, the biggest piece is being consistent especially for algorithms to come up in searches. Just decide for yourself you are going to make 2 videos a week for a year, I would bet if you are consistent a lot opportunities would start opening up. The toughest part in any business is the first year or two to get the ball rolling, most quit. Another idea for content, do a review of different Ebikes each week. You could approach shops that sell them and they would let you borrow them for review if you listed their shop and gave them free advertising. Who ever it is that sells them would appreciate the free advertising. Also a good relationship builder and you could refer each other business and potential commissions. Consistency over time and commitment is the most important thing.

Thats just great advice! I am painting the picture while reading, and think it's a great idea to do reviews ect. Get myself more out there as a bike specialist. Today a costumer asked me if there is a physical store
..I hoped to sell a few and open up shop as a next move.

There’s something wrong with your presale advertising / messaging.
The key to Any successful advertising is in you knowing what the customers want to hear / see / read. Your Message = Their need
Identify what their need is, then pattern your advertising to hit their hot button.

Examine what your competitors offer that you do not, then don’t match them, use you messaging to beat them. Also research the public hesitancy on electric, both auto and bike. Focus on relieving those fears with what you offer.

My brick & mortar that sold niche furniture products had to draw from a large area, so I advertised ‘the best selection’.
They then came to me and from the increased sales my retail selection grew…
That was with TV advertising in a major metropolitan area, but you need to find and use the right message to get to your sales goals. Remember this, it isn’t always about price to make sales happen.

My all time ad favorite was the De Beers diamond industry. They didn’t exclusively advertise how great their expensive diamonds were, that became the side issue. They basically convinced men that their rocks were a necessity item for any marriage and to get a woman’s love ……
A prime example of overcoming their price obstacle and expanding their market by controlling the advertising narrative which hit their potential customers hot buttons…
And that’s probably more than you needed to know about the topic…

Gotta let this one sink in..again great tips really gratefully for your post.

 

[jaygreenb]

Thats just great advice! I am painting the picture while reading, and think it's a great idea to do reviews ect. Get myself more out there as a bike specialist. Today a costumer asked me if there is a physical store
..I hoped to sell a few and open up shop as a next move.

Gotta let this one sink in..again great tips really gratefully for your post.

Just one piece of advice, if you do not have a lot of capital keep your monthly fixed expenses like rent as low as possible or just do online. It will give you a lot more flexibility to ride out any down times or financial issues. If I had to do it all over again, I would focus on a business online without a brick and mortar. Online gives you a much wider net in terms of customer base and a lot better margins because of reduced storefront and labor costs. I am not that familiar with Ebikes and how that industry works but I would wait until you had your revenue numbers consistently high over a period time before locking into a lease. Do your Ebikes require to be sold locally or can you ship them?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

ebike as in electric assist, correct?

I am a recreational cyclist. I would never buy an assisted bicycle. Defeats the whole point.

There are a lot of people who use that as their mode of transportation now, especially in urban areas in depressed neighborhoods where residents can't afford a car or motorcycle but can buy an ebike and still go 25-30 mph and reach their destinations in similar lengths of time.

 

[EyeBRollin]

There are a lot of people who use that as their mode of transportation now, especially in urban areas in depressed neighborhoods where residents can't afford a car or motorcycle but can buy an ebike and still go 25-30 mph and reach their destinations in similar lengths of time.

A fit cyclist can commute at 20-25 mph without the electric assist. Electric bikes just don’t have the market. I actually did bike commute in the city long ago. All the bike commuters used conventional bikes.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

A fit cyclist can commute at 20-25 mph without the electric assist. Electric bikes just don’t have the market. I actually did bike commute in the city long ago. All the bike commuters used conventional bikes.

Bro...I am not talking about fit cyclists. I am talking about random people who are out of shape that use the ebikes to commute to places. I see them all over the place now.

 

[jaygreenb]

Bro...I am not talking about fit cyclists. I am talking about random people who are out of shape that use the ebikes to commute to places. I see them all over the place now.

Yeah, I see them all over too. More of a way to get around with lower cost than a physical way to get in shape. See them on trails a lot too though.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Bro...I am not talking about fit cyclists. I am talking about random people who are out of shape that use the ebikes to commute to places. I see them all over the place now.

I don’t see them. Hence, I’m skeptical of the market for it. It’s extremely niche.. much less so than conventional bicycles, which serve both purposes.