Matt Wallin – Owner of Round Trip Bike Shop, Casa Grande, Arizona
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Matt Wallin – Owner of Round Trip Bike Shop, Casa Grande, Arizona
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Meet Matt Wallin. Outside of running a shop, Matt is building a community, specifically a community-based program for youth. His focus is on managing and building trails, coaching the high school cycling team, technical clinics, and community outreach. His shop is leading the path for a new style of retail.
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Matt Wallin – Owner of Round Trip Bike Shop, Casa Grande, Arizona
Tue, 3/30
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
bike, shop, bicycle, bike shop, kids, people, customer, program, industry, community, retail, jensen, ride, job, cycling, work, matt, called, feel, find
SPEAKERS
Heather Mason, Matt Wallin, NBDA
NBDA 00:10
You are listening to bicycle retail radio brought to you by the National bicycle Dealers Association.
Heather Mason 00:16
Welcome to another episode of bicycle retail radio brought to you by the NBA. I am Heather Mason, thank you for listening. I’m happy you’re here. If you’re a first time listener, be sure to check out the previous episodes. Do us a favor, we love those reviews. And this podcast is designed specifically for the bicycle industry. As always, the NBDA is super thankful for our donors and association members. If you’d like to make a donation to the NBDA, you can do so directly on our web page. Just this past week, I had a meeting with Teddy from locally. I have to admit I had never heard of locally, but it’s a super unique platform. If you have not use it. It’s locally.com. You can search any item you’re looking for and find it in stock at a retailer near you. If you are a retailer, you can sign up for free. So I think that’s really cool. And there’s a lot of brands that are learning about locally and partnering with them. So check it out. locally.com So today’s guest is someone I met. I think the first week that I started with the MBA, I was doing a lot of outreach, sending letters out to potential members and past members. And today’s guest is one of those persons who responded to my letters and was like, hey, Matt Wallen. I’m super pumped to have him here. He is the owner of round trip bike shop in Casa Grande, Arizona. I went, you know, like I normally do, I go right to a shops website, and I check out what’s going on. And I was just floored. So outside of running his shop, Matt is one of our unique retailers, who is building a community. His community is specifically based around youth. His focuses on managing and building trails, he helps coach the high school cycling team. There’s technical clinics, a lot of community outreach. I really feel like his shop is leading the path for this new style of retail. And when I first went to his shop page, I was like, man, I need to know more. So without further ado, Matt, what’s going on, man? How are you?
Matt Wallin 02:18
Hi. Hi. Glad to be here.
Heather Mason 02:20
I am so thankful you are here I is just we’re just catching up. I’m in upstate New York. It’s like 60 out. I’m pumped, man. It’s like it’s 60 here. So he’s loving it. I know Matt like many retailers right now. He told me he had a really busy weekend. Tell me about your weekend
Matt Wallin 02:35
that just crazy. This fervor for bikes just hasn’t ended yet. And it’s wonderful. Regardless of any negative issues or things that are coming up in the industry, with supply chain or whatever else is happening. shops, were crushing it. I know that other friends of mine in the industry are crushing it. And I think those of us that are adapting and modifying to this new way of doing retail, they’re killing it right now. And it’s fantastic.
Heather Mason 03:02
Matt, I know you have an awesome community we’re gonna get into about that. But are you finding new new bike shot like new people coming into your shop or their new customers that are looking to get in cycling for the first time?
Matt Wallin 03:13
Yeah, I mean, we’re, we’re in kind of a unique island where we’re at right now. And traditionally we’ve had just a certain type of customer that came in, we get the snowbirds, right? The folks that come in for the winter and stuff like that. And this is the time of the year when they’re here in the in the real prevalent. But lately, it’s been more families. It’s been more kids, adults looking to get fit. People that remember enjoying cycling when they were younger. And looking at getting back into it again, people that used to be really active cyclists that for whatever the reason fell out of it. They’re returning to the sport, and it’s all walks of life that are coming through the door. And I hear this resonated throughout Arizona. It’s a wonderful time to be in business.
Heather Mason 03:54
Right? It’s a wonderful time. Yeah, I bet. Man, I’m hearing shop owners that are like, Oh my God, this weekend. There’s like a burnout going on already. Right? Do you love what you do? Are you smiling all that? Like, are you on the shop just customer to customer bouncing around smiling?
