Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Congine.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Frank. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I had just achieved my Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology and was working in Jury and Trial consulting in Minneapolis, Minnesota when I saw a similar concept there (and in other cold weather cities) in 2010. My sister and her husband were living in Los Angeles and I thought the idea could be successful throughout SoCal.
Minneapolis weather weighed so heavily on me that I decided to give it a try. I took a year to bold the business plan and launch, and incurred several hurdles and roadblocks along the way.
We expanded to two Barcycles, but lacking profitability we sold one out and kept one in operation as I moved back to Chicago to work for the Navy. I returned to school in 2014 and achieved an Executive MBA, before returning to SoCal to give the Barcycle another boost.
We purchased a few more bikes, branded them out and have been in a gradual expansion since.
Has it been a smooth road?
You know that saying, “If it was easy anyone would do it”…that holds true for any entrepreneur and small business owner. When doing something that literally never existed before, the struggles are magnified. Without going into detail, here are bullets of struggles we incurred along the way:
-Licensing
-Hiring
-Maintenance issues…plus finding someone who could repair the Barcycles
-Storage/Parking
-Business partnerships, i.e. bars and restaurants that want to provide customers incentive to go there
-Social media
-Small business support- running the business takes more time, effort, and money than operating the Barcycle
-Financial, not being able to pay my own bills so we could continue to let the business operate.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Barcycle is unique. It does not compete with the pedicabs that take a few people around. It does not compete with the Starline tour buses that take tourists around. The Barcycle keeps people active, together, and outside while the celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions.
I’m most proud of creating a concept and brand that did not exist before.
What sets us apart is our uniqueness.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
There are pros and cons to operating in such a large, spread-out city. Many times, I have thought if I had to go back in time, I would not have done this again.
Regulations and costs are too high. Hiring and retention is too difficult.
I’d tell someone to be prepared to spend the majority of his/her time administering the business to stay in compliance with all the regulations that bog down small businesses.
There is a reason entrepreneurship is at an all-time low.
The cities need to simplify their infrastructures and allow state regulations to be acceptable. It works for large businesses (like Uber) which leaves small businesses like ours to be regulated out of business.
Pricing:
- $40 per person
- $35 per person for 10-14 riders
- $31 per rider if you rent out the entire Barcycle for a private party
Contact Info:
- Website: barcycle.com
- Phone: 310.796.6093
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barcycle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebarcycle/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Barcycle_
Image Credit:
Flock of Dudes
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