Pedaling Towards Perfection [B1]
In the bustling world of startups and small businesses, standing out from the crowd requires more than just a great product or service. It takes innovation, a unique vision, and perhaps a touch of quirkiness. Enter our founder and his latest venture, B3ars – a fascinating blend of passion for cycling, love for gourmet bagels, and appreciation for finely crafted brews.
Everything above, from the title to the paragraph, was generated by ChatGPT. Yep, AI wrote all that. The only thing I did was insert my name, Ryan. Why am I telling you this? Because I don’t want to blog. I want to build my business, ride my bike, pet my cat Oakley, read a book on the beach, etc. So, I used ChatGPT to generate that bit. But, that’s not me. That’s not what I’m building. That’s not what you deserve. So, I’ll say more.
Here goes: This is the first blog post for Bikes, Bagels, & Brew LLC, which we’ve playfully nicknamed B3ars. I’ll say “we” a lot, and many folks will counter with, “It’s just you, Ryan.” Yes and no. Yes, I started it and do most of the work to maintain and grow B3ars. But, and that’s a hard but, I’ve had lots and lots of help. First and foremost I would have to recognize my ex-wife, part of the reason it’s ex is probably because I tried to enlist her help too much, c'est la vie. She had equity in the company. If I were to die (e.g., hit by a car while riding), she would have immediately become majority owner. Some days, she probably thought about hitting me with a car herself, and not for the equity. Nevertheless, I’ve since repurchased her ownership and parted ways.
My ex-wife’s dad, Randy, is a terrific graphic designer who helped with some fun imagery for products, such as the box our bikes were shipped in. I paid him for his work every time and I’m grateful for his creations. There was also Ken, a local mechanic who worked for the postal service for years and spent most of his free-time working on race cars. Ken helped me troubleshoot a bottom-bracket issue in the early days. Can’t forget Joey T., a Colorado-based athlete who invested $2k about a year into the company’s founding. If you really know anything about starting a company, then you know $2k is huge to removing hurdles (e.g., a month’s rent and some replacement bike tires). I had a summer intern named Owen who, despite driving 30 minutes for minimum wage and very few tips, showed up on-time, every time, characteristics that speak volumes to the quality of a person. More recently I’ve enlisted the services of Gabby, a Florida State grad who manages the shop better than me. Simply put, I have not built this alone.
Cool story, bro. Why are your blogging? Because the folks who help websites get ranked, “book now” buttons get clicked, and influencers get influenced, they all say a blog is necessary for building my brand. So I guess by blogging I am in fact, helping people ride bicycles in Panama City Beach. Stay tuned for more from ChatGPT Ryan.