Matt Wallin 04:11
Yeah, I mean, I’m lucky and that I’m a smaller shop. So I’m a lot of what the shop is I I get to participate and work with customers direct, and I’m not always in the back office. So that gives me a unique perspective that I enjoy. I love working with people and working with them and in the cycling industry. So being able to have all these new faces come in and people are getting back into it and to just share some of the knowledge that I’ve gained over the years with them. And this tool and have them suck it up is it’s fun. I mean, I’m not really egotistical person, but it is a boost to the ego to be like the local legend for all things cycling, right. So it’s a blast right now. And even when times are tough, finding ways to overcome the challenges and the things that are presented to us in retail, solving those puzzles it is fun and i love it it’s a blast to do
Heather Mason 05:03
i love that the local legend it’s so true though like i look at you know like i look at some of the programs that you’re offering and and you you know told me a little bit about your past and preparation for today’s call and i can totally see local legend and you know our listeners can’t see you but i’m looking at your face and you are just you’re shining like you can tell that you love cycling and you love the fact that people want to know from you you’re sharing your tips and your your special sauce like you share the products that you like and you tell people what trials to go ride on locally don’t you when they come into the store
Matt Wallin 05:36
i’m sure you know i it depends on the person that comes in not everyone’s looking for local trails they’re looking for a safe park to ride in sometimes they’re looking for a great epic road route some are looking for bike packing some are looking for some sort of a contiguous bike path system that we don’t actually have here in this town they’re looking for something my job is to figure out what they want and what their needs are and to tailor my answers to what their needs what i perceive their needs to be and so and that’s not always easy sometimes they miss but it’s something that it’s i feel like it’s a craft that i’m always honing in always trying to make better and in sometimes when you hit and you really connect you’re just like people in general will talk for 45 minutes to an hour about just different places to ride and i’ve lost track of some of that time you know and and especially if it’s not too crazy busy and those are moments that you look back on and it’s again it’s really rewarding
Heather Mason 06:31
it’s like the art of actually listening right like i don’t know what that is but
Matt Wallin 06:36
exactly no you have to listen to your customers i mean i think that’s kind of rudimentary if you’re telling people what to do and not listening to what they’re doing i think you’re missing out on some truly good experiences
Heather Mason 06:48
do you have the what’s your inventory like are you able to fulfill the needs of customers coming in right now
Matt Wallin 06:53
no
Heather Mason 06:54
not so hard right
Matt Wallin 06:56
no but you know what we’re getting it done and i could sit here and cry about it
Heather Mason 07:00
well no no we’re gonna it’s it’s happy
Matt Wallin 07:04
big man cry right but no it’s you just got to be resourceful and you got to just search high and low for those things for customers and i think a lot of what we do is we try to set reasonable expectations and so as long as we’re communicative and we try to be understanding we really listen to what the customer is telling us that they’re after and when we can successfully explain to them what’s happening and use that as an educational moment it takes a little bit longer to do it that way but the interaction between us and them is better they’re looking to us as their local source they’re looking to us as the expert on what’s happening in the industry we’re really that only contact and they can read stuff on the internet they can watch youtube they can do all these different things but you’re like the boots to the ground so when they come to you they expect you to have answers that will help them to know when they’re going to get their items or if they can get something that’s going to replace it and so that’s that’s been probably the greatest challenge of this is trying to figure out where to get product and then how to set those expectations for those customers
Heather Mason 08:09
yeah man i could not agree with you more i just earlier before our call i had a call with a men’s health they’re doing an article about how to help people find a bike right now and i gave him that same advice i said go into your local bike shop and communicate to them what you’re looking for and the bike shop is your expert and they’re gonna set you know some some groundwork for you on what to expect and keep that communication alive so i totally agree with what you’re saying there that’s a fantastic advice and you know retailers connect with suppliers right so you have the right information
Matt Wallin 08:43
sure sure and i don’t think the suppliers necessarily always have the right information and sometimes they say things to pacify us the suppliers in some instances could do a better job of setting reasonable expectations to say two months and then two months go by and then it’s two more months that type of thing i’d much rather be told it’s not coming for six years and so that way i know okay i’m not getting that for six years so i need to find it someplace else or find something to replace that and so yeah communication is a key thing all the way around
Heather Mason 09:12
yeah and like real as real as possible like don’t just blow some smoke right like we need actual data yeah
Matt Wallin 09:18
no you have to be yeah you have to be real you have to be honest it’s okay to miss dates it’s okay to miss things so long as you’re communicative
Heather Mason 09:25
alright so you and i dive on so many levels we’re both mountain bikers you grew up in southern california like how did you find this sport tell me about that
Matt Wallin 09:35
i can’t honestly remember exactly what took me into it it might have been a mountain dew add for all i know i could have been some commercial it could have been something else but i was only i knew distinctly that i was 13 years old when they first decided i want to get a mountain bike i had an uncle at the time and he was just getting into mountain biking had bought one and i wanted to buy one like him because i kind of looked up to him a little bit i figured out a way to generate some income i took people’s trash Hands to the curb for $5 per month in order to save up the money to be able to buy my first mountain bike, I didn’t understand buy jobs, I didn’t understand that there was a specialty market. I just knew I wanted a mountain bike. And the only place I really knew to get was the department store. That’s one place I’d seen it. And I remember my father at the time thinking how ridiculous a mountain bike was. He thought it looked silly. They had those bull moose handlebars on it, and it had it just didn’t look like a bike that he was familiar with. And he thought it was goofy. And why do you want this thing he would say and but I know what the heart wants what the heart wants, right? So I saved up my money. I bought that first bike. It was a huffy, Cherokee three. And that was the very first bike I ever bought with my own money. And that started this lifelong passion for bikes taught me a lot of lessons on fixing and repairing and because that thing never worked, right, so
Heather Mason 10:55
did you did you go out with your uncle like so? I think I was like the same age that you were right. And my father got me into it. And I remember so clearly, like Vermont brownie mix rides and wherever you guys riding, where was the
Matt Wallin 11:07
local trails? My uncle lived in Northern California, he was two and a half hours away. So we didn’t get to spend a lot of time right. We did some high desert writing up in Palmdale, and other things like that. But the type of writing he did with his mountain bike and the type of writing I wanted to do weren’t necessarily the same. We weren’t on the same page on that. And so I was fortunate if I grew up in an area called Yorba Linda in Southern California, which it butted right up to Chino Hills State Park. So I got to go out and Chino Hills state park and ride from my front door to Chino Hills, I was there in 1520 minutes. And I could ride all over the place there. I wanted guys and gals that grew up in my generation, they feel like it was a childhood of adventure. You know, when you watch the movie, et that kind of sums up like how a lot of our lives were right, we’re out looking for different things, getting into trouble and being chased by the authorities, right. And so that’s a lot of what we did. My brothers and I were friends in the neighborhood, we’d organize these packs, and we go right up in the hills and get chased by the oil company security guards and stopped by the orange fields where the migrant workers were working, and we’d eat lunch with them. And it was a crazy time I look back on it, I think how is it I didn’t get murdered by somebody but somehow I managed to make it out alive. So
Heather Mason 12:25
random lunches. Alright, so did you have like I started at a bike shop like I was riding and I just started renting at a shop one day, how did you get where you did you find a job like a part time job at a shop or
Matt Wallin 12:37
I didn’t figure out that work. And fun could be the same thing. My dad was a very hard worker and never really relayed the joy of the work that he did to us as kids. And come to find out later in life. He did enjoy his work a lot. But we didn’t know it right. And so I thought, your work and your your job had to be just out of job. So I really didn’t put two and two together until I was much older that I could work in an industry that I also want to play into. So I was a shop rat, I’d go hang out at the shop, we had village when the Yorba Linda there, I’d go there as often as I could escape and get over there. And I would ask to sweep floors, I would ask to do whatever I could, for parts or knowledge or both. And they were pretty cool over there. I got to imagine I was an annoying kid, I probably talked to a whole heck of a lot, I probably was always up in their business and underfoot. And yet they still really nice about it and helped me out when they couldn’t and so I won’t ever forget that, you know, that kind of was my intro to the industry, if you will
Heather Mason 13:36
think so you besides having an amazing shop right now you do have a background in the bike industry. Can you give us a little our listeners a little taste of your career in the bicycle industry?
