Today we’d like to introduce you to John Higgins.
Hi John, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Today I am a full-time professional bike fitter for the local cycling community, and somehow have a second full-time job running a bike fit supply and education company. I often get asked how I became a bike fitter. Despite having ridden a bicycle for some 50 years, this was not a career I imagined, and it’s not a question that I can respond to with a short elevator pitch.
When I moved to the USA 15 years ago I got a part-time job at REI. Helping people buy a new bike was part of the role, and the first question customers often asked was how to choose the right size. A simple enough question that can be surprisingly hard to answer. Being a bike rider is not enough. More knowledge and skills were needed.
I was fortunate to be selected to participate in a bike fit training course with an independent company called Fit Kit Systems. That training exposed me to the many factors that need to be considered in the relationship between a human and a bicycle. I was fascinated by it and immediately started “practicing” on customers at the store – answering the “what size” question, and setting up and offering basic fit services.
As time progressed I became increasingly intrigued with what it took for someone to have a positive experience riding a bicycle and wanted to focus my time and energy on fitting in a way that wasn’t possible at REI. How to do so was a big challenge. I wrote a business plan and came up with the name and logo, but still wasn’t sure how to start on my own, and how to make it viable.
Taking a job in the snowsports industry enabled me to start part-time – during the slow (for skiers) summer months. I put myself through more training and bought my own tools, and have continued to reinvest in both over the years. I kept a long “wish list” of bike fitting equipment I wanted, and things I needed to learn.
In the meantime, I had maintained a good relationship with the person I had originally trained with, as I was either asking him questions or offering suggestions. He wanted to retire and offered to sell me his bike fit equipment and education business. With much deliberation, trepidation, and financial assistance from a local angel investor, I went ahead with a big step into the entrepreneurial world of micro-business ownership.
Now I had more than a full-time job, with no guaranteed income. Fortunately, my wife was very encouraging of my passion to pursue this interest, and I definitely survived the next couple of years due to my “wife support.”
It took a few years and some low lows to figure out the key aspects to running the business so that I can focus on what I love to do – which is helping people enjoy riding their bikes more.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Going from being an employee to being self-employed was a major financial, mental, and emotional challenge. However, I was getting too old, grumpy, and opinionated to continue working for other people. Still, it was a big leap of faith to go into business for myself. One of the biggest challenges was finding a suitable place for the business to operate from, in a reasonable location for a reasonable rent.
I knew there was a market for fitting services locally, but marketing was a big challenge. Bike fitting is largely a “word of mouth” personal service based on reputation. I fitted part-time for a couple of years while starting to build that reputation. It took several years to get to critical mass in which cyclists were looking for me, instead of me looking for cyclists. I was a reluctant adopter of social media, and slow to invite people to leave me online reviews. Both have been necessary and important in growing the business.
No one goes into bike fitting to make more money. It is a business of passion over profit, but at the same time, there are the financial realities of business that need to be managed. There have been a lot of challenges in determining where to focus time, energy and resources, and when to make a shift if one direction wasn’t working out. In many ways doing the client-facing professional service work is the easy part, while the hard part is running the behind-the-scenes aspects of the business.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Bike fitting is a personal service for cyclists to improve their riding experience. I help people decide what bike to buy; find the perfect saddle; resolve aches, pains, or numbness in various body parts; seek outperformance improvements; and teach people how to sit on a bike and turn the pedals – even though they thought they knew how. Although there are common themes and practices in bike fitting, the real skill is in figuring out what is going to benefit the individual I’m working with at the time. Bike fitting is hands-on and practical but with a lot of interpersonal interaction and problem-solving. No two fit sessions are exactly the same.
Although experience counts for a lot, I”m a big advocate for continuing education. No other fitter in Utah has the depth and breadth of training that I have been through, and continue with, nor the level of professional recognition I have achieved. And yet I know I still have so much to learn – which is one aspect that keeps my work very interesting.
Many people erroneously assume bike fitting is only for pros and racers. My focus is on helping every day or weekend only recreational riders and enthusiasts. Those who ride for fun, fitness, or social interaction. Racers are welcome too, but any rider deserves a bike fit.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If I knew how hard it would be, I would have been reluctant to start. If I knew how satisfying it would be, I would have started sooner. No business/service comes into existence fully formed. It’s a progression and evolution. And despite business plans, intentions and projections there has to be the ability to respond and adapt to what actually happens.
The proverb that “a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step” is completely applicable to following a passion and starting a business. The hardest part is that first step and committing to the journey.
Contact Info:
- Email: john@bikefitr.com
- Website: https://bikefitr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bikefitr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybikefitr
Image Credits
Derek Israelsen Photography
