Road Cycling - Making a Living at this...

I find myself more and more in bike shops, just looking around and seeing what's out there. I love just looking at the stuff seeing what every one has to offer...

I find myself reading this forum way too much... but it's addictive and I love learning more about the industry.

I find myself thinking I should get a job in the industry - and would love to work at the local LBS... but I just can't figure that I could make a living at it... I'm not trying to make millions, just think I could really enjoy myself.

For those of you who are employeed in the industry, how are you doing? Can you make it on the LBS check or do you have to subsidize? I'm 38 and making a move now could be quite a shock. I've been a manager for 10 years and although management of individuals at the LBS could possible, I'd rather stick with the small outfits with a staff of half a dozen where managment is less an issue...

Any suggestions, comments or recomendations?

Cheers - :beer:

great minds think alike, the bike shop has become my home and i have thought about getting a job there. But then i think of where i am right now. I like my intership, enought to reapply for next year and to tell you the truth I like figuring out what part of the program is sending a 1 and not a 0. I wish you luck, I have always envied people that start their own busniess, but its hard. I used to work for a mailorder shop that was the owner and me.

-Ross

I am not a bike fanatic (yet?) like I am a car fanatic, but I once mentioned this same notion to one of my longtime car sales guys.
"I wonder if this wouldn't be the greatest job...selling cars that I already love analyzing and driving etc etc".

His answer was instructive.
He told me of a pharmacist who gave up a great job to work at the BMW dealership for the same reasons.
He was apparently by far the most knowledgable salesman ever employed there. Knew everything about everything past, present and future with BMW's.

He also was a very unsuccessful salesman who quit 3 months later.

Why? Many reasons.
1) Selling cars is a business and he wasted too much time on unnecessary fluff arising from his love of the cars.
2) He spent way to much time talking car details with groupie customers who were there to look not buy.
3) He actually drove some customers away by being overzealous with his passion for the cars.

So.....the bike business is certainly different than the car business, but there are some similarities, too. Take a careful look at what it takes to be successful in the business first, then figure out if you can mesh your passion and the business without compromising the latter.

That's great advice - Frankly it wasn't surprising to hear that he didn't make it. If he really was the expert and made sure every customer knew that he knew more than them... he was bound to fail. Customers do want answers, but more importantly solutions to their problem (or pain) and by going over their heads they were sure to feel degraded as if they were being talked down to... Customers don't want to be told what to do, they want and you want them to find their way to your solution on their own and fell good about it. Not to say that you can't help them get there, but it should feel like it's their idea.

Way off track for this forum - I appologize...

Yes, it's very plausible to consider an "exciting career in the bike business". Seriously, it may not be that big of a change. For example, you say you manage people. Do you manage a purchasing dept.?, an accounting dept.?, a shipping dept.?, an information systems dept.? All distributors in the bicycle business have these. All manufacturers in the bicycle business have these. All mailorder companies in the bike business have these. Many large retail chains in the bicycle business have these if not in each location at a central headquarters. All you have to do is contact the companies, a job placement service, subscribe to industry journals, etc..., and start making contacts, going to industry shows, so forth and so on.

If you want to work retail, the path is quick and easy; Contact one of the two bicycle mechanics schools(Barnett's and United Tool). Find out which ones place with which of the large retail chains, go through that school or contact the retail chain first(REI, Performance, Spots Chalet, etc...). These companies are always looking for outdoors types with the talents and skills for their openings and they draw on these schools for talent. Those schools train in basic management skills unique to the bike biz also. These schools also do placement to smaller, one store operations.

Really what you need to do is the same thing you would do in any job search. Identify or develop your skills, target the positions you want and the companies you want to work for, and market your skills. Pretty simple.

Of course, you could always just go down to the local shop and ask for a job assembling bikes. That in itself would be fun and you would learn alot.:) :)

Ive been a general manager in the auto industry for several years. Ive made alot of money at it. Guess what??? I hate cars. I havent owned one myself, for 15 years. My wife has a car, but I consider it hers. Ive always been a far bigger fan of motorcycles. Since they are my true love, Ive tried to switch to the motorcycle industry twice. Ive done well at selling them, but there isnt enough profit in them to make a living. I would have to guess that bicycles would be very similar.

When your hobby becomes your career you'll start to lose interest in your hobby. Tis what happens to a whole lot people when they try and turn their "hobby life" into their "professional life". I see lots of smaller bike shops around and the older full-time guys just don't look that into it, sure they may still like to ride and be involved, but not to the degree that most enthusiasts are.

Andrew

Not always. I've had a major passion for three things on my life. Bicycles, motorcycles and music. I enjoy working with people and revel in their pleasure with my assistance. I've worked with success in all three fields.

Cars are appliances to me, transportation at best. I fell flat on my face. could not make it in that business. I hated it and the vehicles that I sold.

I've been in management at three seperate MC dealers. I was an Assistant manager with Guitar Center and am employed as service manager in a moderate sized Bicycle shop. I have loved all of these jobs and though I currently do not make the money in the LBS as I did while in the motorcycle industry (Guitar Center was cool, but damn near lost everything having fun), I've never been happier being broke in all my life.

.....and therein lies the rub.
If making significant income is the goal, mixing passion with career (at least in the areas we're considering) is usually difficult.

But if income is not the main priority, then everything changes.
There are many ways to make enough $$ to live on while mixing hobby/career, as Farmer John points out.

Getting "rich" while combining the two is a real trick.

I almost made a decision to go into retail sales. My wife convinced me otherwise when she mentioned that you have to work weekends and late evenings. I would rather ride a bike than sell it, retail is TOUGH.

Raedeke

What is it that you manage? can that be transferred to the bike industry? Can you start your own bike dealership (or wow factory)? Can you manufacture some accessories?

