Julie Audette never considered running her own business, she just thought about running.
The former athlete turned corporate sports manager is an avid triathlon competitor. And to complement the competitive sport, she decided to ship her favourite bicycle brand, Linus, built in California, back to the UAE.
It was the appreciation among passers-by of the bike – designed for daily errands rather than as a sports bike – that gave the Canadian an idea.
As someone who believes in the power of positive thinking, she wanted to make a difference to her community. And with she and her husband Rooman Latif keen cyclists, opening a bike shop selling the brand was a way to make that happen.
It was about 18 months ago that the idea became an ambition when an Emirati stopped his car in the street and offered her husband Dh10,000 for his bike.
“It was a Dh2,500 bike and my husband didn’t sell it,” she says. “But it proved there was a real desire for these bikes and we came up with the idea for the shop. We called it The Movement.”
After canvassing local bike shops about what customers wanted, the idea became reality. The Movement opened in October 2014 in Dubai’s Garden Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road as a family-centric bike centre.
According to the brand, Linus bikes are inspired by the French bicycle design of the 1950s and ‘60s. It’s a bicycle “that preserves the simple elegance and pure form of that golden era, but has all the benefits of modern comfort and reliability”.
“I had seen the Linus brand grow from home and spread right down the west coast of North America,” says Ms Audette, who moved to the UAE three-and-a-half years ago. “The fact that it is beautifully retro and built for short rides meant it was a perfect addition to my ‘other’ bike – I have one serious bike which I use for training and competition.
“The Linus has accessories, such as panniers and baskets, which means you can use it to pop out for the a pint of milk and anything which stops us in the UAE climbing into our cars has to be a good thing. I really am not looking to make a million, I really want to make a difference to the UAE.”
Before embarking on the venture, the fledgling entrepreneur says she had to take a deep breath to ensure her business plan was correct.
While she expected to sell 400 bikes in her first year, the businesswoman says in reality she only has seven months to achieve her target because being outside on a bike is not practical five months of the year.
However, The Movement sold 100 bikes in its first three weeks and the months of planning, customer research, investments and bureaucracy bore fruit. More than 60 per cent of her customers are women, many of whom until now felt no bike brands in Dubai suited their needs, being either too technical or uncomfortable. Ms Audette now has plans to set up shop in Abu Dhabi in October.
“The bikes are wonderfully simple, being either one or three gears,” she says. “We offer a teaching and getting-back-on-the-bike service for those who have been out of the saddle for a while. I believe in the bikes passionately and after I open in Abu Dhabi we will look at distributing them to other retailers but not as The Movement, The Movement is me.”
ascott@thenational.ae
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