Blog 12: Interview Questions #3

1.      What is the best way to sustain a profitable bike shop?

answer: "Having a continuous profit and reliable clientele."

2.      Where does most of the income of the shop come from? 

answer: "Depending on your shop, but I know for mine it usually comes from our repairs we do."

3.       How did this shop get started? 

"I opened this shop back when I was trying to go to school. My father had owned his own bike shop prior to this one and had me work there. I figured knowing how to run a shop it would be my best shot at making more for college. Then after a while I just decided it was easier to stay here."

    4.       How big of a role do aesthetics play when a person is buying a bike?

    answer: "Well they matter as much as when people buy anything now a days, people want to buy something they'll want to be seen with.

    5.       How does this compare to the performance of the bike?

    answer: "Usually the customer will look at which bike they like and then pick how it looks after."

    6.      What can you tell me about credibility? How big of a deal is it that you have regulars who keep bringing in their bikes for repair? what did you do to attract 

business?

   answer: "It's always a big help in keeping this shop running with making sure I'm able to have a reliable cash flow going through this store. I get a lot of advertisement when we have guys riding for us in the local races."

    7.      How long did it take for the shop to start making a substantial amount of money after opening?

    answer: "A year and a half maybe, once the shop is settled people would start to come in more often."

   8.      What makes some bikes more popular than others?

   answer: "Usually huge bike buffs like to follow the bigger manufactures and the names like trek and bontrager, so usually its just the name recognition."

   9.      What is the demographic of your most common customers? 

How do you use that information to make the shop successful?

   answer: "Usually middle aged men. I wouldn't say that I really use that information as much as you would think, a customer is a customer. It doesn't matter what they look like."

  10.  What would you tell someone who is looking to open a bike shop?

   answer: "Be careful where you set up your shop and make sure to do research on everything you plan on selling."