Matt Wallin 13:45
Yeah, so like I said, even started in the bike industry till I was actually in my early 20s, I was taking a more corporate path. And I was trying to get that big corporate job and trying to do something that was gonna make a lot of money, and so on and so forth. And I would get burnout all the time. And so if I made a decision after quitting my, my job, I was working for a company that did those pictures on faces that they put on T shirts and stuff like that. them up in like Universal Studios and things and I was working for that company, as General Manager for them. And I hated it. It was like a horrible job. And it was all about numbers. And if you think working in amusement parks and things like that, it would be fun, but I wasn’t in that phase of things. I was managing people and they just and they didn’t like their job and it was just as miserable thing. And I said you know what, I’m gonna go work in a bike shop. And so I took a huge pay cut, and I was to go to school at the time. So it made sense to be able to do it. I’m single, I’ve got time I’ve got things I could do and I started working in a shop. So I got my first job in the bicycle industry. Milan shopping for two California called Fullerton bicycles. My sales are my manager. There he was Dale aguas who’s now the general manager for turn. One thing you learn about the bicycle industry is it’s a small family. So Anybody that you’ve made happy or pleased, they’re going to remember you as a good guy down the line, or vice versa. If they remember us a joke, they remember you for that too. And you’ll be right. So true. So anyway, I worked for the Fullerton store for about six to eight months. And then Dale was moving on or in getting a promotion elsewhere. And I think that was maybe where he first started with turn, I’m not 100% sure about that, you’ll have to ask Dale, but they made me the manager of the shop there. And so I didn’t have a lot of bicycle retail experience. But I had enough where I had a general knowledge of cycling, repair and all that other type of stuff. And we had great mechanics there, the shop, and I had already had some management experience from my previous job. And so it was kind of a natural fit. And so it wasn’t long and all sudden I’m thrust into management. And I did that for a little bit for them, and then ended up going down to the Costa Mesa store where they were short handed with sales staff, particularly like the pro sales category. So I went down there and ended up doing that, because they consolidated a bunch of other components within the industry so that basically their offices and the warehouse moved into that Fullerton store, because they had a big warehouse and a huge backroom for offices. So the need for a manager there was no longer needed, but they didn’t want to just throw me under the bus. So they sent me down to the sea Schwinn where I could ply my trade and sell bikes. And they of course, Fullerton had one certain set of customers that was very, the type of customers that you dealt with were more of a family oriented more, I would say entry level, that type of stuff. And then Costa Mesa went into more of the high end top of the line stuff. And so I had to completely shift gears with no pun being intended, and shift and completely change up how I dealt with people how I presented. And these are people that were very particular, they were very, I mean, how you crimp their cables, they were very specific on how that got done length of certain things, you had to be really, really detail oriented to make them happy. And at the time, I remember being agitated by that type of long tail. But I’m really glad that I worked with them. Because that really kind of set me on a path where I always strive to take and make a difficult customer, my friend, and to make them really appreciate the work that I do. And if I wasn’t getting them happy, then I wasn’t doing a good job. And even if I felt like it was extraneous, or there was some way that they were being more, they’re being too picky, I needed to change my perspective and look at it differently. And that really enhanced, I guess my game. Anyway, from there, Costa Mesa and I were not a great fit. I wanted to be able to ride to work, I couldn’t ride vunerable into Costa Mesa every single day, and get this class and everything else I had to do within a reasonable amount of time. And so I got a job offer from my brothers racing, which is a motorcycle company that was just diving into suspension upgrades for rock shocks. And they were just about to introduce a new fork of their own. And they needed an inside sales rep. And I had a sweet gig was it was so it was like it was opening up this whole entire category. But when I got there, white brothers was not a bicycle company, the owner, Dave White was a he was a bicycle guy, for sure. And we talk a lot about bikes and then go back and forth on different things and different ideas and stuff like that. But the problem is, is they were too good. There was too much demand for their product, too much demand for what people wanted. And they were short on supply. And so while we had good sales and good sell through, we had this good following the couldn’t supply people with what people need. It was a little bit of like what we’re dealing with now, but just on that scale as an individual manufacturer. So when I was there, I got offered a job with Jensen USA, who was just a fledgling company back then, I believe he had just moved from his garage to to his first actual office location. And in fact, at night, nice chocolate was his garage. If I remember correctly, it was actually his bedroom. He ran it out of initially. But my cache, he’s the one that sort of that he had just moved to that first office, and we needed more sales guys. I knew how to do that and new bikes. And I wanted to do a little bit more within the industry than just sell one specific part. I knew I wanted to deal with some high end stuff and go that route. And I couldn’t just do that just at the local level. And so Jensen kind of gave me an opportunity to expand to nationally, and be able to really hone those skills as far as getting to know customers, adapting to different kinds of customers that call in. And Jensen was an awesome opportunity to be able to do that. And unfortunately for Jensen, there were some hard times for Jensen at the beginning. I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus because like I said, this is a small community, right? So suffice it to say that there were errors and mistakes that were made, and not through any one particular person’s fault or anything like that. Just as what happens in business, things don’t always work out. Ideally, pretty much the entire company got laid off with the exception of the wheel builder and the website guy, which obviously proved to be a great move for my and he’s now this versioning company that Definitely one of the top in the industry and was one of the first to market as far as like an etailer website. It was awesome to be at the beginnings of all that and see how that all was formed and, and how that brought about this this monster that is Jensen USA Today, right? So once that happened to me, I said, You know what? My dad was right? The bicycle industry, I’m not gonna make any money here. It’s too flaky. That’s too many, too many issues too many problems. I’m not the commander of my own ship. The only way that I’m going to actually be contented satisfied is if I have something of my own. And it just didn’t seem possible. I felt like I had more to learn about business I had more to do. In life. I you know, I was dating a girl at the time that I was looking to marry. And I had to make enough money to support us and things of that nature. And back then the bike industry just wasn’t in a place that it could get it done for me. So I got out. And I went back to retail management. And did that for Gosh, probably the next decade and a half or so. I ended up meeting a guy that ran retail costume shops. I’m sure you guys have seen the spirit Halloween stores.
