WEBVTT - Pedaling Uphill: One Shop Owner’s Staffing Struggle

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome back to On the Job. I'm your host, Avery Thompson.

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<v Speaker 1>Can you believe we're already at the end of another season? Geesh,

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<v Speaker 1>where does the time go? But don't get too upset,

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<v Speaker 1>because we've still got this episode to enjoy, and I

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<v Speaker 1>figured why not end things on a fun note. So

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<v Speaker 1>today we're headed to Austin, Texas, a city known for

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<v Speaker 1>its music, barbecue, and laid back lifestyle. And really there's

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<v Speaker 1>no better way to check out this vibrant city than

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<v Speaker 1>on a bicycle, so come along for the ride. Each year,

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<v Speaker 1>millions of people visit Austin, Texas, and many of those

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<v Speaker 1>folks choose to explore the city on two wheels, and

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<v Speaker 1>rightly so, because Austin boasts some beautiful bike trails and

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<v Speaker 1>when people want to rent a bike in Austin, that

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<v Speaker 1>usually means talking to this guy.

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<v Speaker 2>My name is Devin Lantman, and I am the co

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<v Speaker 2>owner of Barton Springs Bike Ground, all Austin's longest running

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<v Speaker 2>and largest bike rental in tour company.

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<v Speaker 1>You've probably heard the city's motto keep Boston Weird, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>Barton Springs Bike Rental certainly abides by that ethos.

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<v Speaker 2>We got aren't made from bike parts. We got wire

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<v Speaker 2>sculptures with dogs made by former employees. Yeah, it's definitely

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<v Speaker 2>not like a corporate bike shop. We're more of like

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<v Speaker 2>the vibe of Austin, trying to keep Austin, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>the way it used to be just kind of funky.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, everybody has their own flavor, everybody has their

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<v Speaker 2>own character, so we try to keep that a big

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<v Speaker 2>part of our company.

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<v Speaker 1>But despite the shops bohemian vibe, Devin runs a tight ship. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean when you walk to the shop, you might

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<v Speaker 2>see a bunch of guys with long hair and mustaches

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<v Speaker 2>and tattoos. But we're also hustling really hard, always moving,

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<v Speaker 2>and we got to do it with smile on our face,

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<v Speaker 2>keeping the customers happy.

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<v Speaker 1>And that begins with making sure that he and his

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<v Speaker 1>staff greet every potential customer who walks in with a

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<v Speaker 1>hearty Texas welcome. Guys are going, y'all looking to rent

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<v Speaker 1>some bikes? Uh?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, oh you're looking to do e bikes or regular bikes?

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<v Speaker 1>E bikes perfect.

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<v Speaker 2>So part of the job is just me showing enthusiasm,

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<v Speaker 2>saying the same thing over and over again. But also

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of times it's great to joke with the

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<v Speaker 2>customers where they're from, and make jokes with them and

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<v Speaker 2>play up the Texas stereotype for them, and they laugh

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<v Speaker 2>and I laugh, and it's a great time. So where

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<v Speaker 2>y'all coming from, We're coming from Denver, Colorado. Oh nice,

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<v Speaker 2>that means you all gonna melt in the seat out there.

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<v Speaker 2>We rent thousands and thousands of bikes, and I want

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<v Speaker 2>to make sure it's a memorable and positive experience for them,

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<v Speaker 2>even if I'm tired of telling everybody the same thing

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<v Speaker 2>over and over again. I want them to have a

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<v Speaker 2>good time.

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<v Speaker 1>Devin knows just what a good time you can have

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<v Speaker 1>riding a bike around Austin, because for years of his

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<v Speaker 1>life that's pretty much all he did. Though I should

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<v Speaker 1>explain he was riding a BMX bike doing this sort

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<v Speaker 1>of impressive and dangerous looking tricks you might see on

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<v Speaker 1>the X Games or as of twenty twenty, in the Olympics,

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<v Speaker 1>and back then, as a carefree teenager in twenty something,

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<v Speaker 1>Devon treated work as a means to an end, an

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<v Speaker 1>annoying duty you had to put up with to ride

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<v Speaker 1>another day, And in Devon's case, work meant making sandwiches

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<v Speaker 1>at subway which he admitted he didn't totally hate, though

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<v Speaker 1>some of the customers could be rude, but being there

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<v Speaker 1>dressed in a uniform, sliding sandwiches down the line of

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<v Speaker 1>ingredients felt like such a departure from the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>his life. So when he heard that Barton Springs Bike

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<v Speaker 1>Rental was looking for a bike mechanic, Devon slapped together

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<v Speaker 1>a resume and biked over to the shop. So I

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<v Speaker 1>walked in.