As rompus said at first in a new indevor you may work 80 hrs a week. This is likely to cause burnout (not for sure though). Look at Bill Ruger he loved guns right up to the day he died.

Just some thoughts

Joe

Can you match a person to the bike they want and the one they need, fit them on it, fit their shoes, helmet, and clothes. Are you comfortable explaining to a fifty year old woman why the seat has a hole in it. Can you handle your customers belittling your job daily( "I can fix this myself, it is just a bike, but I am to busy", "What idiot would pay $2000 for a bike?((Ummm, ME)) Do you mind mopping the floors and cleaning the toilet ? Can you tolerate a child ringing a bell for twenty minutes or screaming his head off because he is not getting the bike he just sat on? Would it bother you to reheat your lunch four or five times before you get to eat? (Power bars were actually created to keep shop employees from starving) Does the idea of working EVERY Saturday appeal? Will your heart fill with joy and understanding as the guy who just pulled up in the seven series BMW with the Rolex(Presidential) dangling from his wrist pisses about $30 for a tire? If this sounds good and you want to make about half what your buddy with the engineering degree makes, the bike shop might be right for you.
I do enjoy shop life,BUT you have to be able to take the above on a daily basis. And, buy some lights, most of your riding will be after dark or at the crack of dawn.

Originally posted by Ajay213
When your hobby becomes your career you'll start to lose interest in your hobby. Tis what happens to a whole lot people when they try and turn their "hobby life" into their "professional life". I see lots of smaller bike shops around and the older full-time guys just don't look that into it, sure they may still like to ride and be involved, but not to the degree that most enthusiasts are.

Andrew

This don't usually happen. This thread is all negative.... I love electronics, from anything to TVs to home theater systems to the basic resistor. So where would you go to get a job... RadioShack. I worked for RadioShack for 3 years as a salesman. Obviously, by the time I spent there, I loved it!! Of course there are those bad days where you don't want to see anyone, talk to anyone, or do anything and want a vacation, but you gotta take the good with the bad.

I am considering becoming a mechanic at my LBS. I work on my own MTB and am currently building my own RB. It would be an experience that would get me more involved into a certain area and be an expert at it. There's never a point in your life where you stop learning....

-Dan the Man-

Originally posted by Rev.Chuck
I do enjoy shop life,BUT you have to be able to take the above on a daily basis. And, buy some lights, most of your riding will be after dark or at the crack of dawn.



You my friend are a prophet. :D Being in the retail automotive business, your comments apply fully. We are lucky enough to make a bit more money though. I dont know how many times Ive said, that if it werent for the cars and he customers, Id have the perfect job. :)

My typical riding hours are:

M-Th 9:00-10:00 PM
F-Sa 8:00-9:30 PM
Sun 7:00-9:00 AM

Between work, and my children, these are the only times I can work it in. I go through a set of batteries in my lights about once a week. :(

Chuck and Longrider I think anyone working retail could state very similar things. Retail market you have to deal with alot of crap from customers etc... I worked in computer service dept for quite a few years, I love computers and working with them but the drawback is the end users half the time. I moved over to IT dept now and still alot of the same problems. But when someone actualy shows a bit of appreciation etc it makes it all worthwhile.

Yeah,, there are people that make it all worth while. I live for the young kids, who are buying their first new car. They get so excited about it. It makes their lives happier. The happiness rubs off. I agree, that the people I cant stand are the ones who are loaded, and want to beat you up over $100.00. There are always the people who have a hobby of shopping, and proving that they know more than the sales person does. Just make sure you love the product you are selling enough to not let your job ruin it for you. I dont, so the negatives of my business get to me more than others.

Originally posted by amg55
I am not a bike fanatic (yet?) like I am a car fanatic, but I once mentioned this same notion to one of my longtime car sales guys.
"I wonder if this wouldn't be the greatest job...selling cars that I already love analyzing and driving etc etc".

His answer was instructive.
He told me of a pharmacist who gave up a great job to work at the BMW dealership for the same reasons.
He was apparently by far the most knowledgable salesman ever employed there. Knew everything about everything past, present and future with BMW's.

He also was a very unsuccessful salesman who quit 3 months later.

Why? Many reasons.
1) Selling cars is a business and he wasted too much time on unnecessary fluff arising from his love of the cars.
2) He spent way to much time talking car details with groupie customers who were there to look not buy.
3) He actually drove some customers away by being overzealous with his passion for the cars.

So.....the bike business is certainly different than the car business, but there are some similarities, too. Take a careful look at what it takes to be successful in the business first, then figure out if you can mesh your passion and the business without compromising the latter.

You don't want to sell cars then, what you want is an independent shop. A very good friend of mine just opened an Audi/BMW tuning shop and couldn't be happier. This is the place to let your passion come through. Here, the more you know and the more you can talk about your products, the more you are likely to sell. You don't want to sell to Joe Blow that comes off the street looking for a means of getting from point A to point B (I'll never understand people who just look at a car as transportation. But I'm guess these are the people who can't understand why I'd want to try and hit 130 down the back straight at VIR or why I like buying tires every three months). Anyway, car dealerships are not the places for enthuisiasts, since one out of ten customers actually has a passion for the vechicle they are buying. This is my perception at least. :)

Sounds to me like the best suggestion was to get a job at the bike shop assembling bikes. Part-time work would be a good way to get a sense for the career change. Heck, tell the LBS that you'll assemble bikes (or whatever) if they'll teach you, pay you minimum wage and give you 20% off everything you buy there. You could work on Saturdays and blow your paycheck in the store. They'd get their money back and you'd be playing around with bikes. Ride your bike in and back home and if you hate it after 3 months, gradually ease your way out :)

If you're already spending a day a week in the store, why not get paid to do it? ;)