Heather Mason 21:06
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Love those.
21:08
Yeah, so this was similar to that there’s a store in Southern California, out of Lake Forest called costume castle. And it was at the time it was the biggest retail costume store on the west coast. There weren’t too many stores that were like it. And the owner of that store, Dave Huffman, he was a guy that he flew by the seat of his pants, he the amount of planning or the amount of preparation or the mask of anything that he did was minimal. He just knew he wanted to be the best. And he never wanted a customer to walk into the store and not find what they were looking for, which meant probably hundreds of 1000s of dollars worth of inventory. And it was gonna say,
Heather Mason 21:44
a lot of skews.
Matt Wallin 21:46
That’s what it used. Back then we didn’t even have like an official like POS system we didn’t have when I first started with him, it was just price tags, and just items and spreadsheets, and lots of inventory. And it wasn’t as refined is what today’s retail is right.
Heather Mason 22:03
I just feel like all of this your background, you know, from working at the Fullerton store, to Jensen to working for the costume retail company, like all these different things that your skill sets that you’re picking up along the way, like definitely have shaped you to be the retailer that you are right. Did you know it at the time? Were you like cataloging all of this? Like I’m sure, subconsciously? Well, no,
Matt Wallin 22:27
I, you know, I, I didn’t really realize it I I always knew I was good at sales. I knew I was good at the gift of gab, I knew I could win people over I could you know, talk people into things, if you will. But I wanted, I didn’t really realize it was it would culminate in what it is today. Of course, hindsight is always 2020. So you can look back and see how this shaped that and the other shape this and you can see how that, that I think of that adage, it’s sometimes look, it’s better to be lucky than good. And I definitely have taken advantage of that for sure. I’ve had a lot of good luck.
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Heather Mason 23:15
I want to talk about, you know how you decided to take the leap and to find your spot and open up your store. You did share with me what I mean when I read what I read what you wrote to me about your your dad and him passing it gave me goosebumps. Talk to me about that a little bit.
Matt Wallin 23:32
Why don’t want to bring the mood down or anything like that. It’s a good story, really, you know, my dad was a hard working guy that always took the safest path. My dad didn’t take a lot of risks in life. And for us as kids, it provided stability, there was a lot of events and things that happen just like everybody has in my life. And nothing out of the ordinary, I don’t think just the regular hardships and trials of life. And my dad always weather those by just staying straight and true. My dad ended up getting pancreatic cancer. And he that was in 2002 that he was diagnosed with that. And I really had grown close, I’d done some work with him for he was running a property management company at that time, I really got to understand my dad a little bit better. It took years and years of me maturing and learning and growing. And I think yours, my dad to learn more about me and who I am and for us to finally come together. And it wasn’t until that time that we really did. My dad talked about taking more chances in life and that he wish he had taken more risks and that nothing crazy nothing like you know, out of the realm of what he would consider to be safe, but definitely more risks. He and I had this conversation about that one week before he passed away. He was actually in remission. He was expected to be fine, but just a complication took him from us. But that conversation I had with my dad really resonated with me that he he always played everything safe and that was kind of my mo I kind of always just took the safer Throughout, I’m a planner, I overanalyze everything, they don’t take a step or I don’t cut anything off. Unless I know where I’m landing, I felt really strongly that I had to do something different if I was going to feel satisfied with my career, and frankly, with with what I was doing with my life. And so my dad’s passing, was kind of the catalyst for that he and I talked about doing a bicycle shop together. That was something he wanted to do in retirement, we had already been looking at different shops in Southern California together, and we just hadn’t found that right one. But after he passed, I really doubled my efforts to make that happen. And so that’s kind of what led me to buy the shop that I’m in today.
Heather Mason 25:39
It is so scary to take risks, right? Like, I feel like, I think I’m a risk taker, but I don’t know. I mean, it’s a control risk, I guess. I love my dad, you know, I’m so thankful he’s still alive. And he’s still here for me. And we have our I feel like the same thing. We’ve come together as I as I age, I’m 42 now, and we’re closer than ever, and I can’t imagine not having him in my life, but like to hear that, you know, it kind of gave you that extra motivation to make something happen. How long were you looking that for a location? Oh, my
Matt Wallin 26:10
gosh, it took probably two years before I kind of found what I was looking for. I had a very definitive set of parameters again, even though I’m taking risk and and even though there’s a lot of unknowns to it, I had a business plan. And I had, I knew what my limitations were, at least I thought I knew what my limitations were. And I thought I was looking for something very specific. And I didn’t want to buy something that was a multimillion dollar monster. I didn’t want to buy something that was gonna be out of control. And I’d be upside down underwater. Before I knew it. I wanted something that had potential to grow. But that would grow with me, as I learned and in. And as I improved the business side of things, I knew that I wanted to have something that I could start out with that had a good solid thing going that I could eke out a living from, but that I could grow into something more. And so and it also had to be something that had the potential for being involved from a community perspective.
Heather Mason 27:09
So you bought an existing bike shop?