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<v Speaker 2>I asked they were hiring, and he asked me if

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<v Speaker 2>I knew how to work on bikes, and I said, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>I know to work on bikes, and he said start tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>Though Devon was hired to be a bike mechanic, it

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<v Speaker 1>quickly became apparent that the owner saw something in him

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<v Speaker 1>and started giving a more responsibilities.

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<v Speaker 2>So I've been very lucky the owner saw potential in me.

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<v Speaker 2>He really has trusted me, and he has really guided

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<v Speaker 2>me through the years. Without like a formal education, I

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<v Speaker 2>essentially got a business education while doing the job.

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<v Speaker 1>Devin will admit that sometimes it wasn't easy to step

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<v Speaker 1>up to the new responsibilities being thrust upon him, but

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<v Speaker 1>looking back, he's really grateful to the owner who saw

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<v Speaker 1>his potential and molded him into the person he's become today,

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<v Speaker 1>or should I say the co owner he's become today,

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<v Speaker 1>because in twenty nineteen Devin was offered a partial stake

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<v Speaker 1>in the business.

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<v Speaker 2>That went from being a bike mechanic to kind of

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<v Speaker 2>being the manager. Now I'm the co owner. So yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>it's changed quite a bit.

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<v Speaker 1>And Devin has changed through those years as well.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. When I first came, I was just a young

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<v Speaker 2>kid trying to ride BMX all the time and have

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<v Speaker 2>a good time all the time. As I got older,

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<v Speaker 2>I had a daughter and I had to really focus

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<v Speaker 2>on my career, my future and put in the work

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<v Speaker 2>to make it happen.

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<v Speaker 1>But what's that phrase, heavy as the crown. When we

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<v Speaker 1>come back from the break, our former BMX bro learns

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<v Speaker 1>what it takes to be the boss.

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<v Speaker 3>Hiring is a lonely business posting jobs, sifting through resumes,

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<v Speaker 3>interviews with unqualified applicants being ghosted.

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<v Speaker 1>What if you could link with dozens.

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<v Speaker 3>Of qualified candidates who are ready to work right now

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<v Speaker 3>at expresspros dot com. One connection the workforce you need

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<v Speaker 1>We're back with Devin Lantman, who for the last fourteen

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<v Speaker 1>years has been helping people enjoy the fun and sun

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<v Speaker 1>in Austin, Texas. My day to day is come.

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<v Speaker 2>In, unlock the shop, put all the display bikes out,

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<v Speaker 2>the reservations, and essentially try to get everything ready for

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<v Speaker 2>the day.

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<v Speaker 1>And once that day gets going, it tends to be

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<v Speaker 1>a busy one. In the last ten years or so,

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<v Speaker 1>Austin has become a major tourist destination. On most days,

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<v Speaker 1>their little bike shop can feel like Grand Central Station

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe lax flowing with people from all over the world.

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<v Speaker 2>We've got a world map here that we let customers

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<v Speaker 2>put pins in where they're from, and we got most

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<v Speaker 2>of the world covered, pretty much all the continents. That's

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<v Speaker 2>actually our second map we've gone through one. I had

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<v Speaker 2>too many holes in it, so I had to get

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<v Speaker 2>a fresh.

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<v Speaker 1>One to keep up with demand. Devon will usually have

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<v Speaker 1>four people working on the busy days, and even more

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<v Speaker 1>if they've got lots of tours, which brings us to

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<v Speaker 1>the hardest part of the job for him, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>not fixing flats or explaining how to shift gears. It's staffing,

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<v Speaker 1>making sure he's got the right team to keep up

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<v Speaker 1>with the shops often crazy demand.

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<v Speaker 2>So the challenges of somebody are Weekends and holidays are

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<v Speaker 2>our busiest times, and that's when most people want off,

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<v Speaker 2>so that's a huge challenge for us. Also people who

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<v Speaker 2>are going to stick around. I don't want to waste

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of time training somebody and get them them

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<v Speaker 2>to know the whole system and then we're only just

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<v Speaker 2>want to stay for two three months and then leave.

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<v Speaker 1>Over the years, Devin has tried all sorts of methods

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<v Speaker 1>to finding new team members.

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<v Speaker 2>So I've tried everything everything from Craigslist to word of

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<v Speaker 2>mouth to referrals from other bike shops. We've really explored

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<v Speaker 2>every avenue of finding employees.

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<v Speaker 1>One or two guys he's hired just showed up at

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<v Speaker 1>the shop with a resume in hand, the way he

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<v Speaker 1>did fourteen years ago. Other times he's asked his better

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<v Speaker 1>employees if they know anyone that might be a good fit.

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<v Speaker 2>So I have hired one guy and I really liked him,

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<v Speaker 2>he was really good. I asked him if he had

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<v Speaker 2>any friends or knew anybody who needed a job, and

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<v Speaker 2>actually his brother started working for us.

