A keen cyclist, Matt has been maintaining bikes and spraying frames for as long as he can remember. When his career hit the brakes and he was made redundant, a new path was envisioned. This is the story of lockdown-born business, Revamp Bikes.
From passion to profit
Cycling has always been Matt’s passion. But as well as riding bikes, this handyman loves to fix them up too. Turning his hobby into a fully-fledged business was the obvious direction to take, when so many others had turned to him for customised bikes.
It started as a hobby job, and has just kept growing. I’ve gone from charging the price of the paint to creating a profit-making business.
And although profit is certainly a great marker of success, it is customer satisfaction that means the most to him. In fact, seeing the look on a customer’s face when they pick up their revamped bike makes it all worthwhile.
“I tend to think of success on a customer-by-customer basis. If someone is happy with the work I’ve done and the price they’ve paid, then that’s a success.”
Being a self-confessed perfectionist, Matt continues to ensure everything is of high standards. It’s a characteristic that has helped him on his business journey, and allows his work to ever-evolve. He explains:
“I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Ok, I’m a total perfectionist. I want my designs and paintwork to be just perfect. They’re not, but I’m working on it.”
He finds mistakes a learning curve and inevitable element of running a business; something to embrace when starting out.
Got it a bit wrong? Own up to your mistakes, and then sort out the problem. And don’t be afraid of starting over. It’s often the best solution.
Business in the fast lane
For Matt, timing is everything. If he could go back in time, he probably wouldn’t change a thing.
“Could I have started my business earlier? Probably. But it wasn’t the right time. Everything happened just when I needed.”
Don’t try and force something to happen. Take your time and let it grow. If you’ve got the right idea, it’ll do just that.
Matt hasn’t come across too many bumps in the road since officially launching Revamp Bikes. With GoDaddy, he quickly got a grip on his business needs and accelerated his online success.
“In all honesty it’s been pretty easy, and I feel very lucky about that. I still work as a Consulting Engineer (I’ve got another GoDaddy site for that!) which allowed Revamp Bikes to grow at its own pace. I guess the biggest obstacle is getting your name out there. A website is crucial to do that.”
A website helped turn this business up a gear. He chose GoDaddy because of its short contract period, unsure whether Revamp Bikes would get off the ground. But he soon found it did, and appreciated having a domain name, email and website builder all in one place.
“The website builder tool is brilliant. I’m always tweaking the website to either update the work I’m showcasing, or give the site a slightly different look. Everything I’ve wanted to do has been right there and the experience has been fun and easy.”
Matt built his passion project with customisation at its heart, but believes anyone with a good idea, faith and strong work ethic can start a business. He’s inspired by those that challenge themselves, and would tell his younger self to keep believing.
Always believe in yourself. Don’t listen to the people that tell you that you can’t do something, if you believe you can.
“You’ll need to be flexible and prepared to change your plan. A business is organic after all, and won’t always be exactly what you thought it was going to be. But physically, mentally, academically… If we’re making progress in some aspect of our lives, we tend to be happy.”
This business owner appreciates the little things in life, from an early morning bike ride and a strong coffee to packing up the workshop after a productive day. His passion has given him purpose as well as profit, and he continues to enjoy the journey.
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