Matt Wallin 27:12
Correct? Yep, that’s right. Yep. So in the shop that I’m in now, round trip bike shop wasn’t always called that. But it’s a shop that’s been in the community here since the late 70s. It’s got an amazing history to be able to track back phone number associated to a bicycle shop, from as far back as 1979 is a pretty cool thing to be a part of. I know there’s some shops out there that have a really rich history like that and the communities that they serve. And it’s awesome to have one of those, I guess, in my possession.
Heather Mason 27:42
So a lot of shop owners, a question we get asked a lot is can we give information about like an exit plan or exit strategy? How are you finding bike shops to even consider for purchase? Where were you looking on
Matt Wallin 27:53
the internet was starting to you know, really be? It was really prolific with that type of information. I tried a business broker for a short time, that was fruitless. And really the thing that got it done was bicycle brain magazine. Great federal funding. Yeah, in and so I started and I was already familiar with it from working in the shops, and so and they had a website, and so I just call them the classifieds from there. And that’s where I found the ad for this shop was was on brains, classifieds. And so I called the owner and I think actually, I sent an email first, and he didn’t even talk to me. He was very cagey. So he wouldn’t talk to me at all. He sent me just all I got was a nondisclosure agreement. He sent that to me. And I decided that before he would even address anything else, and I already kind of figured out what shop it was just based on the phone number. And I’d already kind of figured some things out before a human had any sign it but I signed that NDA, and then we went from there.
Heather Mason 28:50
It must be an interesting conversation. You know, we have a bike shop owner who’s looking to move on to something new. And you know, it’s his baby, right. And it’s part of the community, as you said, and you’re looking to make the shop that’s community involved. So how was those initial conversations you said, your business plan involved community? So were you guys equally as excited was like, did you know it was a fit from the start?
Matt Wallin 29:13
I think that he had been in it for 16 years. And he moved on. And his forte really was in civil service. He works for the county now. And as such, he does an amazing job and land and open spaces. He does a lot of land access issues and things of that nature. And really, I think for him, I think he really found his calling as far as what he was supposed to do in that. So by the time I got into the picture, he was pretty well ready to move on. And so as far as what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to take it, it wasn’t an issue for him so long as he was able to get out scot free and not have anything fall back on him or anything. And so he just covered his bases and all that type of stuff. And you know, we went from there. So I was fortunate. I didn’t have him hovering over me or challenging me. thing that I wanted to do, I didn’t have any of that. So it was really nice.
Heather Mason 30:03
So tell us about the shop. So tell us about the building, like how big is it? And, you know, tell us how many employees, what brands do you carry
Matt Wallin 30:11
your we’re smaller shop, the shop itself is about 2000 square feet, we’ve got four repair bays. I right now I’ve got some three employees right now. And we got a lot of folks that come in and volunteer and help we have an internship program. We have kids that flow in and out of that this year, that’s been a little off because that program was sidelined because of you know, everything that’s going on. But the last three years prior, we’ve been working with the school to help kids where they’re looking to get credit for school and things of that nature. And then we also work with a local nonprofit that does some seating or bike texts and things of that nature.
Heather Mason 30:48
That this is what I’m so excited about. This is like the heart of it. Yeah, the conversations that I have with quality bicycle like is how do we get more people into our industry? How do we train bike techs? How do we get more kids on bikes? And I mean, you have you have an internship you are you’re working with a local school, you’re you cycling program, give us some background? How did that come around?
Matt Wallin 31:10
Well, the current program is a stands called youth on track. It’s obviously just local to this area. But it started from the National Nika program in 2012. They opened up the they were talking about opening up the Arizona League, I met with Chris Stewart at interbike and talked with him about what they were planning on doing. And it just sounded like something that was an answer to a lot of things that we just aside was too general. And as a shop that we hidden talking about, the kids don’t get out on bikes enough that they want to sit in front of the video games, and that I grew up with this sense of adventure. And when all these had all these cool things that happened, right, and I feel like these kids are not exposed to me that then for this essentially get was whatever happened in the video game they’re playing. And so we wanted a way to try to engage them and try to bring them in to what our experiences were. And while they’re not going to be the same, obviously, we can at least replicate some of that, or at least bring some of that into the life is certainly a different perspective than what they currently have. And the Nikah program that really had a lot of those answers, it had a really good program. It had a really good, had really good potential. And so it just seemed like something that was a good fit for us. So after I talked to Chris Stewart at the interbike trade show, I called up Phil Mummy, who is a friend and a customer of mine that I already knew had done some coaching before. And he had had youth programs from different churches that he worked with. He’s been a youth pastor, and he’s used bikes as kind of a vehicle for that effort. him and his wife are really heavily involved with youth in the community. And so I felt like he was a natural fit, because he loves mountain bikes, and he’s already coached with kids. And so he brought a lot of things to the table that I lacked, and that I could still to this day could never replicate with him and his wife do. So he said, Yeah, let’s do it. And so he and I went to the first Leadership Summit, and it was held at pivot cycles. They were gracious with the program, Chris Cook, Alice and his crew. Oh my gosh, I don’t know if the if the Arizona program would exist without pivot. So I got to give a shout out to them solely because they’ve done such an amazing job supporting this effort for the kids. But anyway, so we started our first team. After the leadership summit, we started the first team,
Heather Mason 33:17
how many kids were on the first, what was your one?
Matt Wallin 33:21
Your one is pretty ugly. I gotta admit, when you get into a program like that, one of the things that you kind of come out with as you pumped, right? You’re like, oh, I’ve got all these tools. I’ve got all this stuff that I can use. And I was really, really excited to get out there. And I know Phil was really pumped up and excited. So the very first practice that we had, we had one kid, and we had four coaches, maybe five at the time, but just one kid and that was it. I remember Phil saying, well, maybe this year, we’re just not gonna have a program. I’m like, Hey, we got one kid, that one kids a program. You know, we
Heather Mason 33:51
have a program. I love that mentality.
