The more I press forward into my thirties, the more I realize the importance of regular exercising. I don’t want to be the old guy on the porch watching the kids play in the yard constantly yelling out,”be careful.” I would rather be a participant in the activity! I knew I had to choose a method of exercising that did not require me to drive to a gym, run on a track, or go to a local park though…so what was left? Cycling, of course. One day while I was driving through the neighborhood, I became intrigued by this local bike shop, so I decided to go in. This was my first encounter with Blue Line Bike Lab, a full service bike retail, repair and “everything cycling” shop.

(Click on any image to view it larger)
When I entered the shop, I was surprised by the quality of the bikes and accessories I saw. It reminded me of a shop that you would find in Los Angeles, Austin, or New York, but not Houston. How did this great bike shop end up in my neighborhood? I could have speculated an answer, but I decided to ask one of the owners. It turns out Blue Line Bike Lab is the vision and dream of brothers David and Fredrich Zapalac.

I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Fredrich about how they got started. Fredrich’s knowledge of bikes and the industry is impressive. He knows his business well. You can tell he is passionate about cycling. I am currently saving up to purchase “the beast” of mountain bikes that he sales in his shop. (you can see a picture of it by viewing the photos)

LM: What drives you?
FZ: My passion for cycling

LM: What experiences influenced your decision to start a business?
FZ: We started our own business because I had been in the industry for quite a time and felt I had hit a ceiling. I felt that I could do a better job doing it for myself.

LM: What formal education and/or training do you have or had to get to start your business?
FZ: No college. I have 5 years previous management experience in bike shops.

LM: How did you get started?
FZ: It was a snap decision. I came to realize I was never going to make any more money where I was. My brother and I pulled our resources together and got a loan from a family member. We’ve been in business two years. We decided we wanted to be in the Heights. I had been eyeballing the Heights area for years. One day we got on our bikes and rode around looking for buildings and found this building. While we were in front of the building, almost 30 people rode by on their bicycles.

LM: How did you determine what product and or service to sell? How did you find the products that you sell in your shop?
FZ:We chose what appeals to us. We are cyclists. We go to trade shows and shop around. We are consumers too, we are going to ride the stuff we sale and we want to make sure its a nice product. Our criteria is “do we think its cool.” What separates us from other bike shops is we do not purchase based on margin. The other shops do–they purchase solely based on margin and not what is best for you, the consumer. We have two distinct groups of clientele. The urban, young hip group and the family neighborhood crowd.

LM: What lessons have you learned from your first years in business?
FZ: To prepare for rainy days literally because we are in a business that is an outdoor sport. Don’t get over stretched on credit. The biggest lesson that we’ve learned is that we can do this.

LM: Who were the primary influences in your life as it relates to being an entrepreneur?
FZ: My grandfather owned his own industrial business. We watched him succeed through saving, being frugal, and patience. My dad had his own business too. He worked long hard days and never really went anywhere. My previous employers. I learned what to do and what not to do in terms of customer relations, management, etc.

LM: What has been your biggest success?
FZ: We’ve made it through the first two years. We are still here.

LM: What has been your biggest disappointment?
FZ: No real disappointments at this point.

LM: What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
FZ: I wouldn’t wish retail on my worst enemy. If I can do it anybody can do it. My biggest thing is its just money. I’ll never know if I don’t try. You only live once.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 9:38 pm and is filed under Biz Start-ups.