Open the Door to Women – A Podcast Overview

A recent podcast titled “Open The Door To Women” featured Laura Neighbors, Community Engagement Coordinator at Bicycle Sport Shop in Austin, Texas, and Lisa Cramton, co-founder of Chopwood Mercantile in Crested Butte, Colorado, NICA Coordinator, and former marketing manager of Pivot Cycles. These two powerful women discuss why they are passionate about getting women and kids on bikes and empowering other women to get involved in the industry.

As I listened to this podcast, I thought it would be great to create a summary of their conversation, as it drove home some essential areas of consideration for all retailers.

The first thing I took away from this podcast was the importance of both Lisa and Laura on the need to engage both Women and Youth. These two groups have historically been underserved or misunderstood in a very male-dominated industry and sport/activity. I was a front-row witness to this daily in our own business. My wife seemed to develop different relationships with her female customers, which often led to intense and lasting friendships, as well as the all too typical reaction to brushing off her mechanical advice.  

First, though, let’s talk about youth. Laura and Lisa are both experienced with the NICA program, with Lisa currently involved with that program and a big proponent. The cool thing about NICA is that it is a non-drop sport, meaning everyone participates and makes the team. Lisa shared a story about a young man who lost a tremendous amount of weight and has continued to develop as a high-level racer at this point. In this case, NICA had a genuine and lasting impact on this young man’s life and has changed him in a significant and compelling way. NICA is also driving more parents into the sport, only by exposing them to the activity. Little Bella’s is a truly unique mountain biking program for young girls aged 7-13. The program is at its heart a mentoring program to help these young females learn to be leaders, and realize their potential with mountain biking as the transformative vehicle. Another neat thing Little Bellas does is introduce the concept of food as fuel versus a reward, which is essential as a way to develop a healthy eating mindset in our current culture, which is very confusing for young ladies.

Women are very underrepresented in the bicycle industry, but that is changing with more and more women working in sales and becoming mechanics, demo drivers, and more. But the fact remains that day in and out we need to be more inclusive of not just women but also women who may not consider themselves cyclists because they are not super thin, fast, or don’t dress a certain way ride the right category of bike. In her clinics, Laura brings to the forefront that if you ride a bike, you are a cyclist. That is a significant and transformative moment for many women to realize that the way they ride, the clothes they wear, or the way they look doesn’t determine whether you are a rider or not – it’s that you are riding. It is also essential to let Women know that a lack of knowledge shouldn’t be the reason you don’t ride and don’t let who you are in your cycling journey keep you away from the bike, as riding is so good for you both mentally and physically. 

There is so much more in this podcast. As a retailer, there are tons of little nuggets as takeaways to help you understand the importance of speaking to both women and youth in your business, as well as some heartwarming stories that Lisa and Laura’s share makes it worth a listen alone.

Words by David DeKeyser

David DeKeyser and his wife Rebecca Cleveland owned and operated The Bike Hub in De Pere, Wisconsin, for nearly 18 years. In 2018, they sold the business and real estate to another retailer based in a nearby community. David now writes the Positive Spin series on Bicycle Retailer and Industry News and he writes articles for the NBDA’s blog, Outspokin’. David also provides business consulting through the NBDA’s P2 Consult Program.

 

 

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