Matt Wallin 33:54
We’ve got a program. It’s a one kid program, but we’ve got something and another friend of ours, he had started another team at that same time down in Sierra Vista. And his team was exploding. His team was like, the 30 kids right off the bat, massive parental support. So we had this thing where we’re trying really hard not to compare and really hard not to go. But anyway, so that one kid, he went from one kid and that kid he brought a friend in so then we had two kids. So hey, we’ve just doubled our program. Right? And then ultimately, the season, when we started our first race by the time that hit, we had four kids and that raised consistently throughout the season. And keep in mind, we had followed the Nikah recommended programs for recruitment we had gone through we’ve gone to all the schools, we really set up in a really good way and that the school administration here in Casa Grande, they really supported our efforts and really let us have a lot of access as far as presenting this to the kids. We did assemblies we did, where we set up a booth at lunch. I mean, we had all these crazy things We will try to do but it never really resulted in a whole lot of kids. But over time, just like anything, if you stick with it, it grows. And I think that, for us, we were really passionate about making something happen for this community, we felt like there was a real need for it. And we were determined not to give up. Not that there weren’t a lot of low points. So there wasn’t a lot of arguing or any of that type of stuff about how things should be done. In the end, we came together, and we kept fighting to make it happen. And so fast forward a few years later, you know, we had 2030 kids that were participating in our area we had went from zero support, no parental support, kids couldn’t afford bikes, couldn’t afford anything whatsoever. We bankrolled everything for them. My first and second year in the program, I outlaid more money for the program than I have any subsequent year to that, to the point where the program kind of survives on its own, even without me now. And sometimes I feel like I’m not even needed. But that’s a good place to be in a program that you start, right. Because you don’t want the program to be about you. You want the program to have its own life and to have its own pulse, if you will. And so once I’ve got to that point, is about five years in, I had been the team director, Phil was the head coach, and those roles Nika, or the Arizona cycling the change what those roles were. And so the team director went from more of a leadership position to more of a facilitator position. I felt like I had done everything that I could possibly do with the program. And that I was running up against a wall with some certain issues. I just felt like I couldn’t expand it anymore. And it was time for some fresh blood and some fresh perspective. So I brought in Brian Hartsfield, and he was a coach at the time. He had kids that were on the team, but he had that same fire, that same passion that we had. And we recognize that right off the bat, you know that even though his kids would would not necessarily participate, or whatever the case may be. He was still there. He was still participatory. He wasn’t just there for his kids. He was there for the the team as a whole. So we brought him in and appointed him or asked him I didn’t really appoint him. I asked him if he’d be the team director. He said, Yes. And I stepped down from that position and went to just a lowly coach. And gladly so and then they’ve taken it from there to where it is today. And Brian and Phil, were able to start a nonprofit, nonprofit with youth on track, youth on track. Now, it’s a seed program, not just for the mountain bike team, but it also seeds. One of the largest BMX teams in Arizona. It’s a team by a lab sciences, they also seed kids from a mechanical perspective, too. That’s something that’s relatively new for us. That wasn’t something that we had necessarily planned to do. But what we found is, is that there’s these kids that were passionate about cycling, but they just weren’t built to be racers. They want to participate. And they want to be a part of this overall thing, right? They want to be part of the family. There just wasn’t a good fit for them. Because they would go in and they would, they would be the guy that comes in last, you know, we’d always say why everyone remembers the first guy and the last guy. Yeah. So you remember, well, you know, and he just kind of doesn’t matter if you When did you have fun. But that didn’t always resonate with them. But some of the kids, they fixed something that same light kind of came out in them, they now felt useful. They felt like they had some, they’re able to use talent and do things, frankly, that some of the other kids just couldn’t do, or didn’t have the patience for whatever the case may be. So this made the no more useful, and it was terrific. So that’s, that’s where we’re at today. For now.
Heather Mason 38:31
It’s such a labor of love. And I’m, you know, I’m listening to you, and I’m thinking oh my god, that would be so proud. Number one, and um, you know, I have a daughter who’s in Nika, and last night, she had a friend over who was who used to be a Nika, he’s not anymore. He was one of the kids who just didn’t really get the racing part, you know, never really did that. Great. But I’m listening to you. And I’m like, Oh, my God, if there was a program that he’s so mechanical, he would love to that, you know, you totally change your community. You got this rolling. And it’s, it’s amazing. When you step back, and you look at the community
Matt Wallin 39:05
that did it, but
Heather Mason 39:06
it was the everyone coming together. Yeah, but I can’t imagine you coaching and running the program and running the shop. You must have been really, really, really busy. The program youth on track. You said there’s like an internships. So are those happening at the shop are people well, you said this past year was different. But historically, do you have a work you see a for work stance or a couple of work stands dedicated to youth at certain times? Or how does that program work?
Matt Wallin 39:33
The whole idea the whole program was just kind of being fleshed out in before right for COVID. It hit it kind of put a kibosh on a lot of what we were talking about what we wanted to do, but one of the kids that there’s been a few kids that have had some mechanical ability, but also it’s more than that they have to be able to work in a shop environment and that type of stuff. And so we bring kids in and we let them work in the shop as interns basically and some of them The kids would qualify for school credit so they could get school credit towards graduation, for that end of things. And so working with the school working with the youth on track program, and the shop together, we were able to have some kids come in and work for more than just come in and just learn mechanical skills and things of that nature. They were working towards their high school diploma, they were able to kind of get familiar with that shop environment and see how they fit. And one of my mechanics now he was part of that whole program. He didn’t actually do it through school, he just had that mechanical knack. And just working with him just throughout the different races and stuff, he would help set up the pit zone, you tear it down, super hard working kid. And he was he has this love of bikes. And even though he’s not built like a racer, he’s built more like I am right. He loves them. I mean, he wants to get after it. And so we brought him in, he’s wrenching for me now, I hope that we get to have more kids that get to do that same type of opportunity, as we grow as a shop or as the need changes in the shop, then I hope they always have like a resource to tap into. It’s something that we’ve already been talking about having more of the mechanical side of things, which would mean more clinics, and it would mean more on site work and things of that nature. And so that’s been developed as we speak. So,
Heather Mason 41:16
so Matt, I was on your website, and you have the tech clinics and talk section of your website. And it mentions that you go off site, or you can do things at the shop who presents at these talks is it you or people on your staff.
