Up and running

The business is up and running. Things are very busy I am repairing bikes, working on the website and getting ready for my first foray into the retail bicycle business. On Suday 29th I will be in Dunlaoghaire market selling bikes, repairing bikes and selling accessories. Look forward to meeting some of you and I will let you know how I get on.

The Spokesman  

www.thespokesman.ie

It was important that the idea I had was interesting for me. Otherwise I would not be motivated and passionate about my prospective new venture. I chose cycling because it interests me.


This idea developed out of an original idea to open a bike shop. However I learnt quickly that having a “Me Too” operation, particularly as start up was not a good idea. I then grabbed the bull by the horns and visited the London Cycle Show in October. I definitely was going to look into the opportunity to develop a business around the bike/cycling world.

The real idea evolved at a course I did in UCD in 2009. Each element brought clarity in terms of what might work and it was in November that the idea crystallised of a Mobile bike workshop. In fact I didn’t realise that there were existing mobile bike workshops in other countries. It turns out that this business idea exists in UK, Holland and Germany. I was delighted to learn about this. It was not a “stone in the shoe” idea and there were opportunities to explore the existing business models to ensure an effective starting point for mine.

As well as carrying out planned market research, I have been asking people what they thought of the idea and exploring all avenues of feedback. The reaction has been very positive, particularly from two potential customer sources; families with children who cycle and cyclists who work in companies. They are interested in the convenience of the service.

My objective is to take advantage of the increase in the popularity in cycling. Many new start-up bicycle shops have commenced trading in Dublin in 2010. I believe that my business proposition has three important advantages over bricks and mortar businesses:

• It is a low cost start up.

• As mentioned above it is service based.

• It is unique in Ireland.

The Spokesman.ie is unique because it is a web based mobile bike workshop.
The project is a viable one, it is scalable and it is green!!