The Build Cycle

Ep #015 - Quit Your Day Job & Build Something Cool w/ Colorado Teardrops' Dean Wiltshire

Want to travel the country, explore nature & have customers pay you to help with market research? That's the business Dean Wiltshire has built with Colorado Teardrops, a camper trailer manufacturer based in Boulder, Colorado.

He left a lucrative job in tech to start the company, which freed up his time to travel with his daughter. Thanks to his business skills, he's growing at a sustainable pace, controlling his retail sales experience, and is building the company off revenues. Listen in to see how he's done it and pick up advice for how to launch a consumer product!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #014 - Build a Business Helping Others Become Entrepreneurs w/Beeline Bikes' Peter Buhl

Why create a business when you could create a platform for others to build businesses upon? That's what Beeline Bikes' co-founder Peter Buhl did by launching their mobile bike repair vans as a franchise system. Originally conceived as a multi van operation around their home territory, they quickly figured out that the best way to scale was to bring in owner/operators and franchise the concept. Here's his story, which is full of great ideas for keeping your customers, whether they're franchisees or not, by treating them right and making their lives as easy as possible.

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #013 - Develop an Alternate Sales Strategy w/ Mercury Cycle's Chris Mogridge

Want to use alternative retail channels as a source of growth? Or take advantage of an industry downturn to save production costs? Those are two of the biggest takeaways from my interview with Chris Mogridge, founder of Mercury Cycles. Like previous podcast guest Boyd Johnson (of Boyd Cycles), Chris' company make bicycle wheels. But that's were the similarities end. Chris has taken a completely different route to market, and we talk a lot about two different business experiments that reinforce the lesson "fail fast" and move on. This one's got a lot to teach, hope you enjoy!

Oh, and if you haven't subscribed on iTunes or Stitcher yet, please do! It helps me bring you MORE great interviews. And hit me up @thebuildcycle on social media with any comments, tips or questions...or even ideas for future guests that YOU'd like to hear from!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #012 - Why you Can't Be Afraid of Being Different w/ Altra Running's Golden Harper

Wonder why things are the way they are? Why brands settle for the status quo when there's obviously a better way? That's what Altra Running founder Golden Harper thought as he hacked and modified his running store customers' shoes to alleviate all types of pains. After selling thousands of altered shoes, he figured there was a market for foot-shaped, zero drop shoes, but Nike, adidas, nor any of the other big brands were interested in the tech. So he launched it himself, bringing key friends and angels on board to get the first production run going, then sold the entire copmany before the first shoe ever delivered. There are a ton of lessons here for anyone that things they've found a better way to do something!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #011 - How to Build a Business using Contractors w/ Chasing Epic's Steve Mokan

If you want to start a tour or guide company, this episode is for you! Founder Steve Mokan's exposure to adventure travel came from his side gig as a photographer for gear brands and ski resorts, so he took the things he liked from those experiences and created Chasing Epic. As a mountain bike tour group leader, he's taken a unique approach to bringing a team together, using existing guides to streamline the startup process and working with brands to ensure his customers have all the gear they need for a stellar riding vacation. As a bonus, he's pretty good at taking pics of them while riding, so everyone goes home looking and feeling like a pro with the pics to prove it!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #010 - Launch a Company While Living Abroad w/ Kogel Bearings' Ard Kessels

Curious how to launch and grow a company while living abroad? Or how to create a product using a combination of off-the-shelf and custom machined parts? Ard Kessels is doing all of that with Kogel Bearings, a high end ceramic bearing brand for bicycles, and he's selling the very expensive upgrades through a combination of strategic athlete sponsorship and educational story telling.

Get ready to spin out some notes as you hear his startup story, and get my full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #009 - How to Become a Coach w/ Peaks Coaching Group's Hunter Allen

Think you're a subject matter expert and want to coach, train or mentor others? Hunter Allen has been there, done that, offering 1-on-1 personal coaching for pro athletes, managing a team of coaches to train the masses, and co-founded TrainingPeaks, one of the top online/cloud based training programs. He share his #startup story, plus tons of great strategies for builidng your own systems. Whether you want to coach athletes, entrepreneurs or anyone else, you'll learn how to build a business larger than yourself by making it easy for others.

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #008 - How to Run & Promote an Event w/ Breck Epic's Mike McCormack

Fair warning: Mike's a talker, in the best possible way. Our conversation meanders back and forth through his work background, and each turn reveals another piece of the puzzle that's come together to create the "Mountain Bike Stage Race World Championship" event. He's also running the Vail Outlier, a consumer mountain bike festival that's quickly established itself as a major late-season event. Oh, and he's running a PR firm that works with some of the top brands in the cycling industry. If you're looking to create and run an event, whether sporting or a business seminar or lifestyle retreat, there is a ton of hard won knowledge in here.

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #007 - Building a Destination Resort Business w/ Mulberry Gap's Kate & Andrew Gates

Kate and Andrew Gates and their families were looking for a retreat for themselves in the mountains of Georgia. They ended up at Mulberry Gap, located deep in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Elijay, GA. It's a big property, and it already had cabins, a barn and more, and it quickly became clear they'd need to do something to generate revenue to support the property. Fortunately, they were smack in the middle of some of the best trails in the state, and it didn't take long for mountain bikers to start asking if they could camp there. A business was born, and now it was time to figure out things like permits, shuttling, food service, maintenance and sooooo much more. Welcome to the world of hospitality.

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #006 - Challenges of Overseas Manufacturing & Customer Service w/ Boyd Cycling

Boyd Johnson started his eponymous wheel brand after retiring from professional road racing and quickly grew it from concept to being very, very busy. He started by ordering catalog parts from Asian manufacturers, lacing the hubs and rims into custom wheel builds before being able to have his own hub and rim designs created. Here, we discuss how he got into wheels, how customer service is the big differentiator in a crowded market and some of the methods and challenges of using overseas manufacturing.

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.