This week at Wandertec:
1. Finalized the design of the Wandertec Sax
2. Got interviewed by a journalist for the Chicago Tribune for a possible story about Bike Cargo Trailers and their use in Chicago.
3. Worked on designing some packaging using Adobe Illustrator for the Wandertec mLite.
4. Listed some the Ultimate5 Plus Handelbar Bags at the BikeTrailerShop.com.
5. Got in 10 Xtracycles after being out of stock for the last few months.
Life is good at Wandertec these days. Sales have been strong at the BikeTrailerShop all spring and summer. The shop expansion should be underway soon. I’ve been enjoying developing several new products.
However, as an anxious entrepreneur, I’m constantly bitten by the bug to do more. Its good to be where I’m at, having climbed the first hurdle of establishing a profitable business, but the dreams around the corner keep me blazing ahead. Getting to the next level means having a large fully functioning shop and hiring an employee to help with the daily tasks of keeping things running.
I’m very excited about starting to work on expanding the BikeTrailerShop platform into including other websites. The plan is to launch another site focused on selling racks and panniers. I will carry a very complete selection of brands and models of rack and panniers along with other bicycling bags. Really focusing in-depth on the niche of Bike Cargo Trailers has really gone over well with customers. It has also worked well with one of our main advertising mediums, Search Engine Rankings. I’m looking forward to a similar success with bicycle panniers and bicycle racks.
Taking this business model one step further, I would like to continue to launch other niche specific stores within the bicycling industry. This is a growing trend throughout the Internet. I feel it is a great way to serve the bicycling public. I also feel that it is a service that is complimentary to local bike shops. While local bike shops offer a large variety of bicycling necessities, specialty web stores can offer those hard to find items that it doesn’t really make sense for local shops to stock.