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<v Speaker 1>Another longtime employee got his cousin working there, So Devin

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<v Speaker 1>will take his good employees anyway he can get them.

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<v Speaker 1>But it can be hard to figure out who will

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<v Speaker 1>be a good employee based on a resume alone, because

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<v Speaker 1>unlike more traditional jobs where there's a very defined set

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<v Speaker 1>of tasks requiring specific skill sets, work at the bike

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<v Speaker 1>shop is varied.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it might seem like an easy, care free kind

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<v Speaker 2>of job, but you do have to wear a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of hats. You have to do a bit of everything. Ideally,

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<v Speaker 2>they're able to ride bikes, they're able to take reservations

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<v Speaker 2>over the phone and on our website, and they are

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<v Speaker 2>our tour guides. So they do need to know the city.

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<v Speaker 2>They need to know the history, they needed to know

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<v Speaker 2>all the cool spots, and they need to be able

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<v Speaker 2>somewhat of a concierge for these people, and that can

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<v Speaker 2>be a challenging thing to find in one person to

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<v Speaker 2>be able to do all those things and.

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<v Speaker 1>Do them efficiently. But if someone doesn't know how to

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<v Speaker 1>fix a derailer or replace a bike chain, that doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>necessarily disqualify them from the job.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, when someone hands me a resume, I do look

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<v Speaker 2>for prior tour got experience or bike shop experience, but

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<v Speaker 2>it's not the end all, be all if they don't

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<v Speaker 2>have either of those things. I more ask them questions

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<v Speaker 2>and try to find out who they are as a person,

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<v Speaker 2>how they handle being around people.

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<v Speaker 1>Hiring is hard for any business, but for small operations

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<v Speaker 1>like the bike shop, it's especially difficult. In fact, sixty

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<v Speaker 1>six percent of small businesses across the country report hiring

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<v Speaker 1>being a significant challenge. At Barton Springs Bike Rental, there's

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<v Speaker 1>no HR department, no recruiters scrolling through resumes, just Devin

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<v Speaker 1>casting out nets however you can and trying to get

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<v Speaker 1>a read on those that apply.

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<v Speaker 2>I've had people with rough paths who have been great.

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<v Speaker 2>I've had educated college kids who didn't work out. I've

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<v Speaker 2>had people from all walks of life, and it's really

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<v Speaker 2>more about what clicks and and what works for the shop.

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<v Speaker 1>And maybe just as difficult as hiring people is letting

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<v Speaker 1>them go, something Devin never expected he'd have to do

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<v Speaker 1>when he first took the job as a bike mechanic.

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<v Speaker 2>When I first took this job, I didn't expect to

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<v Speaker 2>have to be reprimanding people or firing people even and

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<v Speaker 2>I'm very anti conflict and it's been a challenge for

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<v Speaker 2>me to have to do those things.

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<v Speaker 1>But as Devon rose up to manager and then co

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<v Speaker 1>owner of the shop, he had no other choice.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I totally have to get in the right mindset

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<v Speaker 2>to you know, this isn't anything personal, but sometimes their

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<v Speaker 2>actions have made it to where there's no other.

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<v Speaker 1>Options for me. Learning at a fire someone was one

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<v Speaker 1>of the many skills or life lessons you might say

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<v Speaker 1>that the owner of the bike shop taught Devon over

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<v Speaker 1>the years an unavoidable and necessary part of running a

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<v Speaker 1>healthy business.

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<v Speaker 2>Sometimes sometimes it's sometimes they give me a reason to

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<v Speaker 2>fire a minute, and that's that's still hard, but it's

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<v Speaker 2>got to be done.

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<v Speaker 1>But thankfully these days, Burton Springs Bike Rental is running

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<v Speaker 1>smooth with a team that Devon can depend on.

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<v Speaker 2>Mike, I'm gonna have you do the nine am e

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<v Speaker 2>bike tour, Rob will have you do the ten am

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<v Speaker 2>Nutshell and the one o'clock Pece.

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<v Speaker 1>Devin never set out to own a business. He didn't

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<v Speaker 1>write a five year plan or chase some grand vision.

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<v Speaker 1>He just wanted to ride bikes and pay rent.

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<v Speaker 2>I never saw myself owning a business. I really had

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<v Speaker 2>no solid plans. I was always just trying to have

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<v Speaker 2>as much fun as I.

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<v Speaker 1>Could, But sometimes the job we take to get by

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<v Speaker 1>becomes the job we're meant to do.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm very proud of my job. I feel like, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>it's allowed me to live a life that I enjoy.

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<v Speaker 2>I get to go to work and I don't hate

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<v Speaker 2>my job every day. It's a fun place to work.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a fun environment to be in showing people good time.

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<v Speaker 1>So yeah, I'm very proud of it. For on the job,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Avery Thompson.