Matt Wallin 41:30
So it depends on what it is, you know, we put it out there for anybody that wants if you want me to come to your event, and you want me to come and speak or you want me to come and present, or you want me to sit in a booth in and have information ready, I’m willing to do that within the community, we’ve gone to school events, we’ve had the local RV park, so they have been the safety seminars and things of that nature. I’ve done tech clinics, I’ve done a myriad of different things within the area, just to basically share that knowledge of bikes and to you know, put us out there. And then when those people come into the shop, they already know a friendly face, they’ve already met me. And then you’ve already talked with me and more intimate basis with just that small group, rather than just walking into a shop fresh, and not knowing who’s who or what’s the knowledge of the shop. It allows me to kind of spread the gospel of cycling, so to speak, but to get to know my community and know what the needs of that community are by actually being out in the community. And so I do it, I’ve had staff do it. I’ve had friends that have volunteered to help out and do different things. But predominantly right now it’s mostly me.
Heather Mason 42:39
Yeah, your website is just it screams like community involved, ask us we’re here to help, you know, and just putting that out there lets people know. So I also noticed you have a whole page dedicated to E bikes. How is that going? How are your E bike sales going? Yes, is something that retailers asked me off. And like, should I, what’s the best way to start with E bikes, I mean, you have a whole webpage for them. So,
Matt Wallin 43:03
you know, for us a couple years ago, I really double down on repair, I felt like that’s for the bicycle industry. You know, we’re always going to sell bikes, always going to sell products and things of that nature. But if you’re not up on repairs, and the latest trends within those repairs, then you’re like the typewriter guy that stays in business while computers were coming in, right, you have to be on top of it. And ebikes is one of those things, every bit of knowledge, I could get every bit of certifications, anything that I could do to not only get access to the parts for the bikes, but learn how to work on the E bikes idea. And that kind of started that whole thing. That was, gosh, five years ago or so that we started really, really focusing on that aspect of things. And not that we wanted to be an E bike store, necessarily, but I just wanted somebody to come in with their e bike, which I see is a definitive growth market. I wanted them to come in and know that it was in good hands, I wanted them to feel confident that I knew what I was doing. I didn’t want to have them come in. But oh, man, we haven’t seen a lot of these or anything like that. I don’t want that I want to be like, Oh yeah, I work on these all the time. Now this easy, you know, and they can throw an error code at me. And you know, immediately you know what that is or something you know, or if I don’t know, at least know the resources to go to get it. And conveying that message to the customer was very important. And that’s what kind of led us into direct sales. ebike sales for us. It’s been interesting. In our market, we’re not seeing a whole lot of the sales in terms of units going out the door, but I’m seeing a ton of repair work coming in. And so the fact that we have the page the way that it is, it kind of establishes us as a shop that gets it and understands what the bikes are about. And we’re not necessarily selling the bikes there. We do sell a few here and there, obviously, but it’s more about establishing yourself as the authority in your area and for people to go into your site and be like Oh, he’s got a whole page dedicated bikes. You must notice stuff that’s paid off in spades for sure. Yeah, I
Heather Mason 44:57
was actually thinking that I was like wow, holy Like they must really be into ebikes. And it’s a great idea, why not dedicate a whole webpage to it, especially if you have the train staff, and you can handle those repairs coming in. Alright, so you have this awesome background, we’ve dove into AI, thank you for sharing yourself, what is something that has stuck with you along the way, maybe a good tip that someone gave you at a past job or something that’s,
Heather Mason 45:20
you know, you read somewhere, what is something that is like your, your guide?
Matt Wallin 45:25
You know, I’ve gotten a lot of different tips, a lot of advice. But probably my best advice came from my previous employer, which was Dave Hoffman, he was the owner of causton pasal. And he had a lot of gems, a lot of phrases that he would say that stick with me today. But two things that he said to me that I, I almost apply regularly. One is you’re doing the same thing, the numbers just get bigger. That’s one of the first thing he said. And the second thing was, don’t take yourself so seriously. If you’re not having fun, you’re not enjoying what you’re doing. Look for how you can shake it up, and change up what you’re doing and find to find joy in the work that you’re engaged in. And even when I left, he gave me a picture of a monkey on the bicycle to put on my desk, remind me of that fact. Right. And that stuck with me not that you don’t get down to work, and not that it’s not stressful, not that it’s not trying at times, and not that there’s been a lot of blood, sweat and literal tears, right? that have been with me more than a decade here. But the point is, is we’re just like on a bike on the path, wherever you’re looking, wherever your focus is, that’s where you’re going to go. And I can look off into the rocks, I can look off into an RV or the cactus, right? That’s wrong. But instead, I focus down the trail and focus on where I want to be. And those little tidbits of information really helped get me there.
Heather Mason 46:43
Yeah, it if we’re feeling confident, if we’re happy, you know, for starting each day, like full of energy, things tend to, or at least in my world, things tend to go a little bit better. But if I start kind of like not feeling it, or, you know, grumpy, it’s not turning out to be a good day. So that is an amazing tip. Okay, so you have purchased a bicycle shop that was once owned by someone else you got into the bicycle industry later in your life. One of the most common questions we see popping up for us at the NBDA is those looking to start a bike shop or to buy a bike shop. So any advice that you would give to someone who’s trying to or wants to get into our industry?
Matt Wallin 47:23
That’s a tough one I think a lot of people have because I get a lot of people even ask me at the shop that there they say, Oh, I’m going to start a bike shop, what do I need to do? The kids asked me that all the time. You know, when they’re there, they talk about it. And I don’t want to be the guy that that is negative on anyone’s dream, right? I think the key thing is you have to know yourself first, and really know what it is you want out of the business that you’re going to start you got to figure out what type of shop you want to be and figured out? Do you have the skill set? Do you have the talent? Do you have the natural abilities required to do that? And take a good hard look at yourself and figure out? Is that indeed something that I can do? And sometimes that’s a hard look, sometimes it’s tough for you to focus on yourself that much and realize that you’re terrible at something, right? And so what do you got to do to get not terrible? Do you hire somebody else in? Do you go get educated? What do you have to do to make up for what you lack? And I think the key thing, I guess the takeaway from that would be in know where you’re where your downfalls are, know where you’re, where you’re short, and where you need to be boosted up, and then find a way to to make it happen. Find a way to get that extra help that you need. And more than anything, you hear it all the time. It’s almost cliche, you got to be passionate. This is a job that there’s a very few group of people I’ve gotten very rich with. For the most part, most shops across America, I don’t think living high on the hog. I think that most of us are just content to make a living and get out ride bikes whenever we want. So
Heather Mason 48:56
it’s something we love, right?
Matt Wallin 48:58
Absolutely.
Heather Mason 48:58
What kind of bike Do you on these days? What are you riding? With your bikes?
Matt Wallin 49:02
Do I have to say Just one?
Heather Mason 49:06
What’s the last bike you rode?
Matt Wallin 49:08
So I got a ton of bikes. My gosh, well, one of the things that I did was I, I have gone out on a mission to buy every bike that I ever wanted, when I was younger and couldn’t afford it, they’re gone. There’s no point in even really riding it other than just this pure nostalgia factor. So I have a collection of those. The bike that I wrote last was actually a prototype from a local frame builder here in town. I don’t know if you follow the tour divide or any of that type of stuff, but binary bicycles is we’re fortunate to have them here in Casa Grande de binary had a sponsor, Christopher sidetrip. He’s the guy that went Tour de vie last year. So that was the last bike that I rode. I guess it will give a little shout out to binary, I guess. Yeah,
Heather Mason 49:49
that’s cool. How to ride Was it good?
Matt Wallin 49:51
Yeah, yeah, it’s really good. It’s, I think when it was built, it was built a little bit with me in mind, because a little overbuilt, but for me, it’s fun. It’s a Blast, I love trying out stuff. I like a little bit of being the guinea pig. And so being able to give input to that, to that into things.
Heather Mason 50:08
I love that. So we are working on creating excellent retailers. Right. So that is our mission here at NBDA is to inform encourage resource, and you know, having people like yourself on to share your story and, and how you got into the industry and what you’re doing at the shop to connect with your community. When I say a bicycle retailer of excellence, what would that mean to you? You know, I think the hard ones, Matt,
Matt Wallin 50:34
when you put that question in, you know, earlier, and you know, I really wanted to think about it and came up with all these different answers. And you know, financial stability, being debt free, blah, blah, blah. But none of that really resonates with me. And then I was thinking about it. And one of the greatest compliments that I’ve received since I’ve had the shop came to me just a few weeks ago, and a customer that’s been a customer for since the very beginning, also works with the city and is very heavily involved in the community as well, from a different perspective, but definitely knows the pulse of the community and knows what the community wants and needs, what they talk about. And he said to me said, Man, Matt, he’s like, you know, what he’s like you and your shop, you are one of the pillars that helped to hold up this community. And I was kind of taken aback by that, because I like, you know, we don’t ever perceive ourself in any way shape, or form as the pillar. But I thought, Man, that is a great thing to hear. Because that’s been my goal is to be something that’s essential to this town, and essential to my area and the people that I serve, and to be something that this community looks to, for a resource that helps to bring them joy and happiness. And I think that if you can achieve that, and then something that’s always in work, I’m never satisfied, I’m never happy with where I’m at. I always want to be better and do more and improve. And, but I think if you can get to that point where you are part of that community, I think that you’ve you’ve achieved some form of retail excellence, for sure.
Heather Mason 52:08
I could not agree with you more. I love that you share that story. I cannot agree with you more. Because, yeah, we think about those words of profitability and inventory turns and all that. But I think being that integral part of your community, everybody, every community needs it solid bike shop that isn’t just opening the turning the open sign on, but actually making a difference in their community. Matt, you wrote to me that you have found great joy and sharing the cycling experience with others. And then that joy is bigger than any other aspect of our industry. And I can tell just by you know, our conversation, I can see you again, I wish I wish our listeners could because you are just smiling, you’re glowing. And you’re tremendous. So thank you for joining. Thank you for sharing your story. And, you know, for being an amazing human I’m I’m gonna have to get out there and we’re gonna have to take a mountain bike ride. I
Matt Wallin 52:57
think whenever you’re ready, you’re riding into the table, but I’m slow and steady, but I’ll do my best.
Heather Mason 53:04
So it’s round trip bike shop, calm round trip bike shop.com. If you want to chat with Matt, Matt, can I share your email?
Matt Wallin 53:14
Yeah, absolutely.
Heather Mason 53:15
So it’s round trip bike shop@gmail.com
Matt Wallin 53:19
or Matt at round two bike shop calm. All right,
Heather Mason 53:23
Matt at round trip bike shop calm. So any questions throw his way. I’m sure he’ll get back to you, Matt, thank you. Thank you so much for coming on. I invite others to connect with me and share your story with our listeners. Lots of love for our industry. Lots of love for all the bike shop owners working tirelessly. I know this past weekend was really rough for a lot of you and thank you for continuing to show up. If you like what we’re doing. share this episode with your friends on social media. And thank you for listening. Come back soon. And with this we go. Peace. Thank
NBDA 53:54
you. This has been bicycle retail radio by the National bicycle Dealers Association. For more information on membership and member benefits, join us at nbda.com
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The NBDA has been here since 1946, representing and empowering specialty bicycle dealers in the United States through education, communications, research, advocacy, member discount programs, and promotional opportunities. As shops are facing never-before-seen circumstances, these resources offer a lifeline. Together, we will weather this. We at the NBDA will not waver in our commitment to serving our members even during this challenging time—but we need your support.
Now is the time to become a member as we join together to make one another stronger. Whether you’re a retailer or an industry partner, your membership in the NBDA is one of the best investments you’ll make this year.
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